I need a quick start for my 5 gal. acquarium

Hello kcdavebob...

and welcome to Aquaria Central!

One suggestion I have for you, if your son isn't too interested in any of the fish mentioned, you could always go the african dwarf frog route. Just make sure they're they dwarf variety, not clawed. Clawed frogs would get to big for your tank. I setup a tank for my boyfriend a while back... a 3 gallon with 2 dwarf frogs and a betta. Good luck!
 
I have a 6 gallon with 1 male Betta, 2 White Clouds and 2 Neons and they are all doing great! My system came with the Bio-Wheel filter and I did buy a 50 watt heater and a thermometer.

Goldfish are also great and would work if you don't have a heater.
 
Originally posted by Finzzup
Goldfish are also great and would work if you don't have a heater.
Click to expand...

Wrong--they get way too big for a small tank.

A small group of neons and some kuhli's would do well. You'll need to and either real or fake plants, or other decorations to provide some hiding places for the fish and make them more comfortable. I have a 6 with a trio of dwarf gourami and 5 kuhli's. The kuhli's are very active and social this way, and the gourami don't get more than about 1 1/2 inches long, so the bio-load is very low. Add some plants, and it is very stable.
 
If he puts only male guppies in that tank, won't he be getting aggression problems? Wouldn't one or two, with three or four females, be better? And if they breed, as has been mentioned, the parents will probably eat the fry anyway. And if they don't, he could introduce his son to trading with the local lfs!

-- Pat
 
dwarf frogs would be a good thought.... 1 betta.... several varieties of danios stay small... some cories.. otos... snails don't add alot to a bio-load... mountain minnows... assorted tetras.. guppies....

to get fancier, shell dwelling cichlids or dwarf puffers might work.

with this size tank you won't be able to do many fish. you will need a heater for almost anything, but there are a few varieties of fish that temperature isn't super critical.

i would suggest some reading on the nitrogen cycle at a place like www.thekrib.com or www.skepticalaquarist.com also. once the tank is up and running you probably won't have alot of problems, but the intitial setup, especially if you haven't done it before can be somewhat hard and disappointing. it's not really that bad though, and if you hang in there you're liable to get addicted like the rest of us.

good luck and post back any specific questions.
 
dwarf puffers, good one ewok. but if not...

ghost shrimp are entertaining, and cheap. a little apple snail would also be a good addition. pygmy cories, neons, dwarf frog, and all those other previously mentioned fish.
 
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