5 gallon idea ok or not? *need advice asap leaving in 1 and a half hours*

[Katome556]

i was thinking 1 betta,3corys,1 snail or 1 betta ,2 otos ,2 snails.

if anyone has an idea on other possible combinations for a 5 gallon tank w/ a betta let me know please.

Also the tank is still cycled.

i need advice quickly i'm leaving for the store very soon with my family unless the snow gets worse.

 

[big54bob]

1 betta
3 cories
1 oto
and mabye a snail
or 1 betta
3 cories
1 snail
and a platy

 

[Fuzz16]

1 betta
3 pyrgmy or panda corys
1 snail

and 1 oto later on if you get algae...they need around 10g/fish.

 

[JWright]

I'd go with the ottos. I had an identical setup and enjoyed it very much. Maybe throw a couple plants in there as well. (I'd probably skip the snails... but I'm not a big fan of snails in general...)

~JW

 

[Katome556]

I need to find out if wal-mart sells live plants,it seems my 5 gal is the only tank with good lighting for plants. *haven't touched the tank too much since my Betta died but the plants are still alive and growing*

what type of cories are ok for a 5 gal?

 

[Fuzz16]

wal mart does sell live plants. i advise you only get maybe the hairgass from them or the dwarf sword. the rest are pretty much unsuitable for your tank...you could try the red wentii, but the one i have would take over that small of a tank.

and make sure you read the tags, they sell terranium plants in the aquariums there as well. itll say true aquatic and those are what you want

and pygmy or panda corys would be great for that tank

 

[Katome556]

for live plants i'll probably get what you said but i'm also gonna look and see if they have the plant thats growing in my 5 gal. *duno what it's called*

 

[JWright]

IMO, Cories (even pygmies) get too big for a 5 gallon... They need to big in bigger groups that are incompatible with a smaller tank. Ottos are happy in pairs, and also stay very small.

~JW

 

[Katome556]

I like the idea of otos but i've kinda never seen one before.*goes and looks up a pic of one* o-o'

 

[Fuzz16]

but the otos will have to have algae wafer tabs added to thier diet because im sure there will be little to no algae in that tank

 

[Katome556]

uhg the 5 gal is actually algae city the walls are covered in algae and their is green algae on some of the gravel >.>' and i do have algae wafer tabs that i bought for my pleco,i'm sure he can share though lol.

I pretty well ignore algae if the tank is not being used.

 

[homebunnyj]

Go with the otos. If you get a snail, get only one-- they are big waste producers, plus I've had bettas that picked at snails till they killed them... grouches.

Try to get java fern or java moss. Those work really well in a betta tank. The betta can rest on the broad leaves of the java fern, and the java moss is supposed to be really good at keeping the water in good condition... so I've read.

 

[MissFishy]

My vote is for the otos, especially if you have algae. I think corycats need a larger tank than a 5gallon, they are very active. I added 2 otos to my algae covered 10g and they have been doing a great job cleaning it up for me. They're active pretty little things too.

My Vote:
1 Betta
2-3 Otos
1 Mystery Snail (I always find these guys fascinating)
Some plants

 

[Katome556]

I have tons of java moss i can just rob from my 30 gal tank *the stuff grows like weeds in their*i need to find java fern i think it's be nice to have.

Also my betta who was living in my 5 gal *now dead* was an active snail muncher.

also i think i'll go with the 3 otos *depending on how many they have* 1 mystery snail *if they have them in yet* and a single betta which i will probly beg for LOL.

*also i was gonna have my cycled ten gal free from my minnows but my friend has decided he doesn't want them now lol*

 

[Fuzz16]

snails dont produce that much waste...and it all depends on the fish. other people have had great success with bettas and mystery snails and even other fish.

any plant will keep the water in good condition hence why they should be in any aquarium.

and with your tank, since its been empty for awhile you might want to check your parameters in case your bacteria starved and died. although it might have just fed off the algae and any other dieing matter

 

[big54bob]

micro sword is always a good plant
my vote is:
1 betta
1-2 otos
2-3 pygmy cories
and a platy(do my idea pleaze )

 

[Katome556]

I've already checked it,it's still has a full cycle*needs some more water* but other words it's still in the same shape as it was when it had my betta in it.

my betta cole who died was the only betta who didn't like tank mates other then Adfs.

I'll probably wait and see what wally world has before choosing the exact tank mates.*also depends on my dad and granny who both said i should wait on getting any more fish*

also i'll be fully stocking it right off the bat because i'm only getting a chance to go to wal-mart once this month.*i will watch for problems in the amm and nitrite and nitrates.*

 

[Fuzz16]

LOL no platy -.- i would push for it also if there was enough room!
well...you could do a dwarf platy! they dont get very big... half an inch smaller than the classic ones so you could do it!!!
maybe

and do plants first and betta...then wait a bit, let him and the plants get all settled then id get the otos a week or two later

 

[big54bob]

i was thinking platy because they are known to nip at algee

 

[MissFishy]

I always think it's worth it to find the right betta. I've been holding off on buying a new betta until I find the right one.

I would NOT add a platy to a 5 gallon.