Stocking a 5 gallon

[Sahabo]

So I need more ideas for what fish to put in my 5 gallon. Possibilities so far:

ember tetras
Endler's livebearers
female or male betta
neon tetras
shrimp colony

Any more suggestions?

 

[JohnPaul]

Good list so far. Some other possibilities:

• a pair or trio (M/2F) of killifish
• dwarf crayfish colony
• a single (or possibly 2-3) dwarf puffer fish
• a single (or maybe 2) freshwater red claw crabs
• a few guppies

Dwarf puffers are as cute as can be, but only take live foods. Their preferred food are snails, though they will take other things like live blackworms or glassworms as well. Red claw crabs are interesting creatures but they benefit a lot from some salt in the water, and also, they absolutely need to have a way to get out of the water--such as a piece of driftwood sticking an inch or two above the surface. And they are excellent escape artists, you basically need a hood with a near-perfect seal or else they are going to find a way out of your tank. Other than that, they are pretty interesting creatures. When it comes to a guppy tank, a few would fit in a 5 gal fine but you need to have a plan for handling babies if you get both males & females. Dwarf crayfish are in most ways similar to dwarf shrimp. And killies, well, killies are just fascinating, colorful fish and a 5 gallon is the perfect size for a pair or trio of most of the more common varieties.

 

[Sahabo]

I've thought about killifish, but I don't know where to find them!

 

[newportjon]

Scarlet badis.

You can get killifish here:

AquaBid.com - Sell or buy aquarium related equipment and fish in an auction format!

They have a section specifically for Killifish. You can also buy the eggs and raise them on your own.

 

[JohnPaul]

I've thought about killifish, but I don't know where to find them!

Lots of good killifish auctions on Aquabid. Some species are easier to care for than others. Looking for something that is a Fundulopanchax or Aphyosemion would be the place to start, IMO. I've kept a pair of Aphyosemion australe in the past and currently have a pair of Aphyosemion striatum and both were easy to care for. I've also had Fundulopanchax gardneri and those were super easy also, and bred for me (several generations' worth) in my community tank.

 

[Purrbox]

I've got some Aphyosemion australe chocolate in my 5.5 gallon and I adore them. You could also check to see if there is a local fish club in your area. You might be surprised and find out that there's someone breeding them locally.

 

[Sahabo]

Thanks everyone! I'm so excited about finally having more than one tank to play with

 

[JohnPaul]

Thanks everyone! I'm so excited about finally having more than one tank to play with

And so the addiction begins...

 

[Sahabo]

Ok, I've narrowed it down to either 1 dwarf puffer or a pair of killies for the 5 gallon. SO hard to decide!

 

[Sahabo]

Killifish and dwarf puffers are out, as they are restricted species in Maine (i.e., they are not on the unrestricted list, which is all that is available to the public)

Oh, and all types of snails are out, too!

 

[JohnPaul]

Killifish and dwarf puffers are out, as they are restricted species in Maine (i.e., they are not on the unrestricted list, which is all that is available to the public)

Oh, and all types of snails are out, too!

Not sure what you mean by this...Maine has some weird laws against keeping most tropical fish?

 

[Sahabo]

Maine has weird laws against importing some tropical fish. There's a list of fish that are ok, and if the fish you want isn't on that list, then it's illegal to have it.

 

[Menagerie]

In that case, I second Badis badis, if you can get them.

 

[Johnny Tuttle]

Would cherry barbs do well in a tank that size? They'd be colorful, and they wouldn't mind being by themselves.

A honey guarami might be too big, but that's another nice option.

So too would be a small school of white cloud mountain minnows; all of the fun of guppies, but without the fry that would soon crowd the tank.

 

[mike47517]

well you could get some glass shrimp, crayfish(1), guppies(3), female betta (with cautin if male is to aggressive towards her sell her back to the store.(1)), endlers(5), platies(2), moons(2), fat head minnows(3), tetras(4), white cloud minnows(3), or maybee a small cory(1), your choice. Good luck. A great place to buy fish is Aquarium Fish: Tropical Freshwater Fish and Saltwater Fish for Home Aquariums

 

[newfound77951]

How about some Celestial pearl danios? I have some in my 36 and they are cool little guys. You'd see much more of them in a 5g as they are tiny. You can get some on Aquabid, but please make sure the fish you get are tank raised, not wild caught.

 

[mike47517]

Guppies and white cloud minnows are fine for the guppies get all males if breeding keep a ratio of atleast 1:2 male to females other wise males will eventually harrass females to death. males are a little smaller and prettier anyway. Cherry barbs need more room so do guaramies.

 

[mike47517]

yeah Celestial pearl danios would work tey only get to about 1" long.

 

[Alaris]

How about some Celestial pearl danios? I have some in my 36 and they are cool little guys. You'd see much more of them in a 5g as they are tiny. You can get some on Aquabid, but please make sure the fish you get are tank raised, not wild caught.

These guys are beautiful! They're also called Galaxy Rasboras: Aquatic Eden: Galaxy Rasbora - Celestichthys margaritatus - Freshwater Planted Aquarium Blog

And there is currently a member selling them in the classifieds forum here.

 

[Sahabo]

OOoooooo.....they are beautiful! I'll do some research on them. My 5 gallon is not quite ready for them yet though. Gotta move it's current occupant out and I can't do that until the 10 gallon is finished cycling.