new 5 1/2 gallon tank

[orangeson]

hello everyone i bought today a new 5 and half gallon all glass fish tank with hood also its 16 inches long by 10 inches tall 8 inches wide i wanted to know what type of filter should i buy for it and the gph also is there anything i can use to speed up the cycle and also is it better to use fake plants or real plants and also what type of fish could i get and how many for this tank also what can i get to keep the algee clean i also have a heater and gravel ,

[Mgamer20o0]

aquaclear 20. get gravel or filter media from a cycled tank. i think live plants are better. you dont have many options maybe a betta. you can get a brush and start cleaning if you get algae.

[muddskipper26]

bio-spira will also speed the cycle up but is expensive for such a little tank. if i were u id do an all shrimp tank.

[jm1212]

2 azoo palm filters would be a good choice

[Cyndil]

for the filter I would get an aquaclear 20, to spead up the cycling process, I use cycle

[jm1212]

cycle hasnt worked for many people.

[Rbishop]

AC 20, fishless cycle, one betta or a shrimp tank.

[Kyohti]

I'd go with a small Penguin or Cascade filter. More expensive, but the quality of filtration, the warranties, and the longer-lasting parts make up for it.

Fine grade substrate... perhaps a very coarse grade sand or a fine grade gravel. If you go for real plants, I'd suggest trying something like the dwarf (petite) anubias, since it's small and slow-growing and doesn't mind low light conditions.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Live-Tropical-Aquarium-Plant-Anubias-barteri-petite_W0QQitemZ250093890183QQcategoryZ66794QQssPa geNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I'd go with Nano Fishes... they are super tiny (most never growing to be a full inch long), so I bet you can have a school of 4 in a 5 1/2 gallon, no problem. I'd also get a trio of shrimp for bottom cleaners. Most FW shrimp also eat algae, so that'll help.

http://www.franksaquarium.com/nanofish.htm

Keep in mind, though, that if you go with nano fishes, they require a very fine-grade fish food for their super tiny mouths. Also, a color-enhancing or protein-rich food will help keep their colors nice and bright.

Yeah... I'd go with nanos... or I'd go with the aforementioned betta by itself in the tank. Depends on whether you want a lot of little fish or one big one.