Help me please

[Gina423]

My husband wanted this 5 gallon tank and we have it all set up. It has a filter and heater and it looks great. It is currently going through a cycle. What I wanted to know is what fish would be suitable for this tank. I see that neons, white minnows, platys and cherry barbs are all small enough, but how many to get? I see that most are schooling fish and I would hate to get less than 6, but I know that more than two would be too many. Any ideas?

Thank you.

 

[Luniyn]

My personal favorite is Cory Cats actually. And I think they would be a neat little addition to a 5 Gal tank. You could get 3 of the . Yes they get to 2" and that would equal 6" of fish, however, cory's tend to like to play together very closely. They also are known to sleep in a pile, so they don't mind being close to each other. If you at looking for more color then I think you would be ok with platys as all the others you mentioned prefer schooling. Even at a minimum of 5 you would still be at 7.5" of fish with the neon's which out be a bit much for a 5 Gal tank. It would be doable, but just not ideal. Have you given thought to just putting a betta in there?

 

[bbfeckawitts]

I think you could get away with 5 neons. They put out very very little waste.

 

[SHPEPoser]

You could go with a couple of guppies. They are very colorful and fun to watch.

 

[Gina423]

We already have a betta, so my husband wants to try something different. I like the idea of getting a male and female guppy, although I don't want to see any fry get eaten. I am not interested in breeding fish. Neons are so nice to look at, but I heard they aren't very hardy.

Would two guppies live comfortably in a 5 gallon tank? On their species profile, it says 10 gallon or larger.

 

[SHPEPoser]

When I first started I had a couple of male guppies in a 5 gallon. They should do fine as long as there's enough swimming room.

 

[Gina423]

So two male guppies won't fight each other?

 

[vin]

So two male guppies won't fight each other?

It's not the guppies you have to worry about fighting each other...it's the betta thinking they're another betta...I wouldn't recommend the guppies....Use caution with fish that have long, flowing fins or tails with bettas.....

 

[Tom]

So two male guppies won't fight each other?

It's not the guppies you have to worry about fighting each other...it's the betta thinking they're another betta...I wouldn't recommend the guppies....Use caution with fish that have long, flowing fins or tails with bettas.....

I think they are ogin to have some guppies in a different tank than the betta.
Tom

 

[Gina423]

No, I have one male betta and he has his own tank. I have had him for almost three years now and he is happy. I am not giving him any tank mates. He stays upstairs with me .

I think I am going to go ahead and get two male guppies in a 5 gallon, unless someone suggests otherwise. I just want to make sure they will be happy and peaceable with each other.

 

[vin]

gotcha.....

 

[COBettaCouple]

2 guppies can work, just watch them to see if they develop a relationship where one is always picked on.

 

[Gina423]

is that likely to occur?

 

[COBettaCouple]

is that likely to occur?

I think it's 50/50 or more.. with just 2, one is likely to become dominant over the other but they might get along fine. 3 works better because it creates a more complex pecking order, but would push the 5 gallon over the limit and make you have to do more water changes, cleaning, etc.

 

[Gina423]

So would there be a better type of fish for my 5 gallon?

 

[vin]

How about a pair - Male and Female - dwarf gourami?

 

[Gina423]

Hey! That sound likes a pretty good idea! I will tell my husband and see what he thinks.

 

[Gina423]

but wait, their profile says 10 gallon or larger, would 5 gallons be okay?

 

[SHPEPoser]

What about dwarf platties? I've read that 4 are perfect in a 5 gallon. You could maybe go with three and a snail or oto.

 

[COBettaCouple]

but wait, their profile says 10 gallon or larger, would 5 gallons be okay?

It should be big enough for 2 of them. 10 gallon would let you have a little school of 4-5 of them.

 

[vin]

I forgot about that...Sorry.....  :-[   They may not have enough 'space' in the 5 g....For some reason I was thinking it was a 10g.....never mind me.....It's important for them to have enough room to separate and hide in the event they have a lover's quarrel......

 

[SHPEPoser]

I don't suggest 2 dwarf gourami. They will fight in a 30 gallon so I can only imagine 2 in a five gallon.

 

[Gina423]

I am interested in dwarf platies, but I have never heard of them. Are they common in pet stores? Does anyone have links to websites with more information on them?

 

[COBettaCouple]

LOL.. I was thinking of guppies still for the 5g. For gourami, even the smallest ones, I think a 10 gallon would definitely be minimum.

I've not seen any dwarf platys myself anywhere but maybe if you google it, you'll find a good online store selling them.

 

[SHPEPoser]

Another suggestion is  a dwarf puffer. They are fun little guys.

Dwarf platies you should be able to find at your local petsmart. I don't know of any specific info on them. I know the largest they get is 1.75 inches. Which is very large for these. I'd expect an iinch.

 

[Gina423]

The more I post, the more I realize I don't know. Now what the heck is a dwraf puffer?

 

[SHPEPoser]

A dwarf puffer is a really smart fish.

check this site out.

 

[COBettaCouple]

Dwarf puffers are very cool fish.. they don't really play good with others, some puffer owners have mentioned they can be aggressive with each other as well, so 1 puffer could work. I believe they put out a bit of waste so you'll want to watch the water chemistry.

 

[Gina423]

The dwarf puffers seem pretty easy to care for and are very interesting. I think my husband would def. go for one of those.
Do most pet stores carry them?
And does anyone have one, maybe could offer some advice?

 

[SHPEPoser]

You should be able to find one pretty easy. My suggestion is just give you petstores a call and ask. Petsmart carries them. And my local fish store carries them. They are pretty popular.

 

[COBettaCouple]

I've seen the little green dwarf puffers at petsmart and walmart.

 

[Gina423]

Oh, that's good to know. I don't know about Walmart though, mine is HORRIBLE!!!!
What do puffers eat, are flakes good or do they eat something else?

 

[COBettaCouple]

- this is a good site for puffer info. They've got a wide variety of foods that you can feed them.

 

[Gina423]

Thank you.

 

[vin]

I don't suggest 2 dwarf gourami. They will fight in a 30 gallon so I can only imagine 2 in a five gallon.

My friend has two (one male/female) Neon Blue Dwarf in a 20 gallon and they're fine..... :-\

 

[Gina423]

yea I used to have two in my 30 gallon (infact I think they were two males), and they never fought. sometimes they would chase each other around, but pretty much got along. But I think it would be too cramped in a five gallon.

 

[vin]

yeah, I'd agree.....I know that the PetCo near me has the dwarf puffers...They are pretty cool little fish...

 

[COBettaCouple]

yeah, I'd agree.....I know that the PetCo near me has the dwarf puffers...They are pretty cool little fish...

They are. I want a puffer tank one day.

 

[Gina423]

And they are easy to keep?

 

[COBettaCouple]

They sound like they wouldn't be any harder than most fish to keep, just gotta watch for if you get real aggressive ones.

 

[Gina423]

Well, since its only a five gallon tank and they need three gallons per fish I would probably only get one.

 

[bbfeckawitts]

Make sure you have enough plants. you have enough when its hard to see the back of your tank. You could throw some shrimp in there too. He may or may not kill them. If he doesn't, they make a cool addition to the tank. If he does, just don't get any more. Good luck, I'm sure the Dwarf puffer will love it and you will love him!

 

[Gina423]

Are a lot of plants important for puffers?

 

[COBettaCouple]

Found this, it sounds like it is:
The one thing that is very important with a Dwarf Puffer tank is that no matter what kind of plants you use, you want to use a LOT of them!

Dwarf Puffers need places to establish territories and will do best in heavily planted tanks. The plants also break their lines of sight and will cut down on their aggression towards one another. The other purpose that the plants serve is to add complexity to their environment. In a more interesting habitat, the puffers' curious and explorative nature can really be seen. They won't spend so much time swimming up and down the glass out of boredom.

It's also a good idea to add multiple caves/hiding spots throughout the tank. This will give the puffers a place to escape if they feel threatened.

 

[Gina423]

hmm, interesting thank you

 

[COBettaCouple]

hmm, interesting thank you

no prob. if you do go with a puffer tank, i'd love to see pics. best of luck with whatever you choose.

 

[Gina423]

I am going to try with the puffer, I just have to make sure I can get my water temp to 80F (the tank is in a basement and water has only reached 72F)!

 

[COBettaCouple]

only up to 72? what type of heater do you have in it?

 

[Gina423]

I actually have TWO heaters in it (heaters suited for 2-5 gal), but the basement is so cold! Plus the heater has no switch to turn teh temp to a desired setting

 

[COBettaCouple]

Hmm.. I'd highly recommend this heater: - they're very good, submersible and you can set the temp exactly. You could get the 50w, which would be for a typical 5 gallon or go with the 100w if you think the basement temp. would be too much for the 50w to overcome. Those heaters that say they're for 2-5 gallons are pretty much ineffective in any room.