Brand new 5.5G, What fish?

[jayjeff333]

Hello guys. I know your all probably sighing right now, seeing the tittle of this post. However, i made it because i've read through all the otehr posts with my tittle, and saw that people recommend bettas alot, but personally, i dont liek them too much. So, my question is which fish are good to start off with? I'd like a few, some with color perhaps? Just not betta, i find them very boring.
Thanks!~

 

[underdog5004]

5.5g isn't really a lot of water. Small tanks are harder to keep, parameters can swing faster, leading to stress, illness and death. 5.5 is a perfect size for a shrimp tank, though. Maybe some yellow, cherry, crystal red shrimp? check out http://crustaforum.dedenet.de/board/index.phpfor people keeping shrimp. I kept a betta and a guppy in a 5.5 for months, and even though I did at least 50% water changes once a week, they both had cloudy eyes (from bacterial infection, I think). Once I moved them out into my 55, the infection went away. If you have to have fish, do something small, like white clouds or endlers. These fish are small, quick, not so dirty, but they do breed a lot, so that's something to consider as well. Get as many plants as possible for the tank, since they will "eat" the fish wasts, helping to keep a cleaner tank.

 

[jayjeff333]

Thanks for the reply Underdog! Honestly, i would love to have some shrimp or something of the sort...Truth is this morning i watched finding nemo, (lol) and it gave me the urge to make an aquarium. I wanted something small, so i went out after watching the film, and got the 5.5 gallon starter kit, 40$....thats how this all started...So, shrimp would be cool...I like tetras, neon tetras, they're nice.DO those mix with shrimp? And im guessing when u said plants, live obbviously?( And i thaught shrimp were salt water animals)

 

[JustOneMore20]

5.5g is a bit small for tetras and most fish, really. There isn't alot of room to move around and have enough to make a school. The tetras may look small now at the store, but they will grow. Shrimp are really interesting to watch....definitely chck them out. There are freshwater and saltwater shrimp. The ones that underdog mentioned are freshwater.

Welcome to AA by the way....almost forgot my manners.

 

[dkpate]

Bettas are not boring! I have 4 and they are feisty little buggers! They look boring in the store because they are in tiny cups of dirty water and not very happy.
Welcome to AA!

 

[jayjeff333]

Bettas are not boring! I have 4 and they are feisty little buggers! They look boring in the store because they are in tiny cups of dirty water and not very happy.
Welcome to AA!

I can understand that.... They are in litle plastic cups, and they seem dead and dull. Lol....I still really like tetras...And shrimp

 

[jayjeff333]

Hmmmm ok, so after alot of reasearch, bottom line is bettas are best for 5.5 gallon tanks, not many other fish... What if i just went shrimp / snails the whole way? How many of those cani fit?

 

[HN1]

Welcome to AA!

There are actually quite a few options for stocking a 5.5 that don't include bettas (though they are cool fish in their own right). Shrimp as mentioned, snails, nano-danios (CPD and similar), a killie pair or trio, dwarf puffer.... What interests YOU? Have you cycled the tank? What is your experience level? Sorry to ask a blunt question, but knowing that may help to form a better suggestion for you.

 

[jayjeff333]

IM interested in cool looking fish, Like tettras for example.Experience is 0, i used to have goldfish lol.Tank is cycling as we speak, and overnight till i buy some form of life tomorrow

 

[HN1]

A tank will NOT cycle overnight. Before you get ANY fish, you really should use the search function and look for "nitrogen cycle". If you opt to go the immediate satisfaction route (I don't care who says it will be fine), you WILL fail. The common advice found locally is typically lousy and leads only to fish deaths, frustration, and expense. Do yourself a great favor and research FIRST.

 

[jayjeff333]

A tank will NOT cycle overnight. Before you get ANY fish, you really should use the search function and look for "nitrogen cycle". If you opt to go the immediate satisfaction route (I don't care who says it will be fine), you WILL fail. The common advice found locally is typically lousy and leads only to fish deaths, frustration, and expense. Do yourself a great favor and research FIRST.

Alright, so then what do you suggest? Leave it for a few days? Buy some plants? What shouldi do?

 

[logansmomma1228]

Thanks for the reply Underdog! Honestly, i would love to have some shrimp or something of the sort...Truth is this morning i watched finding nemo, (lol) and it gave me the urge to make an aquarium. I wanted something small, so i went out after watching the film, and got the 5.5 gallon starter kit, 40$....thats how this all started...So, shrimp would be cool...I like tetras, neon tetras, they're nice.DO those mix with shrimp? And im guessing when u said plants, live obbviously?( And i thaught shrimp were salt water animals)

For that price you could have got a 10 gallon kit at wamlmart :/ . That's how much mine was. You can get freshwater shrimp, probably not a whole lot of fish since the bioload will be kind of hard to maintain with a 5.5 . IMO, if you havent set the 5 up yet would be to take it back and aget a bigger one!

 

[HN1]

Start here... Nitrogen Cycle

I'm sorry to be alarmist, but I wish I knew then... ya know?

I'll see if I can state it basically. There are bacterial colonies which need to grow to sustain your aquatic ecosystem in a box. The common advice from the pet store (run the filter for a day or two) does not address that. Nor do the bacteria in a bottle, start quick products in my experience. The tank needs time, an ammonia source, and water testing. Water testing will tell you when you can stock.

 

[logansmomma1228]

Oh and +1 on researching first, I also agree on the dwarf puffer but just a heads up if you get him he will eat snails and probably shrimp. Your tank will take a good 3 to 4 weeks at least to cycle, and if you put fish in now they will either die or not be very happy. I suggest reading some of the threads on this site, they are very helpful. Also research any type of fish that you might be interested in, so that you know what they are like and if they are easy to keep or not. If I were you I would opt going for fish that only get to be 2" maximum, but not ones that need to school.

And welcome to AA

 

[supradupafast]

I agree with the previous posts from both Logansmomma & HN1.
I would suggest, if you can to trade in your 5.5g for at least a 10g. This way, the tank will be a lil' more forgiving for water parameter swings & also temp swings. Both kits go for approx the same price.

As for cycling, like HN1 said, most of us have all started out not knowing much about fish, and all ended up on forums like this one to learn why our lil' cute aquafriends died after a week.
Running the tank overnight will do nothing but circulate water.
You want to learn about the Nitrogen Cycle. This same cycle applies to earth and our lifestyle but this is also very important in your aquarium to ensure your fishies are not living in their own wastes.

In a short and simple desc:
Fish waste & decaying un-eatened food are both sources of Ammonia.
Ammonia is extremely toxic to fish, and will kill a fish at levels of 0.5PPM +. The Ammonia is turned into NitrItes, which is also extremely toxic at levels of 0.5PPM+. The Nitrogen Cycle is completed by the Toxic NitriTes being converted (by the good bio bacterias) into NitrAtes, which are less toxic and safe for levels +-20PPM.
Once this cycle is completed, your fish can then be added, and with regular weekly maintenance (35-50% partial water changes & dechlor + Filter cleaning) you will be able to enjoy your new hobby, and less likely having to deal with treating for parasites or deal with fish deaths.

If you search the forum using the search bar, you will learn how to start a cycle using raw shrimp or Pure household Ammonia (unscented).

Enjoy, and good luck
Welcome to AA