5 Gallon Stocking
- Thread starter l.MetalHead.l
- Start date
tricksterpup
It's SPRING!!! BUNNIE RABBITS
OK, I am an advocate for only one fish that will thrive in a tank this small and do very well for people
The fish I recommend is the Heterandria formosa, aka the least killie or dwarf live bearer. This guys are hard to come by, these are usually a special order from your pet shop but they are great fish.
The males reach about 1/4 of an inch long at full adult hood and the females are larger at an inch. They are very peaceful fish and thrive in tiny tanks. I own a small colony right now in my 5 gallon. I plan on getting more soon for an outdoor container. But they do well having plants like hornwort floating on the top of the tank and they eat crushed fish flakes. Many breeders keep them in 1 gallon pickle jars and they thrive in them. Since they are native to the southern US, they do not require a heater for their tank. I would say 5 would be perfect for this size tank.
The fish I recommend is the Heterandria formosa, aka the least killie or dwarf live bearer. This guys are hard to come by, these are usually a special order from your pet shop but they are great fish.
The males reach about 1/4 of an inch long at full adult hood and the females are larger at an inch. They are very peaceful fish and thrive in tiny tanks. I own a small colony right now in my 5 gallon. I plan on getting more soon for an outdoor container. But they do well having plants like hornwort floating on the top of the tank and they eat crushed fish flakes. Many breeders keep them in 1 gallon pickle jars and they thrive in them. Since they are native to the southern US, they do not require a heater for their tank. I would say 5 would be perfect for this size tank.
With a good filter and slow stocking you could get away with a betta and maybe two panda cories, or two otos, or a largish snail. The tank has a small surface area, so you don't want to overdo it. I'd let the betta be your showpiece, and use decoration (rocks, driftwood, real/plastic/silk plants) rather than more fish to make the tank pleasing to look at. I've seen gorgeously scaped 5g hexes, but it takes imagination.
With that kind of a tank, I would go with a male betta and a snail too. IMO, betta is a very beautiful fish and you'll be amazed how personal he gets with you. And it will thrive and enjoy a lot in a 5g tank. And you will not only enjoy taking care of him and looking at him, but also you will feel quite good saving a betta from those cruel tiny cups in pet/fish stores!
As a matter of fact, whenever I go to petsmart, petco, or my LFS and see those poor cupped (!) bettas, I get pretty sad and I wish I had enough space in my small appartment to buy all of them and put them in biggest tanks I could fit in there.
As a matter of fact, whenever I go to petsmart, petco, or my LFS and see those poor cupped (!) bettas, I get pretty sad and I wish I had enough space in my small appartment to buy all of them and put them in biggest tanks I could fit in there.