I recieved two 5? gallon tanks from a friend of mine to replace a 10 gallon that a lightening strike took out in my daughter's bedroom and so that she has one at grandma's house too. :sad: We lost pretty much everything with the tank to include the fish and snail that were living in there. :sad: A few bali sharks, tetras (neon fish) and the snail.The first "new" tank is a Galaxy 5 by Regent and is missing a few pieces. Does anyone know where to get the "biowheel" and how to find out what filters it takes? I asked at Petsmart and the guy told me that he didnt even know what a galaxy was when it came to tanks. The second tank is an Aquatank 5 by Hawkeye and is a bit more "elaborate" in accessories and is more like her old tank. It needs new filters, a bulb on one side and i think that is all. Where do i find what size bulbs and filters it takes? The second has a heater tube thing like her 10 gallon did whereas the first does not. Do I need to get one for the Galaxy model? My husband was in charge of the old tank and had it on autopilot when he left. What do i need to get to make these two running? Should i get bubble bars for them? What kind of fish would be good to get? We want something a bit more advanced than feeder goldfish but nothing elaborate as this is a tank for a 2 year old.:girl: I think the Bali sharks would be cramped in such a small tank so i am pretty sure they are out of the question. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I can be reached via email @ lilirishprincess@gmail.com or via yahoo messenger as N2rcng. I can take pictures of the tanks and everything i have for them and provide a link to them if needed/wanted. Thanks so much!! ~Rosie
Question about 5(?) gallon tanks....
- Thread starter Newtofishesinva
- Start date
The brands of tanks don't necessarily matter. Technically you can get anything that fits. As far as replacement bio-wheels most of the time you have to get them directly from the manufacturer. You could try to google the manufacturer and find their official web-site. I've also seen replacement bio wheels at my local Petco but that may just be a local thing and not apply to your area if you even have Petco there.
Bala Sharks I hate to say were out of the question in your last tank. Those guys need around 150-180 gallons. for 5 gallon tanks unfortunately to do it "right" you are limited by what fish you can comfortable fit in there. You could get a betta for each. You could also get African Dwarf Frogs. Snails of course. The only other fish I know of that will do fine in a 5 gallon is a Least Killifish. However those you usually have to order online.
Also before you get fish with new tanks you'll want to refer to the sticky's on this board regarding "cycling" and read up on those. With new tanks you can't just add fish right away.
Hope this helps,
Curtis
Bala Sharks I hate to say were out of the question in your last tank. Those guys need around 150-180 gallons. for 5 gallon tanks unfortunately to do it "right" you are limited by what fish you can comfortable fit in there. You could get a betta for each. You could also get African Dwarf Frogs. Snails of course. The only other fish I know of that will do fine in a 5 gallon is a Least Killifish. However those you usually have to order online.
Also before you get fish with new tanks you'll want to refer to the sticky's on this board regarding "cycling" and read up on those. With new tanks you can't just add fish right away.
Hope this helps,
Curtis
I'm not familiar with those tanks, but check www.bigalsonline.com and www.drsfostersmith.com.
Goldfish are also a big no-no for that size tank!! They get huge (or at least they should when kept properly!).
Goldfish are also a big no-no for that size tank!! They get huge (or at least they should when kept properly!).
You can also do ghost shrimp I think, but they are a little freaky looking.
Read up a lot on killie fish if that is what you decide to do and talk to Tricksterpup on this forum. he has experience with these fish. They get sucked into filters easily unless you take precautions, but I think you can keep them without a filter and with frequent water changes.
Read up a lot on killie fish if that is what you decide to do and talk to Tricksterpup on this forum. he has experience with these fish. They get sucked into filters easily unless you take precautions, but I think you can keep them without a filter and with frequent water changes.
Thanks so much for the advice about Petco and the Biowheel. Its in there spinning away now! 
We also found the filters and that the comapny has just changed the name of the tank but still sells it. We decided on Swordtails (little bright red fish) in the one tank with a Black Snail to blend in with the gravel but help with algea. The gravel is black and we put a black and white big rock figure that has some plastic plants on it as well as a few other darker plants to give them some privacy. The set up looks really neat and i cant wait to go back and get the fish and add them. We are cycling now to get the tank ready for them. We are planning on 4-5 as reccomended by the guy at the store. The book that he showed us (and i bought :read: ) says that they will get to be about 1"-2" in size. The snail will grow to be 1.5" The second tank we are going with Platies (they are a really cool Golden yellow color with black spots). This tank has black gravel and neon rock formations and plastic plants. We are going to go with 3-4 Platies.The book says that they grow to be 1"-2" too and like to swim in schools. Should we add a snail to this one too or go for a pleco? Both tanks call for a temp of 74-78 degrees so we got heaters for both and have both cycling before we get the fishes and bring them home. Should we add/do we need to add a bubble bar? I saw that tonite at the store and wasnt sure if we needed that too. I got the water testing kit and the stick on thermometer ( i put two on each tank just to be safe) so we can keep our fishes happy.
We also found the filters and that the comapny has just changed the name of the tank but still sells it. We decided on Swordtails (little bright red fish) in the one tank with a Black Snail to blend in with the gravel but help with algea. The gravel is black and we put a black and white big rock figure that has some plastic plants on it as well as a few other darker plants to give them some privacy. The set up looks really neat and i cant wait to go back and get the fish and add them. We are cycling now to get the tank ready for them. We are planning on 4-5 as reccomended by the guy at the store. The book that he showed us (and i bought :read: ) says that they will get to be about 1"-2" in size. The snail will grow to be 1.5" The second tank we are going with Platies (they are a really cool Golden yellow color with black spots). This tank has black gravel and neon rock formations and plastic plants. We are going to go with 3-4 Platies.The book says that they grow to be 1"-2" too and like to swim in schools. Should we add a snail to this one too or go for a pleco? Both tanks call for a temp of 74-78 degrees so we got heaters for both and have both cycling before we get the fishes and bring them home. Should we add/do we need to add a bubble bar? I saw that tonite at the store and wasnt sure if we needed that too. I got the water testing kit and the stick on thermometer ( i put two on each tank just to be safe) so we can keep our fishes happy.
tricksterpup
It's SPRING!!! BUNNIE RABBITS
I personally recommend against keeping platies and swordtails in a 5 gallon tank. These tanks are way to small for them. I do not keep mine in anything less than a 30 gallon tank. These guys get pretty big and needs lots of room to move around. Now the live bearers that you could keep in here with lots of color are Guppies, Endlers and Dwarf Livebearers aka least killies. They all do well in these smaller tanks, but you have to be careful not to over crowd the tank. I would start off by maybe keeping a pair of guppies in each tank as you get more experience, you will want to up grade. When you get a larger tank, then go with the platies and sword tails.
There are not many fish that will do well in a tank this size. I could give you a whole list of fish that does well but most are for experience fish keepers or are drab in color or hard to find.
There are not many fish that will do well in a tank this size. I could give you a whole list of fish that does well but most are for experience fish keepers or are drab in color or hard to find.
i'm sorry i am new here, but i got lots of experience with the fish you are planning to deal with... i'm from another forum... let's start with the first fish you wanted.
swordtail - no they will exceed 2 inches they can get 4 inches and the average is 3-3.5 inches. Not to mention that they are prolific breeders, that is if you are planning to get females. But if just males, IME they will constantly chases each other til one left. They'll need atleast 15g for just single for optimum health.
Platies - If not coral platy, they will exceed 2 inches, average is 3 inches. And like swordtails, they are also prolific and also need atleast 15g each for optimum health.
Your option for pleco - i wont put any pleco in there, not even a BN. If common pleco you are planning FYI, they can get a huge 18 inches.
Snail - maybe this one is a good choice.
Suggestions - a male betta, will be very happy in there... Or trio of male guppys/endlers if you can find any.
Goodluck!
Ronn
swordtail - no they will exceed 2 inches they can get 4 inches and the average is 3-3.5 inches. Not to mention that they are prolific breeders, that is if you are planning to get females. But if just males, IME they will constantly chases each other til one left. They'll need atleast 15g for just single for optimum health.
Platies - If not coral platy, they will exceed 2 inches, average is 3 inches. And like swordtails, they are also prolific and also need atleast 15g each for optimum health.
Your option for pleco - i wont put any pleco in there, not even a BN. If common pleco you are planning FYI, they can get a huge 18 inches.
Snail - maybe this one is a good choice.
Suggestions - a male betta, will be very happy in there... Or trio of male guppys/endlers if you can find any.
Goodluck!
Ronn
We are going to go with the Betta for both tanks and an experienced neighbor is giving us some live plants to place in there for privacy instead of the plastic ones read: the post about plastic plants cutting their fins 
). We are doing well with the cycling for the most part, my only concern right now is that we are having temp control issues big time!! The water was a nice 76 degrees when i put it in the first day and when i do partial changes i have been making sure that water is the same temp +/- 1-2 degrees. The problem i am having is that the tank is in the playroom away from the windows and doors (no drafts) and the house is kept at 72 degrees constant (anyone with a 1 yr old child knows how they can be if they get too cold/hot). The temp in the tanks at this moment according to all of the thermometers is 81 degrees. Isnt this too warm for a Betta? How do i get it down without messing up the whole cycling? How do i keep it where i want it? I have a NIB Heater but do they make coolers? Also when do i add the plants? Thanks. ~Rosie
read: the post about plastic plants cutting their fins ). We are doing well with the cycling for the most part, my only concern right now is that we are having temp control issues big time!! The water was a nice 76 degrees when i put it in the first day and when i do partial changes i have been making sure that water is the same temp +/- 1-2 degrees. The problem i am having is that the tank is in the playroom away from the windows and doors (no drafts) and the house is kept at 72 degrees constant (anyone with a 1 yr old child knows how they can be if they get too cold/hot). The temp in the tanks at this moment according to all of the thermometers is 81 degrees. Isnt this too warm for a Betta? How do i get it down without messing up the whole cycling? How do i keep it where i want it? I have a NIB Heater but do they make coolers? Also when do i add the plants? Thanks. ~RosieA betta would probably like 81F. but you probably have to just mess around with the heater for a while to get it right.
this shouldnt mess up the cycling.
I am assuming that what happenned is the heater kept coming on and heting thw water. turn it down a bit, see what temp it is after 12 hrs.
btw, if you are fishless cycling, why are you changing water?
small tanks arepotentially less temp stable than larger tanks, but if youhave a properly operating heater, it should be really easy to keep it 4 degrees warmer than the room, once you have it set there.
this shouldnt mess up the cycling.
I am assuming that what happenned is the heater kept coming on and heting thw water. turn it down a bit, see what temp it is after 12 hrs.
btw, if you are fishless cycling, why are you changing water?
small tanks arepotentially less temp stable than larger tanks, but if youhave a properly operating heater, it should be really easy to keep it 4 degrees warmer than the room, once you have it set there.