I need a quick start for my 5 gal. acquarium

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kcdavebob

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Dec 17, 2002
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We purchased an acquarium for our son for Christmas. I would like to get some information so we can get it operational with some fish in it shortly after Christmas.

What are some good starter fish?
How many fish should we start with?
What is the max. amount of fish I can keep in that small of a tank?

Can someone recommend a variety of fish that can cohabitate in a 5 gal tank and would capture the interest of a 4 year old (like that would be a problem :) ) Lots of color!?!

Hope you all can help.

Thanks a lot!!:D
 
Welcome to Aquaria Central first off!

For a 5 gallon you can put in a few neon tetras and a few cory cats. If you want to mix, it is hard to do in a 5 gallon, as there is not much room. But, I am sure others here could suggest other variations.

Have fun!
 
Hi and welcome to the world of fishkeeping. 5 gals isn't much to work with, but don't let that spoil your fun. Many will say 5 gals is too small but lets see what we can do.

OK, when you buy the fish, ask the fish store if you can have a bunch of the gravel in the tanks. This will help immensely with the start up for your tank. Being that you have a relatively small tank. A few fistfulls will do you some good. Put the new gravel in first, then put the established gravel on top. In short, gravel, ornaments, etc have bacteria that breaks down the fish waste ie ammonia.

As for colorful fish, it may be a problem. Zebra Danios are small and very hardy, guppies are nice and colorful, but the multiply like crazy. Any type of small tetra (stays under an inch) will be nice. Or maybe a single male betta.

Or you can not bother with fish and maybe get a hermit crab, but they pinch. :)
 
Hi and welcome to the world of fishkeeping. 5 gals isn't much to work with, but don't let that spoil your fun. Many will say 5 gals is too small but lets see what we can do.

OK, when you buy the fish, ask the fish store if you can have a bunch of the gravel in the tanks. This will help immensely with the start up for your tank. Being that you have a relatively small tank. A few fistfulls will do you some good. Put the new gravel in first, then put the established gravel on top. In short, gravel, ornaments, etc have bacteria that breaks down the fish waste ie ammonia.

As for colorful fish, it may be a problem. Zebra Danios are small and very hardy, guppies are nice and colorful, but the multiply like crazy. Any type of small tetra (stays under an inch) will be nice. Or maybe a single male betta.

Or you can not bother with fish and maybe get a hermit crab, but they pinch. :)
 
Hello kcdavebob and welcome. You need to supply a little more info then you supplied before suitable tank inhabitants can be suggested. As everyone has said 5 gallons is not much to work with so you will be limited. Did you get a heater and filter for this tank? I simple corner or sponge filter is all you need. As for a heater you would be stuck with a 50 watt one as I do not know of any smaller wattage ones. Having said that you should buy a quality heater to ensure good operation. For fish if you go no heat I would go with White Clouds, perhaps 6 of them. If you go with heat then you have more choices. As was mentioned guppies would be a good choice. Eliminate the baby problem and get only males. Again 4 to 6 would be okay. In your case though with such a small tank less would definantly be more. Two or three of the above mentioned fish would be far better then the maximum I mentioned. Make sure you feed the fish and not your child. Hide the food from him or her. Overfeeding will kill the fish in nothing flat. Feed the fish about one flake about the size of a dime once a day. Skip a day once in a while, it will not hurt the fish and will only help them. Change 1/2 the water once a week and vacuum the gravel when you do it. If you have a light limit the use of it to when you will be able to view the fish. This cuts down on algae. Last for me but certainly not the least would be to go out and buy a starter book for yourself. There are many availible in the $10 range and it will explain much of what you need to know in an easy to comprehend fashion.
 
guppies

guppies babys wouldn't be much of a prob in a 5 gallon tank,there isn't much room to hide and the adults would eat most of them. They are colorful fun fish. You will need a heater.
 
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