5 Gallon Tank Stocking a 5 gallon tank with something oddballish

[Anabantiformes]

I want to stock my 5 gallon tank with something either for intermediate or advanced fish keepers.
I was thinking a scarlet baddie(dario dario) but I know they can be picky eaters and ive had pea puffers in the past love them but I have to work out a few kinks in overfiltering the tank.

 

[ruud]

Except for the food, dario fishes are pretty much the easiest fish to keep. Also, in a planted tank, there can be hours in a row you won't see them. In a 5 gallon heavily planted tank, that is left pretty much to its mercy, except for a water change every now and then, they might even be able to find food whatever the tank provides... It can't get any easier.

So.... I would leave that one out.

 

[veggieshark]

Bumblebee goby, but if eating habits of darios is a problem it may not be ok.

 

[KingOscar]

A Dwarf crayfish.

 

[SparkyJones]

I'd suggest Dwarf anchor catfish(hara jerdoni)

Also licorice gourami, (any of the fish starting with Parosphromenus in the scientific name).

I'd also suggest if you can find it, toothpick fish. (Scientific name starting with Indostomus).

There's also candiru (Vandellia cirrhosa) if you can find them. That's an oddball.
All of these fish could work in a 5 gallon, not sure about the candiru but you could mix the dwarf anchor fish with the other two fish also.

 

[Anabantiformes]

I'd suggest Dwarf anchor catfish(hara jerdoni)

Also licorice gourami, (any of the fish starting with Parosphromenus in the scientific name).

I'd also suggest if you can find it, toothpick fish. (Scientific name starting with Indostomus).

There's also candiru (Vandellia cirrhosa) if you can find them. That's an oddball.
All of these fish could work in a 5 gallon, not sure about the candiru but you could mix the dwarf anchor fish with the other two fish also.

I though licorice gouramis were normally wild caught a needed larger tanks because of it?

 

[ChrissFishes01]

My two options are a species of Pygmy Sunfish (Okefenokee are my favorite), or a pair of Clown Killifish.

I'd note that most of the nano fish listed can be picky eaters - some worse than others. Few are more picky than puffers, IME, so if you can handle a pea puffer most other fish on this list should be a piece of cake. If they're wild-caught, it may take a bit more weaning off live foods, but not difficult as long as you do some research before hand.

 

[Anabantiformes]

There's also candiru (Vandellia cirrhosa)

Isint that a parasitic fish?

 

[SparkyJones]

Isint that a parasitic fish?

that's one way to look at it and yeah, in the wild they feed on blood and skin of larger fish,following the ammonia trail from the waste of the fish then attach and feed. Like a leach I suppose, but a fish.

In captivity and kept without a larger host, you can get them on frozen meaty foods, and stuff, they don't NEED the host fish.

Hey, you asked for something intermediate or advanced, I offered ideas that could qualify for the criteria.
Candiru would qualify. also something not many folks would have. Tridensimilus Brevis is an interesting one, looks like a fish (some look like a snake or eel) only really likes big slow fish, and won't really mess with fish it's size and will take to blood worm or chunk of fish or shrimp ect. there's some that only come out at night and sit in the mud most of the time except to eat something at feedings.

 

[FinalFins]

Danionella are also an option. Tiny little buggers.