Are small tanks bad???

[steffi0122]

I am a fairly new aquarium owner. i wanted a small tank that would fit nicely into my bedroom without taking up too much space. I bought a 5.5 gallon. I am being told now that many fish will die in a tank this small and that i am wasting my time. currently i have a pleco, a cory, 4 rainbows, and 3 platies. they all seem to be doing relatively well. I have had the tank for about 3 weeks now. I am not going to stock the tank with any more fish as i am aware of the problem that overstocking can create. i cange abo0ut 30% of the water once a week and am taking good care of the tank. I was wondering if anyone has had experiences with tanks this small? What was your outcome? I am aware that larger tanks are prone to doing better than small ones...but with the proper care can't a small tank do just as well? Let me know what you all think...any advise would be appreciated.

[TETRALADY]

Welcome steffi0122 :D

Unfortunately, you are overcrowed. In a 5.5 tank, the pleco alone (depending on species) can grow 12" or more.

Most don't like small tanks because they can be very unreliable in terms of water quality being very unstable. Larger tanks are more forgiving with water quality, overstocking, etc.... Advanced aquarists reserve smaller tanks for Betta's, breeding and quarantine tanks. This is not to say you shouldn't have a smaller tank, it will be necsssary to pay a bit more attention to it as well as cuting back on your fish load. :)

[SnakeIce]

small tanks are less stable in thier water quaility and it is easyer to overload them ie its not the extra cardinal or two that overloads a 75 but that cardinal and his brother grows and it might in your small tank..

that said

there are small fish like black phantom tetras, pygmy corries, heterandria formosa(a livebearer that only gets to an inch) ottocinclus, ember tetras(again an inch) exc. that sometimes would be lost in to large a tank

plecos get large very large for the common ones, rainbows like thier swimming room and some get 4-6 inches, platties can reproduce increasing the load in the tank

you can have a nice small tank but you have to choose your fish carefully as many do get to large for such a tank

[Grassguy]

The problem with small tanks is that they can go bad really fast. One mistake and you've got a bunch of dead or really sick fish. The larger tanks give you a little more room for mistakes because the larger amount of water will buffer itself somewhat. I have a 6gal for my son's room. It runs well, but it doesn't take much of an error to cause a week's worth of correction. Two weeks ago he decided the fish "looked hungry", so he dumped four squares of freeze dried tubifex worms, and two squares of brine shrimp in the tank. I didn't find out about until the next day when I walked into his room and saw a very nasty aquarium. I'm just now finishing that cleanup (water changes and clogged filters). If you stay on top of it, the tank should be fine, but I believe your tank is overstocked. With that many fish, I'd get a 30 gal minimum.

Good luck, and welcome to the world of fish.

[TETRALADY]

I forgot this in my earlier post but you may have a problem with your tank heating up to fast or cooling down to quickly, be sure to check your temperature daily, add a heater if you haven't already done so and purchase test kits that enable you to test for nitrites and ammonia.

[~*LuvMyKribs*~]

Yes, that tank is too small for the fish you currently have, as the others have said already. But that doesn't mean you have to run out and instantly get rid of your fish. It takes time for them to grow.
If you wanted to keep the fish you have and invest in a larger tank (i have a 5.5 gallon, 20 gallon, and 32 gallon all in my bedroom, btw!), then you have at least a few months to do so. If the fish stay small for a while they will be ok in thier temporary home until you get a larger tank. But not for too long, only about 3 months or so, the plecos grow pretty fast.

If you don't want to get a larger tank, then i would reccommend trading in your fish at your lfs and getting a betta and some cory catfish (maybe 3). A betta would be fine in the tank and the cories would help clean the bottom.

:)

[TKOS]

I have 2 5 gallon tanks. One has a betta and 4 amano shrimp and the other has 3 platies. And I worry about the platies being overcrowded. They do well, though one hides in a cave all day until feeding time and babies are mostly eaten or removed fairly quickly.

I change the water a couple of times a week and I suggest that with the large number of fish you have that you do the same.

The pleco really has to go. The smallest plecos still get to be 4-5 inches and a 10 gallon is considered the absolute smallest you can use.

A 5 gallon tank has its purpose but in a way has to be very carefully planned or else it is doomed to fail.

[LMOUTHBASS]

You've got a pleco!!! that thing needs at lest 20g just to start but will need even biger than that
the rainbows are schooling fish they can't school in 5 g's of water
the tank is tiny so you shoul only keep 2-3- small fish in there tops or maybe a betta if you got the pleco to eat algae bring him back cause he will die in your tank and get a snail instead

[JSchmidt]

I think the tank in question is undoubtedly overcrowded.

Overcrowding a tank of any size predisposes it to crashes if something goes bad.

I don't agree that small tank are any less stable inherently than any other tank (except maybe for changes in temperature). A lightly stocked small tank is just as stable as a lightly stocked larger tank. The problem is likely that new fishkeepers are more prone to buying smaller tanks, and they're probably more likely to overstock, too.

Jim

[naruto123]

hey i was wonering how big do baja sharks get.i have a 10 and a 60 gallon.i going to get a 6 gallon.can you help with typs of fish i can get for it :shark: :confused:

[guppygal]

I had a 5 gal hex for about 3 weeks and decided to upgrade that to the 10 g. I only have 3 guppies (well, 1 died and that is what prompted the bigger tank) and they are much happier with room to swim!!

I wanted a 5 because it was a nice little size. A lot of people also feel a 10g is small too. I just don't want a 20g because of the space it would occupy!! At least I can still move my 10g -- at 20g -- it is just bulkier.

Any who .... I am right there with you. I was only going to keep 3 guppies in the 5 g. You really can't keep much more than 3 fish in there. That was also my motivator for getting a 10g - more fish!!

[guppygal]

I forgot this in my earlier post but you may have a problem with your tank heating up to fast or cooling down to quickly, be sure to check your temperature daily, add a heater if you haven't already done so and purchase test kits that enable you to test for nitrites and ammonia.

YES!! YES!! I had this problem!! The tank was always hovering at 80/81. I had to float ice cubes in a zip lock to get it to 79.

[fishcatch22]

dude, you're aquarium is definetly OS. the 'bows are definetly too big for that tank, even if they're just threadfins or something. the pleco (i'm going to assume you have a common) will max out at 20" adult, and the others will most likely be fine, as long as you buy 2 more corys, since they are schooling fish, and the one you have is most likely horribly lonely. what kind of cory is yours? if its the common bronze a 5g is too small for even one.

[Emg]

There's plenty you can do with a 5.5 tank.....but the amount of fish you have in there now is way over doing it, like these folks said.

A planted 5.5 with endlers or least killies and some shrimp can be very pleasant. Smaller fish in a smaller tank, with small leaved plants and a small piece of driftwood or a few appropriately sized rocks....will do very nicely for scale in a tank that size.

You could also have 2 dwarf frogs with a betta

If you're interested in trying your hand at brackish at some point....you can go with 3 or 4 bumblebee gobies in a planted (brackish tolerant plants)

You do have to stay on top of water changes and filter maintenance with smaller tanks....but the smaller size makes that alot easier to do than with larger tanks. If you put a HOB filter on that which is rated for a 10gallon tank...it should work out well, as long as you don't have a betta in it. The current would be too much for a betta, but the endlers and least killies wouldn't mind.

[dorkfish]

hey i was wonering how big do baja sharks get.i have a 10 and a 60 gallon.i going to get a 6 gallon.can you help with typs of fish i can get for it :shark: :confused:

They'll reach a foot in length. And there schooling fish, so you need atleast 6. For a lone oscar, you would need atleast a 75g. So 75 x 6 (for 6 12: fish) = you need atleast a 450g to properly keep bala sharks.

Steffi, you need atleast a 30g -55g for those fish, assuming your getting rid of the pleco and depending on what kind of rainbows you have. You'll need to get the larger tank, and add atleast 2 more ranbows, and atleast 4 more cories, as both are schooling fish.

[Hurley]

Because of space limitations I have kept many small tanks. There is nothing wrong with small tanks, you just need to approach them with a different mind set. I think the options Emg has given are great options, in fact the same ones I was going to recommend. With a smaller tank water changes are very important but because they are smaller I don't find it to be much of a hassle. I have had some trouble with heating in the past and I have to say this is the toughest part. You have to be very aware of where you place your tank. You should avoid windows because of drafts and temp. changes and I would invest in a very good and accurate heater when dealing with a smaller tank.

If you can buy a bigger tank for your current fish that would be great. If not then you might want to see if your local fish store will refund or let you trade in some of your stock. If they don't dp this you might want to consider donating them to the store. This way you can get some fish that will be more appropriate for your tank and in the long run you as well as your fish will be happier and less stressed! Good Luck!

[TheZoo]

dude, you're aquarium is definetly OS. the 'bows are definetly too big for that tank, even if they're just threadfins or something. the pleco (i'm going to assume you have a common) will max out at 20" adult, and the others will most likely be fine, as long as you buy 2 more corys, since they are schooling fish, and the one you have is most likely horribly lonely. what kind of cory is yours? if its the common bronze a 5g is too small for even one.

Even 3 platies and 3 cories is a bit much. Not to mention the inevitable platy fry....
OP, any chance at all of getting a bigger tank? Try freecycle or craigslist for cheap or free used stuff.