Suitable Fish for 5 Gallon

Reido Dorito

Reido Dorito

AC Members
Jun 6, 2017
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Hello. I'm considering purchasing a 5g tank and was wondering which fish, if any, I can keep in one of these. I'm a beginner, and would like to really start getting into fishkeeping. I plan on keeping live plants in it as well.

Thanks!
 
If this is a first tank, I'd recommend going bigger. 5 gallons is tough to keep stable.

Either way, describe what you would like from the tank. Active? Personality? Shy? Breeding? Predator?
 
I've never had a tank smaller 10g. I don't think I'd go smaller than that for a similar cost. As Sheila said, the smaller the tank, the less stable it can be. It doesn't allow much wiggle room for a missed water change or vacation if "fully" stocked.

That said, I'd have you think about fish (+/or shrimp) that max out at 1 inch at most in either size tank. There are many choices even then. I like dwarf corydoras, tiny rasboras or nano rainbowfish OR maybe shrimp. Cherry shrimp are pretty & easy to keep IME. So should be yellow, blue, green orange neocaridinas...but only 1 color or they'll breed to colorless/tan, you'll be sorry if you try mixing them. Beware the needier caridina shrimp, they're much more difficult if you don't have the "right" water for them. They include crystal reds & crystal blacks; give those a pass for now.

1 of my favorite tanks was a 10g with cherry shrimp & a ton of plants...but I was sorry I chose boraras maculata for the fish. They were the same size & color as the shrimp. I was not able to see them well enough to have them be interesting as they should have been.
 
Gotcha. Thank you so much for the info!
 
Ooooookeydokey. Thanks again.
 
I looked into the fish/inverts you mentioned, and while I would absolutely enjoy taking care of each of them, I'm not sure I should try my hand at shrimp just yet. I'm still pretty new at this, and they sound pretty fragile. Honey gouramis are beautiful fish, by the way; I'm glad you mentioned them. I'll be acquiring a new 10g shortly; perhaps I'll home one or two.

Well, I researched a bit and happened upon the dwarf puffers. They're pretty interesting little guys. They sound like they're a fish that requires someone with a bit more experience than what I have, however. As always, it seems like there's a good bit of disagreement in the fishkeeping community about their minimum tank size, so I'm not really sure what to do, there. While I would certainly devote the aforementioned 10g to the single puffer if a 5g is going to cause stress, I'm not sure that would be the best use of resources. (I'm not intending to pick one up now or anything; I just like to plan for these things.)

I can't decide whether I'd rather prepare for a DP or a male betta. I know both are unique and (relatively) intelligent fish, so I'm kind of caught in the middle.

Any input/advice is certainly welcome.

Thanks.
 
Well, dp's and bettas are two of the few fish that are actually ok in a 5 gallon, not that I want to talk you out of the 10 gallon. Bigger is always better, and 10 gallon tanks and filters tend to be the same price as 5 gallons and with more stocking options.
If you do get a dp you will need to feed live or frozen foods, and/or small snails... flakes are not gonna cut it.
 
Cool. Thanks for the information! I appreciate it. I'm thinking the puffer might be better to try out down the road. At the moment, I'm trying to stay with fish that require relatively easy care, so the betta looks like a great option.
 
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