"Other Fish" people.. looking for suggestions

[1fish2fish]

So most of you know that Poe's tank is now empty :(

I was considering getting a different species of fish to stock his tank with instead of another betta (although that is not entirely out of the question). I just don't know what I can put in there.

Here's the specs..

5 gallon hex (not the eclipse brand)
10i Whisper filter, intake covered, cycled (might be changing that for a HOB filter)
gravel substrate
a few plants (need more) and 1 piece of driftwood
10w CFL


I've been considering:
endlers
guppies??? ---> would these work in a 5 gallon
RCS or other shrimp
ADF... although I'm pretty sure I want fish/shrimp
platys????


Will any of these do well in a 5 gallon tank. I was thinking of getting a trio (one male two females) if I get fish, that way I can feed the fry to my bettas.


My other idea is taking down this tank and slowly setting up my 12 gallon as I get money. I still need to do some thinking before I decide anything. If I do set up the 12 gallon I already know I want RCS, Fancy Guppies, pygmy cories, and a nerite snail.

Setting up the 12 gallon would be the better decision, I just don't know if I have the time, etc to completely set up a new tank from scratch.

[bloo97]

I personally love guppies...

[DragonFish]

If I were personally in your situation, I'd set the 5 aside for a rainy day and gradually start setting up the 12. You never know when you'll need that 5 for a new guy you just COULDN't pass up, or a hospital tank even.

You COULD do, shirmp, or endlers, ext. in the 5...but there are just SO many more options in a 12, even if it will take some time to get it set up the way you want it...

Lol, I don't know, thats just what I would do ;)

[1fish2fish]

I know that is the best option but ugh.. I just don't want to wait that long. I hate staring at empty tanks. Its going to cost me at least $200 to set that tank up the way I want which means it will take me at least 2 months to get everything (and then cycle).

I'll have to think about it more while I'm at work.

[Adastra]

I would wait for the 12, too. And the only problem I have with livebearers is that they will get out of control quickly if you don't have a single sex only colony. Do not underestimate their ability to produce nonstop babies. I found out the hard way that one single fertilization is sufficient for one guppy to be pregnant three consecutive times. Do yourself a major favor and get males only.

Have you considered other fish, like sparkling gouramis or celestial pearl danios?

The cycle will only take a week if you seed it really well.

[1fish2fish]

I'll look into those. The ones I listed are just the ones I have minor knowledge of. I do like danios hmmm...

while I'm here.. does anyone know about plants and lights? The light on my eclipse is a 5000k (not sure of the wattage off my head). That's good enough for med/low light plants right? I'll be dosing with excel, etc.

[Adastra]

Well, it really depends on the height of the tank. I find the height of a 10G with a 15W bulb to be just perfect for most plants with a little excel. If it's taller than a 10G, you might have to extend your photoperiod and maybe replace the bulbs in the ambient light in your room so that they are fluorescent also. It does make a difference.

CPDs are really, really adorable. They're super tiny, and their body patterns are lovely. I was able to get some tank bred ones locally off of craigslist along with some RCS. The danios are so tiny that my RCS colony did very very well up until I added my sparkling gouramis.. which have great personalities, but ate almost all my shrimp. :( They also do really well with guppies--I haven't seen any nipping at all.

[secuono]

You can easily get a 10g for about $13, or wait for the Petco $1 sale, and get up to a 55g for just $55. Look on Craigslist for a $1 per gallon tank.
Starting a new tank is pretty easy and not too much $ if you use what you had in the last tank.

[Jupiter]

Originally Posted by secuono

You can easily get a 10g for about $13, or wait for the Petco $1 sale, and get up to a 55g for just $55. Look on Craigslist for a $1 per gallon tank.
Starting a new tank is pretty easy and not too much $ if you use what you had in the last tank.

I didn't know that Petco had a sale like that. That's awesome!

I've never been a fan of guppies, but if you decide to get them for your 5 gallon, get only males! A mixed-sex bunch will breed like you wouldn't believe.

I think you can keep a dwarf puffer in a 5 gallon too, not sure. Those guys are so cute!

[secuono]

They had one in spring and one at the start of September. 10, 20L, 29, 40B, 55.

I think a puffer would need more space and make sure it is truly freshwater. A lot of them are either salt to start or fresh then salt as they age.

Shrimp, 2-3 male Guppies, all females. But if you do get one male and 2 females, don't keep fry unless you plan on taking out another fish.
But yea, Walmart has 10 gallons for only $13, you should get one of those and transfer all your gravel, filters, heaters, plants, etc over.