TheProf

Hello everyone,

I hope you are all doing well.

So we now have a 5 gallon empty fish tank that we're looking to populate with a pet fish (or fishes). I don't know much about this so I thought to turn to you all for advice. It's a small tank and we're not good at taking too much care of things, so I was looking for what freshwater fish you'd recommend?

Thanks!

dlish

personally, i'd say if you're not good at up keep, get something like a reptile instead. but thats just me.

there's less maintenance, and you can populate the tank with bark, rocks and things you collect and wont cost you as much.

if you're adamant about getting fish, try you're luck with goldfish first. theres no use getting a whole school of saltwater fish along with all the shebang and then realise that having a tank isnt for you.

try with a goldfish or two for a month or two and see how you feel about the upkeep. once you're certain about what you want, you can decide to get rid of the fish or get some more. goldfish are relatively inexpensive, so use them as your starting point, and it wont cost you much to set up.

things to consider are:

the size of your tank
whetehr you intend on salt/freshwater fish
upkeep
food
pumps and other tank ancilleries

theres a wealth of knowledge online, so Dr Google is your best bet

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MiSo

goldfish aren't a good choice because they get big and produce a lot of waste. get something smaller like a zebra danio or guppies. go real light on the # of fish because a 5 gallon tank is pretty small.

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actinic

Doing this for a living fulltime, I suggest a single Siamese fighting fish. You don't require filtration or heaters (unless really cold in the winter months) for them as you would for other fish commonly available in the pet trade.

Though keeping a single fish may seem boring for the keeper, you can nicely decorate it to make it visually interesting. Also, one can use OASIS (green foam block from gardening centres), cut a 1-2" wide strip and secure it to the back trim of the aquarium. There, you can put houseplant cuttings to add an extra dimension of "natural" growth. It will also act as a filtration system . Spider plant runners on the water surface with the roots dangling down will make somewhat a natural environment for them as they will blow bubble nests.

They come in different color and finnage morphs, ie. crowntails, double tails, combtails, etc.

Pics

They aren't very dirty per se and water changes (25-50% via gravel siphon) very 2-4weeks is plenty enough in that size set-up.

We'll...that's a start and we'll go from there

I don't suggest reptiles as they do require other specialized products such as basking lamps to raise temp for digestion and UVA/UVB emitting lamps for vit D3 synthesis.

JM2C/E

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genuinegirly

Here's a second vote for a Siamese Fighting Fish / Betta. I loved my blue beauty for a good two years before he finally kicked the bucket. Just make sure you purchase a healthy one. I've seen some sadly dilapidated fish in the stores.


See, they're really pretty:

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actinic

Generally speaking, LFS (local fish stores) keep them individually in fist sized containers. Though it may seem inhumane, it's all about maximizing "sellable sq footage". Beleive it or not, they are shipped in from the Far East in sealed tea bag sized plastic bags with 2-3tbs of water and can live up to a month in there. Accidentally left a box in the corner back in the day when I imported/exported fish....whoops

Look for ones that are active , with a bit of "piss and vinegar" in them as they display aggression to bettas in adjacent containers and that the water is clean. The better LFS change the water every few days.

Food to feed them I recommend the Hikari Betta BioGold with freeze dried blood worms as a treat. No need to use frozen as one can get 3-4 treat sized portion from a frozen cube (~24-50 cubes in a tray depending on manufacturer)...unless you want to spoil them rotten like my wife does when we had them.

Typically they live for 2-3years but one of my wifes' betta lived to an uncanny 8 years but the last 3 were spent lying on its' side on the bottom as it's swim bladder deflated due to age. Kept the water level @3" so it didn't have far to swim for food and MacGuyvered an auto top off system so the water level didn't get too low...the things I do for the wife :P

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Plan9

Another vote for the Betta. Lemme tell ya, they're friggin' tough. The fish I have survived being knocked on the floor in DC public schools and two moves.

I don't usually keep pets that are related to my food groups (mmm, tuna) but this fish has personality. He's hyperactive, too.

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Idyllic

Yes I too loved my Betta Blue...... made the dumb assed mistake of setting him down so the kids could get a nice view of him, I walked out to do something, laundry, answer phone, etc.... kids bored quickly (as they do) and left room also, cat entered the room, betta gone, I was blue for days. I am just waiting for the kids to age well enough to care for one themselves then I will get another, maybe one for each and they can watch them posture when placed closely, I loved that fish, but not as much as my old cat did.

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snowy

Hehe, happy to see some recommendations for Bettas. I loved mine. It lived longer than any other fish we had when I was a kid. Somehow, my childhood cat managed to eat every fish but the Betta, and so she outlived every fish we had, until finally my cat managed to sneak her paw in there one day and get the Betta out (after a year of trying). If I didn't have a tricksy cat, I'd probably get one again.

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dlish

yeah, dont take my word for it..listen to the professionals

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Cimarron29414

Okay, I know too much about fish, but I'm going to bullet point because I don't have a huge amount of time. (Credentials: I started with a 10 gallon tank and went so far as to breeding soft corals in a national coral exchange program.)

Rule: 1 in. of fish per gallon of water. With substrate, you can have about 4 in. of fish in your tank. Personally, I'd accidentally break that tank and immediately go buy at least a 10 gallon. I have beer mugs bigger than your aquarium.

Rule: Goldfish have straight stomachs, so they digest very little of their food and produce alot of waste. This increases nitrates in the tank and causes algae for a poorly filtered aquarium. Poor lighting spectrum (cheap or aged lightbulbs) will further contribute to algae proliferation. Lightbulbs need to be replaced every six months. This also means you need to say 1 in. of goldfish per 2 gallons of water.

Rule: Goldfish are really good for priming a new aquarium with the bacteria necessary to have a healthy environment. The bacteria grows because it feeds on fish waste. The more food, the more bacteria to eat it. This is known as biological filtration. Usually, I would start a new tank with goldfish and then move to the other species.

Rule: Get a filtration system with a good biological filtration system. Penguin is widely available and is really cheap and good filter for this. It eliminates the need for that under-gravel filter and the air stone. Hence, you have more volume in the tank for accessories and...fish.

Rule: Add aquarium salt to your aquarium. It increases the health of your fish and reduces the risk of some fungii. I used to breed African Cichlids and had my Specific Gravity at something like 1.012. If I recall correctly, 1.000 is pure fresh water and 1.020 is considered the low end of a salt water aquarium, just to give you some perspective. Even your run-of-the-mill fresh water tetras will thrive in a little salt.

Rule: Whatever size tank you have, it will not be big enough in 2 months. You will be looking at 55 gallon ones within a year. Mark my words. Have fun.

EDITED:

I agree on live plants. They produce a lot more oxygen for the tank and allow you to fudge the inch/gallon rule a lot more. It also creates hiding place for smaller fish and allows for better co-habitation with otherwise incompatible fish. There is no down side to live plants, in my opinion. Please don't throw them in a lake or river when you are sick of them, though. Kill them in the trash.

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RogueGypsy

White cloud minnows, Rasboras, Tetras, Guppies and Kuhli Loaches are some other choices for a small, low maintenance tank. A quasi rule of thumb is 1" of adult fish to 1 gallon of water. The Kuhlis get bigger than the rest listed, but I had 6 very happy kujlis in a 5 gallon for a couple of years, before they went into a 55g. 5 or 6 of any of the above will look good and be happy in a 5 gallon tank.

I also highly recommend live plants. The fish love it, the plants will help clean the water and it looks soooo much better than fake plants and you don't have to water them. The plants are a lot easier than some might tell you. You do not need big expensive lights, co2 or tons of fertilizer. Put a good fish safe soil in the bottom, get a full spectrum compact florescent for the light hood and they will practically take care of themselves. A second option is to use pool filter sand for the substrate and fertilizer tabs for the plants about once a month.

The only real maintenance needed on a tank like this; remove and replace 1 gallon of water a week. No filter, No heater needed, a power head to cause a little water movement is beneficial, but not necessary.


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Pearl Trade

DO NOT use salt if you have any type of catfish in the tank, as they have a special skin (no scales) and the salt will basically burn them.

Everyone is hitting it perfectly. As a substrate, I think sand looks better and is easier to clean than gravel is.

Guppies are great to start with and are absolutely beautiful when they start progressing in their breeding generations.

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actinic

One only has to add salt if it has been quite some time between water changes. This will aid in the osmotic shock from a drastic reduction of dissolved solutes from the water change.

Salt won't burn the catfish, only if the grains of salt literally fall on them. Again, it has to do with osmoregulation.

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TheProf

Hello everyone,

Wow this is a lot of excellent, quality information! Thank you.

I'm processing all these comments and hopefully will reach a conclusion soon. A follow-up question: are there types of fish that can't go together? I.E.: A number of people have recommended the Siamese fighting fish. Can I combine that fish with a gold-fish or another species? I understand they are very aggressive but is it possible?

Thanks!

Cimarron29414

Your local fish store can help you with compatibilities.

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Pearl Trade

I've put Beta's in with other fish that didn't bother it, like a sun catfish that hung out at the bottom all day. Most fish won't get along with the beta because they will nip at it's long fins. Tetras are notorious fin nippers.

I haven't heard of this happening anywhere else but in my tank, but my old beta got stuck to the filter and it ripped his fins off. Brutal stuff.

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JStrider

I think everyone has covered most points I was going to make...

about housing bettas with other fish.... nothing with long flowy fins for sure. I've seen some get along with tetras, Red Cherry Shrimp and some other short finned community fish... but its hit or miss, i think it usually works better if you add the betta to an already setup tank.

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cadre

My male betta ate my cherry shrimp over night. They are pretty notorious for eating shrimp and some worms.

If you get a male betta it should be okay with anything that doesn't look too much like itself. Females will be more aggressive (but they aren't as pretty of course).

I'm going to vote for neon tetras. They're small, colorful and easy to take care of. You can pair them with a betta and everyone will be happy.

I also would suggest live plants. It makes everything look a lot better. If you get the right plants you can do just fine with minimal equipment.

Oh and don't let people convince you that you need a big tank to be cool. I have a 25g freshwater planted tank and a 2.5g saltwater reef and they're both awesome. Small tanks are easy to take care of and easy to move (although not as stable as larger tanks so get a heater).

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RogueGypsy

SHRIMP! Damn, I don't know how I missed that, I have a couple hundred in my tanks. They are entertaining and great cleaners to boot. Oto's -I forget the whole name- are great little cleaners too.

It was mentioned earlier, but you brought them up again. Goldfish- unless you plan to upgrade tanks soon and often. And you want more maintenance. Do not get Goldfish. They grow very big, fast and are swimming poo machines. They belong in a pond, not a tank.

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lurkette

I've had a panda cory for about 2 years (his name is Butters). He's outlived 4 betta fish. I think I took TOO good care of my bettas - none of them lived longer than 8 months. They each had 1.5-2.5 gallon tanks, filters, a heater, I cleaned their water religiously. My friend who ignores hers - he lives in one of those little terrarium bowls - has had hers for 3 years. That's what I get for listening to the guilt-mongers on the internets.

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cadre

Otocinclus and yes, they are pretty cool. I have two.

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actinic

I assumed that you just had the 5gal and no other equipment :P. On that route, Siamese fighting fish are the most common fish available that is "suitable" for an unfiltered, unheated system of that volume.

Other fish that will do well are killifish. Rarely will you find them at the LFS. One can get addicted to this family of fish as the reproductive cycle and egg handling is fascinating. Depending on the species, the eggs are so hardy, ppl mail them to each other. Going this route is akin to kids collecting and trading Pokemon doo-dads and you'll have a wall unit full of 2.5-5gal aquariums.

With a filter, it opens up to more options of fish and critters to put in but limited to the size of the aquarium.

Going with live plants, one has to consider 3 factors:
1. light requirement
2. nutrient demand (foliar/leaf and root uptake)
3. growth rate

Uber easy aquatic plants are Java Fern and Java Moss; don't require much light nor nutrient.

Stemmed plants grow fast and in turn have a relative high nutrient demand for nitrogen and phosphorous. Red leafed stemmed plants require more light and iron as well as dissolved CO2/carbon source. When they get too tall, you have to yank them out, trim from the bottom and replant. Trimming from the top will be ok for the first few trimmings but overtime, the older leaves on the lower stems will die off and the lower node where you trim will develop two stems and get a more bushy top appearance.

"Crowned/rosette" plants send leaves out from a central point. As more leaves develop from the centre, the older leaves get pushed radially outwards, ie Amazon sword plant. Can't do much about the height but you can control the breath of foliar growth buy trimming the outer leaves. Others send up 2-4 leaves and send runners to create a daughter plant. Some stay short, ie Cryptocoryne plants and some can grow to the surface to a point that it lays flat across the surface, ie Valisinaria sp.. Trimming Vals is like cutting hair...snip, snip .

Not sure where you live but maybe there is an aquarium club that you can attend. Fish heads are a friendly bunch .

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raging moderate

I dunno, I'm no expert but i put my betta in with three or four other fish and a snail and it killed everything in the tank except the plant. so i personally wouldn't recommend sticking a beta in with something else, but maybe that was just a hyperactive beta or something. it was definitely a cool looking fish but kind of a loner.

I had two african chichlids or however you spell it "Oscars" as they are called, they were also very cool but they ended up getting huge and then killing each other.

yeah haven't had much luck with fish, so i now have an empty 30 gallon aquarium. I'll give you a good deal on it when you get bored of the beer mug you're using now...

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Cimarron29414

raging-

What we commonly know as Oscars are actually South American Cichlids. They grow huge and monopolize tanks. I think everyone gets one, for a little while at least. They are the Yellow Tang of fresh water tanks. In the salt water tank world, everyone has to kill a Yellow Tang. It's a rule.

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