Fishes For 5 gallon tank?

[Alanthebro]

I got a 5 gal tank in our storage and wanted to know what kind of small fish(other than bettas) than bet can live happily in there.

[CarmanDirda]

Probably only teeny guys like guppies and tetras, but if a betta goes in there, be careful what you put with it. I reccommend a max of 5 fish if all fish are 1inch full grown. It's still a little much in my opinion, but many people say 1in of fish per gallon.

I usually house 1 or two bettas (divided of course) in a 5gal. The more room the better, and the less fish in one tank, the healthier and cleaner they are.

[Nijis]

The only fish that can live in a 5 gallon tank is a betta. But you could get a snail or some shrimp.

[Philnominal]

1 Betta or 1 Dwarf Puffer, orrrrr i have read conflincting opinions on these but 1-3 (not sure as i havent kept one myself) Scarlet Badis. If you went for Scarlet Badis i would go for a pair or 1 male and 2 females for a 10 gallon. Also you could house shrimp. For everything i listed but the betta (bettas do better in it too) you should have it planted. You could also do a pair of Endlers Livebearer.

[ladayen]

The one inch of fish per gallon is just wrong, completly wrong.

There are numerous fish that can fit in a 5g aside from a betta. It's mostly just a matter of whats available to you, and are you willing to order online? Although for one fish it's probably going to wind up being an expensive fish.

You could do some of the endlers liverbearer mentioned previously, a trio of male guppies, a platy.

Get the tank set up and cycling, have a look at whats available at your local fish store. If you see something you like or something is recommended to you come back and research before buying :)

[CarmanDirda]

Originally Posted by ladayen

The one inch of fish per gallon is just wrong, completly wrong.

It's an overused theme set by petstores mostly. Not saying it's really right or wrong - though in most cases...wrong. Depending on the type of fish, you can vary in numbers.

Like I said before, tiny fish like a school of 5 guppies or up to 2 bettas can fit happily. Just be sure they have plenty of room to move freely, feed, breath, hide, and explore.

Overcrowding, as I'm sure you know, can lead to death from stress or illness. Also, if you put more fish in there, no matter the size, there's more waste and ammonia, which means more cleaning or your fish will certainly become ill.

[CarmanDirda]

Forgot to mention, you also need to choose individual fish based on the condition of the fish itself and its tank. Petstores may be more likely to carry sick fish, but you can at least see and examine the fish before buying, to help choose better. It's cheaper than buying from breeders in most cases - and if your fish die, you can refund the purchase or replace the fish easily.

There's downsides to both breeders and stores. Just decide what you want that is compatible (not just because they're docile, but because of similiar temperature range) and decide how much money are you willing to spend to find the perfect fish?

[MaisyDawgThirteen]

A shrimp colony would be fun. :)

[DysontheLoach]

Originally Posted by Alanthebro

I got a 5 gal tank in our storage and wanted to know what kind of small fish(other than bettas) than bet can live happily in there.

Well, common misconception You can house in a 5 gallon, shrimp, dwarf aquatic frogs, guppies, snails, a couple tetras, I had 2 dwarf frogs and 2 shrimp and a apple snail, they were really happy and healthy for 2 years. and i threw in 2 feeder guppies for the frogs and they didnt eat them and they grew up happy as well.

[Alanthebro]

thx for all ur comments.I think I'll get a couple of coldwater fish.Or would 5 tetras also work in there?