What are good fish for a 5 gallon tank?

Doggywhisperer · February 2010

I ask here because It's the only forum I'm allowed on. I have a fresh 5 gallon. Any ideas? I know I can have a betta. PLEASE do not say goldfish. You can't really put a goldfish in a 5. I am ok with neons, guppies, platies (dwarf?)m and anything else you can think of in any combo. Also wanting to know if the little ghost shrimp require an inch of fish.

98rtsy · February 2010

I had some pretty cool fish. I had dalmation mollies, <img src="http://z.about.com/d/freshaquarium/1/0/c/U/livebearer05G.jpg"; alt="http://z.about.com/d/freshaquarium/1/0/c/U/livebearer05G.jpg"; class="bb-image" /> They look better in RL <img src="http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/869/50010509.JPG"; alt="http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/869/50010509.JPG"; class="bb-image" /> Balloon Belly Mollies <img src="http://www.2dayblog.com/images/2007/september/glofish.jpg"; alt="http://www.2dayblog.com/images/2007/september/glofish.jpg"; class="bb-image" /> And something like these. If you plan on getting any of these, you can't mix them with guppies. I did, and the mollies ate the guppies/

iluvdogs111 · February 2010

jr terriers wrote:

 <img src="http://www.2dayblog.com/images/2007/september/glofish.jpg"; alt="http://www.2dayblog.com/images/2007/september/glofish.jpg"; class="bb-image" /> And something like these.

Wow, what are those? They're like neon!

98rtsy · February 2010

I forget what they are called. Mine weren't exactly like that but kinda similar.

Doggywhisperer · February 2010

iluvdogs111 wrote:

jr terriers wrote:

 <img src="http://www.2dayblog.com/images/2007/september/glofish.jpg"; alt="http://www.2dayblog.com/images/2007/september/glofish.jpg"; class="bb-image" /> And something like these. 

 Wow, what are those? They're like neon!

Those are fish that have been fed food with dye in it to color them. Not the best for their health... I have looked at mollies, but I don't know how many an be put in a 5 gallon, if any. ...You can sorta of see the stripes because they are usually zebra danios with dye!

Doggywhisperer · February 2010

jr terriers wrote:

I forget what they are called. Mine weren't exactly like that but kinda similar.

Did you have glow light tetras? <a href="http://www.weloveshopping.com/shop/client/000035/peefishshop/SF05.jpg"; target="_blank" class="bb-url">http://www.weloveshopping.com/shop/clie ... p/SF05.jpg</a> Those are all natural. ..I know a fair amount about fish, I just have trouble choosing, and fitting them to tanks...

3Eagles · February 2010

We have a couple of Mollies. A white and black one. We think they may be bad for the other fish in our 10 gallon tank but we aren't sure. Mom has decided to move them to our 5 gallon tank. How much do you know about mollies?

Goldy · February 2010

a betta male and a female can be put in there. actually several females probably. But they'd probably have babies eventually or get aggressive so you'd have to keep an eye on them

3Eagles · February 2010

I have a male betta alone in a tank by himself. I've had him almost 4 weeks now. I am trying to get another male betta but the parents aren't sure. Mom is looking to get a female betta to place in her 10 gallon tank. We have 2 iredescent sharks, 2 black tetras, 1 neon tetra, 1 small catfish thing that is barely bigger than a fingernail and we moved the mollies.

Doggywhisperer · February 2010

Trisscar, I highly recommend about 4 more neons. They are schoolers. I know mollies like brackish water meaning some salt, but not enough for a salt water aquarium.

3Eagles · February 2010

ok. So far the combination of fish we have are doing really well. If you just lower the numbers of for certain fish that might be good for a 5 gallon

Doggywhisperer · February 2010

I know a pet store that keeps female bettas together instead of in cups, so I may get 2 of those. FYI, it's 1 inch of fish per gallon. When I posted this, I knew what I could keep, I more or less wanted good combos or others I may not have known. I'm not sure with the mollies size wise. I will ask "Alex" the fish guy. He knows a lot, and I'm glad he works at a pet store b/c he knows so much.

3Eagles · February 2010

Yes I know that rule as well.

Some of the fish we have are so small so what we have is good. We talked to someone who fish is his life. He owns his own fish store.

Doggywhisperer · February 2010

My guy just works at the store, but fish/reptiles/spiders are his life. Even has a goldfish tattoo he showed me once. VERY nice. It's on the bottom of his forearm.

Goldy · February 2010

two male bettas cannot be together though just in case you didn't know

3Eagles · February 2010

yep I know that also. lol I researched like crazy for about 2 weeks before I went and bought Mr. Dacry. If I get another male he will be in his own tank.

Doggywhisperer · February 2010

Trisscar wrote:

yep I know that also. lol I researched like crazy for about 2 weeks before I went and bought Mr. Dacry. If I get another male he will be in his own tank.

LOL, that's what I do! They die? I START ALL OVER AGAIN! ...switch my store though. If I went betta again, it would have to be purple.

3Eagles · February 2010

whisperer wrote:

Trisscar wrote:

yep I know that also. lol I researched like crazy for about 2 weeks before I went and bought Mr. Dacry. If I get another male he will be in his own tank.

 LOL, that's what I do! They die? I START ALL OVER AGAIN! ...switch my store though. If I went betta again, it would have to be purple.

Darcy is blue with a hint of red. He is a veiltail. I really would like to get a blue/green one.

Zagari Wolf · February 2010

Not much is suitable for a 5 gallon. A single male betta is okay or a single female betta. One or the other, but not both. Females can do well in sororities of 6+ but it's recommended to have at least a 10 gallon. The male betta will eventually kill a female if they are alone long enough. In the wild, they only come into contact at spawning time. They aren't really social fish. I don't now about the mollies either. They are horrible fish for beginners and are prone to a lot of different diseases. Their water quality has to be perfect. I went though some horrible stuff with my mollies before they all died back when I was a newbie.

RoyalRaccoon · February 2010

I suggest a single betta. I used to breed and import fancy bettas(PK, HM, CT, OHM, HMPK, DT), and if you invest in a beautiful male, it's worth it(They run between $20-$30 from a breeder). My personal favorites were coppers and marbles. A white copper, and purple copper that I used to own. <img src="http://i46.tinypic.com/ncm7n9.png"; alt="http://i46.tinypic.com/ncm7n9.png"; class="bb-image" /> You could get a single female too, but don't stick her will another female or male in a 5 gallon. With sororities you have to have at least 3 to balance the power, and 3 is too many for a 5 gallon. I used to keep my sorority in a 20 gallon long with two docile males that weren't suited for breeding. Other options: Neon tetras Serpae tetras 1 Dwarf Puffer Shrimp(amano, glass, bamboo, cherries, etc.) Apple Snails Killifish Guppies Dwarf Crayfish Pygmy Cory Dwarf Rasbora Otos Goo Obo Gudgeon Check out aqua bid if your local pet stores don't carry the fish you want. <a href="http://www.aquabid.com/"; target="_blank" class="bb-url">http://www.aquabid.com/</a>;

Doggywhisperer · February 2010

Yes, a green betta would my my other choice. I find red and blues too common. Blacks are too shadowy and hard to see. I will likely go betta or 3-5 guppies. I think 5 is too many though, so probably 3. MAYBE 4 at most..

Doggywhisperer · February 2010

Princesushi, you seem to know a lot about fish. Would ghost shrimp take up extra room in my tank, or just be a cleaning cre? (like, do they need a gallon each?)

Zagari Wolf · February 2010

Aquabid is your best friend.

If you're going to keep a betta with your ghost shrimp, look out. I know many bettas that will eat the shrimp. Some do get along fine with them though.

Zagari Wolf · February 2010

double post... whoops.

Doggywhisperer · February 2010

I don't know. I had a betta that was fine with guppies, and that was my only one, so it really depends. I also wouldn't pay $10 for a fish, never mind $20-$30! (This is just a cute little 5 I have set up in my room, (teen), and would like filled.) The store I went to had a $2.88 sae that just ended. Now they're about $5.

Jelehcar · February 2010

I had a 29 gallon which had 4 Pictus Catfish, one male betta and a female. It worked because they had plenty of places away from eachother. Then the tank moved to my mom's while I was in a dorm, and the female killed the male. That's right. The female killed the male, not the other way around. After that she got cocky. We moved, got a 55 gallon and a new male betta... She abused him, and we got guppies - she ate their tails when they were sleeping. The male in my case did absolutely nothing... Evil thing. I won't own another. And I'd recommend getting male guppies - no females. They'd probably be pregnant already, which you can't have babies in a 5 gallon tank, plus they aren't very pretty. I'd also recommend a small filter, otherwise you'll have to clean the tank ALL the time.

Doggywhisperer · February 2010

ttaplehcar wrote:

I had a 29 gallon which had 4 Pictus Catfish, one male betta and a female. It worked because they had plenty of places away from eachother. Then the tank moved to my mom's while I was in a dorm, and the female killed the male. That's right. The female killed the male, not the other way around. After that she got cocky. We moved, got a 55 gallon and a new male betta... She abused him, and we got guppies - she ate their tails when they were sleeping. The male in my case did absolutely nothing... Evil thing. I won't own another. And I'd recommend getting male guppies - no females. They'd probably be pregnant already, which you can't have babies in a 5 gallon tank, plus they aren't very pretty. I'd also recommend a small filter, otherwise you'll have to clean the tank ALL the time.

I have bred guppies, but they died in the breeding trap. They all got stuck in the vents. Yes, in the 5 gallon. I know females aren't as pretty though, yes. MAles are pretty. I may try a male betta with 2 guppies again.Maybe just guppies. Probably will have guppies again though, as they are soooo pretty!

iluvdogs111 · February 2010

PrinceSushi wrote:

I suggest a single betta. I used to breed and import fancy bettas(PK, HM, CT, OHM, HMPK, DT), and if you invest in a beautiful male, it's worth it(They run between $20-$30 from a breeder). My personal favorites were coppers and marbles. A white copper, and purple copper that I used to own. <img src="http://i46.tinypic.com/ncm7n9.png"; alt="http://i46.tinypic.com/ncm7n9.png"; class="bb-image" /> You could get a single female too, but don't stick her will another female or male in a 5 gallon. With sororities you have to have at least 3 to balance the power, and 3 is too many for a 5 gallon. I used to keep my sorority in a 20 gallon long with two docile males that weren't suited for breeding. Other options: Neon tetras Serpae tetras 1 Dwarf Puffer Shrimp(amano, glass, bamboo, cherries, etc.) Apple Snails Killifish Guppies Dwarf Crayfish Pygmy Cory Dwarf Rasbora Otos Goo Obo Gudgeon Check out aqua bid if your local pet stores don't carry the fish you want. <a href="http://www.aquabid.com/"; target="_blank" class="bb-url">http://www.aquabid.com/</a>;

I agree bettas are great, I have a beautiful purple one-I've ctually had it for a quite a while, do you know how long they are supposed to live? Anyways, bettas are beautiful and easy to care for.

Zagari Wolf · February 2010

A properly cared for betta can live on average 4 years. Sometimes they live longer. I currently have 18 bettas.

iluvdogs111 · February 2010

Zagari Wolf wrote:

A properly cared for betta can live on average 4 years. Sometimes they live longer. I currently have 18 bettas.

Really? I didn't know that. I love bettas. I am not a huge fish person, and never thought I'd end up really loving a fish, but I just thought bettas were beautiful and wanted one instatly. I would never pay 20-30 dollars for one though......I think I got mine for $4....

Doggywhisperer · February 2010

The store closest to my house sells crowntails for 9.95, but the other place has them for less. The place by my house only keeps about 5 at a time in actual bowls though, not in little containers. But they keep the bowls! (For $10 I think you should get the bowls!) I'd go purple, green, yellow, white or really any of the rarer colors. Maybe a nice red... (I think I'll go betta and guppies or betta and something. maybe white cloud minnows).

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What are good fish for a 5 gallon tank?

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