Fish for My Bare Bottom 2.5 Gallon

[Crabcake]

Hi Guys, i have a 2.5 bare bottom tank and it has a small sponge filter (It only has 1 sponge, not 2) and i don't know what fish i should put in it... I was hoping if i could put something like goldfish but i heard that they get big... Any goldfish that can stay about 2-3 inches? And some stoking ideas for the tank...(Please don't say Betta, Shrimp, Platies, guppies, corydoras, snails and African Dwarf Frogs because i have them in my other aquariums..

 

[PlatyTetra831]

I mean there aren't a lot of options with a tank that size you could use it as a grow out tank maybe? Get some baby fish and let them grow out in it until they get to big and transfer them to a new tank. A lot of fish are schooling fish and you simply can't have enough of them in a 2.5 gallon to really make it a good environment. My best advice would be get a bigger tank.

 

[DreaminginBlue]

There are no goldfish that stay small enough for that tank. In fact, the minimum tank size for goldfish is around 30 gallons. So they would not work for your tank.
There honestly aren't any fish that can comfortably be in a tank that small. A betta would be the only option, but personally I prefer to keep bettas in 5+ gallons.
Snails and shrimp would really be the only options at this point. You could keep:
a colony of ramshorns if you enjoy them (they come in various colors)
OR
a few nerites
OR
one mystery snail
OR
a colony of neocaridina shrimp (cherry, neon yellow, blue dream, orange, various rili types, etc.... pick one color and have a little colony. Though you can mix colors, be aware that the offspring can easily revert back to brown wild type or otherwise be a hodgepodge of colors.)

 

[Autumnsky]

No GF, not even a baby.

Not anything else I can think of atm, (you mentioned the ones you already have) other than some Killifish. You will need to look and verify tank size needs, there are many varieties.
http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/features/articles/why-dont-more-people-keep-killies

Get started with killifish — Practical Fishkeeping Magazine

http://aka.org/beginner/

 

[r.john0901]

Hey there!

You could keep a betta. To be honest, people say 2.5 is extreme minimum for bettas, but over the years, I've come to find that they feel to be secure/safer in a 2.5-3 gallon tank. I've noticed this from multiple sources, so nothing really other than snails, shrimp, or a betta.
I use my 2.5 for a holding tank/quarentine tank for say a singular 1inch goldfish or a small fish (like 1-3 guppies for quarintine) it also makes great use for snails and shrimp!

 

[TMaier]

I honestly wish the big box stores would stop selling anything under 10g.
Poor fish living in a closet.

 

[Crabcake]

I have a 5 gallon blackwater with 3 shrimp, 2 snails and i also have a 10 gallon that has 3 platies, 3 guppies, and 2 corys.. anything that can grow out from the 2.5 to one of those aquariums?

 

[Autumnsky]

Baby Guppies, baby/ very young Platy, if not a zillion, must keep up with pwc probably daily and until they aren't bite sized for the fish in the tank. Then you would need to get new homes or find a store willing to take them as Platy would get too big for that tank in a week or 2.

It would be a balancing act really. So not a grow out tank per se but a "keep the fry from being eaten by the larger fish" for a week or 2.