HI i would like to know which fish suitable for 5 gallons tank? besides it is alright for me too add featherfin catfish inside the tank? I love angelfish and i knew it hard to keep this fish in this tank but is there any way to make it possible for angelfish to live in this tank? Thanks for our reply..
suitable fish for 5 gallon tank
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joannde
Aquarium Advice Addict
There aren't very many fish you can keep in a 5 gallon tank. The featherfin gets to be 6 - 8 inches, so that's out of the question. Angelfish require swimming space and also grow quite large so you couldn't keep even 1 in a 5 gallon tank; smallest tank for them is 30 gallons.
Have you considered a betta ? They are loaded with personality and a betta would do very well in a 5 gallon tank. You could add a snail for cleanup and company.
Another option would be 2 or 3 male guppies, but my personal choice would be the betta. I have 5 (separated, as you cannot keep two bettas together) and they are just the perfect fishy pet.
Have you considered a betta ? They are loaded with personality and a betta would do very well in a 5 gallon tank. You could add a snail for cleanup and company.
Another option would be 2 or 3 male guppies, but my personal choice would be the betta. I have 5 (separated, as you cannot keep two bettas together) and they are just the perfect fishy pet.
hc8719
Aquarium Advice Addict
go out and buy a 10g tank from petsmart, they're like $8.99
or even a 20g for $30
or even a 20g for $30
G
Guest
Guest
i keep a few zebra danio's in my 5 gal and they do fine.
verucaproduce
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Why do people do this? Are you going to pitch in the extra money? The person asked what fish are suitable for a 5 gallon.
End of rant.
verucaproduce said:
He may have the same opinion as I do, and that is that a 5 gallon tank is not suitable for fish. Even for a betta, the tank is too small. Maybe a small number of feeder guppies, but thats it.
Honestly, I think the companies that make these 5 gallon tanks should have their product managers tied to the ground and slapped with the metal end of a shovel.
End of rant.
WaterPond
Aquarium Advice Addict
oh! fish can live in 5gal easily! especially bettas. Sure bigger is better, but there are fish that are small enough to fit in 5gal tanks. I would recommend a male guppy, or you could go for some sunset coral dwarf platies. Even one platy could fit in there. For people like me with limited space and money 5gal tanks are great. There are loads of fish you could put in ther. Even a small school of small tetras. We all have our opinions and mine is that a 5gal is a great tank for small fish. Just do your resaerch before you put a fish in, and make sure it is cycled. Have fun, dont put fish that grow over 2" in that tank.
mr funktastic
Aquarium Advice Addict
i love 5 gal tanks. i use them for my betta and they make great nano planted tanks. a 5 has tons of room for a betta and it would be extreamly happy in it. as long as u do water changes frequently they are great. i keep a 1 gallon jug next to my tank and scoop out 1 jug every other day. this keeps the water prestine and the fish happy. u could do a couple male guppies but in the end a 5 is really best for a betta. and like joannde said a snail or maybe a couple shrimp would add some life to the set up.
Tostada
Aquarium Advice Freak
And I suppose that makes me Hitler for having 1 betta, 1 snail, and 3 lemon tetras in my 5.5 gal?
I present my 5.5 gallon dungeon (the tetras maintain their sanity by singing spirituals and carving the passing days in the glass with small bits of gravel):
I think people who rant about 5 gal. tanks being "too small for fish" probably just don't have a good idea of how big they are.
A 10 gal. tank is 18.25" wide and 10.75" deep.
A 5.5 gal. tank is 16.00" wide and 8.25" deep.
So, the 10 gal. is only 14% wider. It's not a fish torture chamber.
It's weird that most people here would tell me the tank was grossly overstocked, but even fully grown I would barely be hitting the generic one fish per gallon mark.
I do think that decorations change things a lot, though. If they didn't have plants and a little corner of bubbles, it would probably be a kind of depressing little box.
People also told me that Lemon Tetras would freak out, lose their color, die, or who knows what if I didn't have at least five. Instead they've gotten much brighter color, and they're totally calm. It took me a long time to get a picture where they were actually together instead of just happily poking around the plants separately. Maybe they're just happy I rescued them from the 10 gal. that was packed with about 20 lemon tetras (and some other species of fish) in the LFS.
I present my 5.5 gallon dungeon (the tetras maintain their sanity by singing spirituals and carving the passing days in the glass with small bits of gravel):
I think people who rant about 5 gal. tanks being "too small for fish" probably just don't have a good idea of how big they are.
A 10 gal. tank is 18.25" wide and 10.75" deep.
A 5.5 gal. tank is 16.00" wide and 8.25" deep.
So, the 10 gal. is only 14% wider. It's not a fish torture chamber.
It's weird that most people here would tell me the tank was grossly overstocked, but even fully grown I would barely be hitting the generic one fish per gallon mark.
I do think that decorations change things a lot, though. If they didn't have plants and a little corner of bubbles, it would probably be a kind of depressing little box.
People also told me that Lemon Tetras would freak out, lose their color, die, or who knows what if I didn't have at least five. Instead they've gotten much brighter color, and they're totally calm. It took me a long time to get a picture where they were actually together instead of just happily poking around the plants separately. Maybe they're just happy I rescued them from the 10 gal. that was packed with about 20 lemon tetras (and some other species of fish) in the LFS.
newfound77951
Aquarium Advice Addict
I have a 5 gallon hex with 5 pristella tetras and they couldn't be happier. Nice red tails and they go nuts when I feed them. Actually they beg for food all day while I'm sitting at my desk!
While bigger tanks might be better, the way I think of it is that the majority of fish at the LFS are going to end up in less-than-ideal situations. If I can give a fish a nice, clean, well maintained home, feed them a variety of high quality foods and otherwise take good care of them, that's better than living in a larger but poorly maintained tank, which is what a lot of people have (until we recruit them all to AA, that is!). Obviously there are limits, like no angelfish in a 5 gallon, but a betta or a small school of small tetras or a few guppies or cherry barbs or some similar small quiet fish are just fine IMO.
My 5 gallon hex:
While bigger tanks might be better, the way I think of it is that the majority of fish at the LFS are going to end up in less-than-ideal situations. If I can give a fish a nice, clean, well maintained home, feed them a variety of high quality foods and otherwise take good care of them, that's better than living in a larger but poorly maintained tank, which is what a lot of people have (until we recruit them all to AA, that is!). Obviously there are limits, like no angelfish in a 5 gallon, but a betta or a small school of small tetras or a few guppies or cherry barbs or some similar small quiet fish are just fine IMO.
My 5 gallon hex:
7Enigma
Aquarium Advice Addict
Tostada,
Funniest post I've read all day! And I completely agree. The vast majority of 5gallon tanks though probably do contain unsuitable fish so I can see some of the other opinions on here as valid, but in this case the OP is asking BEFORE purchasing.
I'd go with the betta as well.....
Funniest post I've read all day! And I completely agree. The vast majority of 5gallon tanks though probably do contain unsuitable fish so I can see some of the other opinions on here as valid, but in this case the OP is asking BEFORE purchasing.
I'd go with the betta as well.....
DocOc
Aquarium Advice Regular
My 5G is doing fine as a brackish with three Bumblebee Gobys and a Celebese Halfbeak. Tiny little fish that don't move a lot. I read that the Celebese is best kept alone anyway and the gobys hang out on the bottom. It's kinda neat.
Tostada
Aquarium Advice Freak
shsean said:
That's interesting.
My 5.5 gal = 16.00" wide, 8.25" deep, 10.00" tall, which is actually 5.7 gallons (1320 in^3), although I'm not going to fill it up that high.
If your tank is 11.84" deep (do you mean front to back or top to bottom?) and 9.84" wide, it would have to be 9.91" in the other dimension to be 5 gallons (1155 in^3).
Are you saying you have a hex that's 11.84" tall? Or is it one of those tall all-in-one eclipse kits or something like it?
Burks
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Pristella Tetras are good little fish. I have four in my 14g hex and plan on adding more. Rather active and colorful. I love the black/gold striped fin, so pretty! Store near me sells them $1.49 each which, to me, is a bargain.
As mentioned, Bettas, Guppy's, certain Tetras, and maybe Cherry Barbs would be a good addition. Then again there's always the shrimp.....
Personally I think a nice school of Lemon Tetras would look nice.
As mentioned, Bettas, Guppy's, certain Tetras, and maybe Cherry Barbs would be a good addition. Then again there's always the shrimp.....
Personally I think a nice school of Lemon Tetras would look nice.
back on topic, fellas...
Other fish to consider and research are Killies, male Endlers, Microrasbora, Psuedomugil gertrudae, or one Dwarf puffer. You may want to consider inverts instead of fish; Small shrimp or snail tanks can be very attractive. Or maybe African dwarf frogs instead.
Other fish to consider and research are Killies, male Endlers, Microrasbora, Psuedomugil gertrudae, or one Dwarf puffer. You may want to consider inverts instead of fish; Small shrimp or snail tanks can be very attractive. Or maybe African dwarf frogs instead.
Devilishturtles
Aquarium Advice Addict
I used to have a 5.5 gallon that was temporarily holding a convict cichlid pair. They were so happy, they bred in it!
When I finally got them out, I put a betta and two dwarf platies in it, and a dwarf african frog. They lived just fine in there.
I also just wanted to echo cz's post about inverts. Inverts can make very active and colorful tanks.
When I finally got them out, I put a betta and two dwarf platies in it, and a dwarf african frog. They lived just fine in there.
I also just wanted to echo cz's post about inverts. Inverts can make very active and colorful tanks.
crazyred
Aquarium Advice Addict
OMG....LMAO @ mr. funktastic. Dude, you're hilarious....that's funny.
I would recommend cherry barbs for a 5. They are so little and cute. 1 male and 2 female would be fine in there with plenty of water changes.
I would recommend cherry barbs for a 5. They are so little and cute. 1 male and 2 female would be fine in there with plenty of water changes.
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