What fish can I put in my dad's five gallon?

[Patar664]

I told a Betta would be the best, but he refuses. Is there like a really small guppy because if there is can he have 2 males and some cherry shrimp?
Thanks

 

[tamtam]

I told a Betta would be the best, but he refuses. Is there like a really small guppy because if there is can he have 2 males and some cherry shrimp?
Thanks

refuses a betta? oh my. Such lovely fish.

Would he be open to a african dwarf frog?

MAYBE 2-3 endlers livebearers but to be honest I'm not sure a 5 gal is suitable for a couple of those. Hopefully someone can chime in on this one. I know 6 can do happily in a 10 but not sure if that can scale down to 3 in a 5.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

I have 3 guppies in a 5g Fluval edge. They've been there for about a year now with no problems.

 

[bud29]

Welcome to AA!

I don't think your dad has seen bettas when they actually have room to swim

A heavily planted 5 gallon with about 10 red cherry shrimp would look awesome, I would do that if I were him. Maybe he could have 2 endlers with them also.....

 

[bettaowner]

Killiefish would also work. Scarlet badis would be nice.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Scarlet badis are awesome. So are peacock gudgeons and galaxy rasboras (celestial pearl danios). Pygmy cory.. Etc.

Or micro fish like mosquito rasboras.

 

[Samzter]

2-3 endlers with red rili shimp. Yes I did mean red rili shrimp not red cherry shrimp!

 

[bud29]

2-3 endlers with red rili shimp. Yes I did mean red rili shrimp not red cherry shrimp!

Those red rili shrimp are cool, the OP needs to find a place to buy them first! They aren't that common.

Killifish are awesome. Here is a picture of my favorite killifish, the bluefin notho killifish!

 

[Samzter]

Those red rili shrimp are cool, the OP needs to find a place to buy them first! They aren't that common.

Killifish are awesome. Here is a picture of my favorite killifish, the bluefin notho killifish!

That's my favourite killi as well!

 

[Aquatic_Adam]

I know it's a heresy, but I too don't really care for Bettas. They are pretty and all, but not really the fish for me. Or your Dad apparently.

I think a Red Cherry Shrimp tank would be wonderful. Here's a picture of my RCS 5.5g:

View attachment 112408

View attachment 112410

I personally wouldn't add fish. I'm thinking the Shrimp would agree

You could look up Severum Mama too. She was recently selling Mandarin Shrimp. If you're Dad doesn't really keep Shrimp too often, I would stick with a singular Neocardina species like Mandarin or Red Cherry.

*EDIT* Do not mix Shrimp Neocardina with other Neocardina. Or Cardina with Cardina. This will result in the Shrimp reverting to wild colors. Which is brown...

 

[bud29]

Maybe mix in some blackberry shrimp with rcs? It would be a very nice contrast

 

[Aquatic_Adam]

Maybe mix in some blackberry shrimp with rcs? It would be a very nice contrast

You could do that as Blackberries are Cardina. Although I haven't kept Cardina species in a long while, I do remember them being a little sensitive to water parameters. At least more so than the Neocardina that I've kept.

 

[bud29]

Yeah you don't want them to interbreed and revert back to brown, that's why I thought blackberry shrimp would be a good idea for a contrast. I saw some of those brown shrimp at walmart once and they are ugly little dudes

 

[Aquatic_Adam]

Yeah you don't want them to interbreed and revert back to brown, that's why I thought blackberry shrimp would be a good idea for a contrast. I saw some of those brown shrimp at walmart once and they are ugly little dudes

Hey! Brown Shrimp like Amanos and Bamboo have a beauty all their own

But back to the original poster. If your Dad really wanted some fish. I'd go with maybe a school of 6 Corydoras Pygmaeus in a planted tank. Awesome, awesome little fish that swim all over different strata of the tank.

 

[bud29]

Brown Shrimp like Amanos and Bamboo have a beauty all their own

I guess it's hard to see brown shrimp as beautiful once you see rcs.....but whatever.....

Back on topic, I recommend a shrimp and endler tank. I think your dad would enjoy watching it and IMO that is one of the best uses of a small tank.

 

[Patar664]

Hey guys, thanks for everything and sorry for not saying anything in yesterday.

I recently talked to my dad and he wants to get a heavily planted 5 gallon with a killifish and 10 cherry shrimp. We went for cherry shrimp because they are easiest to find.

 

[eduguy]

Just remember that every 1 inch of full grown tropical fish needs 1 gallon of water. Guppies are nice.

 

[Aquatic_Adam]

Just remember that every 1 inch of full grown tropical fish needs 1 gallon of water. Guppies are nice.

Education time!

The "1 inch per 1 gallon" rule is severally flawed. I suppose it is a nice, easy way to try and explain something that really isn't easily blanketed by a general rule. But alas, it's no good. Similar to the "watts per gallon" rule (as an Electrical Engineer, don't even get me started -_-).

Consider the following:

A fish's activity level dramatically effects this rule. A 3 inch fish the darts from corner to corner isn't going to have the same footprint as a 3 inch fish that doesn't really move. A fish's width also factors in. A fish's waste production. A fish's needs as far as schooling or solo. Etc, etc, etc. get the point?

I'm not saying that it's wrong to follow it, I think it's ok to have. But more importantly it is crucial to consider the individual needs of a fish.

Now you know. And knowledge is power.

 

[tamtam]

Just remember that every 1 inch of full grown tropical fish needs 1 gallon of water. Guppies are nice.

this is actually a pretty old rule and doesn't really apply very well. It doesn't take into account a lot of things like how active the fish are, what their temperament is, bioload or how big they get full grown. It's best to find out all of these things by researching the fish and seeing what it best needs.

 

[SolvingNormal]

Please don't use the one inch rule! This is a bit of an outdated rule and doesn't take into account any of the fish's needs regarding swimming space. For instance - my 40 gallon is 36" long. I really like bosemani rainbowfish (max 4-6") and could easily keep a group of 3 according to that rule. However, they generally need at least 48" horizontal swimming space - so none for me.

Be aware that while 1"/gallon might help with approximating bioload, it doesn't mean the fish are appropriate for your tank shape/size regardless of gallons. Some fish need more swimming space. Some are territorial, and if you want others who are also territorial, you need enough space to create breaks in line of sight and for everyone to have their own little domain.