want to set up a small 5 gallon aquarium for my apartment, looking at the 5 gallon eclipse lookalikes at walmart, wondering if i could put three platy and maybe two sword tail in it (does sex of fish matter? if so how can you tell the difference), i guess the aquarium comes as a kit with most of the stuff, but do i need anything elseother than plants and gravel? any advice would be appreciated! thanks!
new small aquarium
- Thread starter dogpython
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Toirtis
God of primitive fishes
I am not sure what is in these kits....does it have a heater?
2-4 platys is going to pretty much max-out an aquarium of that size....swords get larger, so you might manage (with nothing else) 2 of those.
2-4 platys is going to pretty much max-out an aquarium of that size....swords get larger, so you might manage (with nothing else) 2 of those.
Fishyfanatic
Aquarium Advice Addict
If you're thinking of buying the one I think you are, you'll need a heater and thermometer. A small 25 Watt heater will be fine. You may want an airstone since the 5 gal Eclipse lookalike that I bought has the water output from the filter below the water line. It makes a great betta tank, no current. 
mr86mister
Aquarium Advice FINatic
yeah well that totally helps, those are good fish you have but i would say something smaller, are you interested in any small fish or like fishy said...a betta with some ghost shrimp and a african dwarf frog would be great
glo lights and neons tetras are also interesting, but how many do you need to have, must they be in schools of 4+ of the same species of tetra or even fish type? could a few of those live with a platy or swordtail? thanks for helping a new kid out!
Fishyfanatic
Aquarium Advice Addict
Tetras and other schooling fish are not ideal for a 5 gal tank because they prefer to be in numbers. You can't put 6 Tetras into a 5 gal tank. The Betta is a good option. There just aren't many fish for a 5 gal.
mr86mister
Aquarium Advice FINatic
yeah, pretty much...i could only think of maybe an endlers or killifish but those are hard to find sometimes and could be costly but only about 2 would work
take a look at my gallery and look at my new betta tank...its only a 3 gallon and has a betta, ADF and ghost shrimp and looks great
take a look at my gallery and look at my new betta tank...its only a 3 gallon and has a betta, ADF and ghost shrimp and looks great
Hrafnkel
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Would a single dwarf puffer work, perhaps?
single dwarf puffer is a cool idea, but not sure where i would get one of those, do have them at any pet store chains ie petco, etc? also does a snail count into the one inch per gallon equation for an aquarium? thanks again for all of the help!
Hrafnkel
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Snails don't produce much waste so you can push that rule with them, generally. Puffers are easy to find at petsmart and the like, at least here.
Hrafnkel
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Caring for dwarf puffers seems pretty easy, except they need live/frozen foods. I don't think they cost more than a few bucks a pop. After this thread I'm thinking of setting up a little 5 gallon tank with one, too.
