Are small tanks bad???

[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:

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.