5.5 gallon tank mates possible?

[christina]

I have a 5.5 with a betta...

I LOVE schooling fish, but I have a feeling that a sufficeint school would overload the bioload... but the 5.5 looks strangely empty with a single betta. I could split it and have 2 bettas... but I doubt my ability to do that without it looking tacky... also, I got a 5.5 just to give him room.

Are there any fish that I can get 1 or 2 of that won't overload the bioload and be comfortable with a betta?

[Tisia]

I think you're only really supposed to go with shrimp or a snail for anything less than a 10 gallon

[Gizmothefreaky]

you could get a couple cories or otos, maybe a few neons... uhm... trying to think of others, maybe someone else will have more suggestions. :)

[Tisia]

Originally Posted by Gizmothefreaky

you could get a couple cories or otos, maybe a few neons... uhm... trying to think of others, maybe someone else will have more suggestions. :)

I think you're supposed to get all of those in groups of 4+ which is why they're not suggested for under 10 gallons

[christina]

Originally Posted by Gizmothefreaky

you could get a couple cories or otos, maybe a few neons... uhm... trying to think of others, maybe someone else will have more suggestions. :)

Researching it and comparing bio loads it looked like I could get away with a SMALL shoal of otos (3 or 4)... but I also heard they were super-sensitive and hard to keep alive. I really want otos and/or the Neons.... and I keep saying "oh, I could do more water changes to account for the large bioload... right?" ... Being a newbie at fish though... probably not the best idea.

[Alex09]

Constant fluctuating changes in the water chemistry (bc of water changes) will stress out more sensitive fish like neons.

[christina]

Ah, lame. :P I know better- I'm dreaming of a 20 Gallon Long for Christmas... but that's MONTHS away. But first I must exhaust all options I have for now. Getting another betta in my 1 Gallon is continuously being vetoed (and then secretly revisited when I think about getting another fish)... If it wasn't good enough for my first betta it isn't good enough for a second.... I think the only one that isn't compleatly vetoed is the spiltting of the aquairum... but I'm still not sure.

[Canuck Fins]

Yes, you could put a divider in your tank and have two bettas. (The general consensus here is 2.5 gallons per betta.) If you do that, you need to make sure the barrier isn't transparent; you do not want the two to see each other.

In a 5.5G, you are limited to ghost shrimp or snails.

[christina]

I'd love shrimp... although no where around here even sells them (not even ghost shrimp!) so I'd have to order them online, which isn't really worth it to me.

... as far as snails I really don't see the point. All I've heard about them is them pooping. (okay- and being scavengers, but my tank is clean enough I'd rather have some "lost" food than the poop)

[Gizmothefreaky]

I have kept cories in groups of three easily in a five gallon in the past. :3 and i currently only have three otos, though technically they are only one in each section of my divided tank... so that doesnt count. And the neons i have kept have actually been fairly hardy, but that is from purely personal experience i suppose.