We got a 5 gallon tank a few weeks ago. We had 3 goldfish from the fair in it. They didnt look the best but we got the tank anyway. The last one died 3 days ago. I drained and cleaned the tank and have had it running for 2 days. We want to get some new fish for our kids. Something colorful and active. Also very easy to take care of..trying to teach the kids how to care for pets. PLEASE HELP with suggestions on what fish would be good and how many we can put in the tank. Thank You Very Much
help..what fish are ok for a 5 gallon tank
- Thread starter jakey511
- Start date
For a five gallon I would say a betta, and maybe a snail and some shrimp. But don't put a pleco in! They can grow to 20 inches long. As for catfish you could probably get a cory cat or two instead of the snail and shrimp.
P.S. Goldfish get too big for a 10 gallon. They can get to a foot long or more.
P.S. Goldfish get too big for a 10 gallon. They can get to a foot long or more.
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Please read up on cycling and how to set up a fish tank. If you're going to teach the kiddos about responsibility and pets...you need to make sure and do YOUR homework first. Like Jnevaril said, if you dont cycle the tank you will have the tetras or whatever you choose do the same disappearing act that the goldfish did. Fishless cycling would work best now while you dont have any fish, and it'll give you time to think about what you want to put in the tank.
Personally...if I was making suggestions to a family for a nice project tank to set up and have the kids help out with it etc...I'd choose a much larger tank. That way you have a lot more options as far as the fish go and there is a lot more room for 'newbie' mistakes in a larger tank with water chemistry. Now I'm not suggesting you go with a 200 gallon tank...but a 29G tank is a nice size and you should be able to find one for a relatively good deal if you peruse the classifieds or craigslist.com etc. I found my 29 with a stand next door at a garage sale for $30!
Anyway...if you're stuck on the 5g really the best option is to get a betta and an apple snail, maybe some shrimp and an adf...the school of tetras will work, but neon tetras are notoriously frail and probably not the type of fish you want to be getting for longevity. IF you cycle the tank first...you would probably be ok with a school of small tetras and an apple snail for cleanup.
Personally...if I was making suggestions to a family for a nice project tank to set up and have the kids help out with it etc...I'd choose a much larger tank. That way you have a lot more options as far as the fish go and there is a lot more room for 'newbie' mistakes in a larger tank with water chemistry. Now I'm not suggesting you go with a 200 gallon tank...but a 29G tank is a nice size and you should be able to find one for a relatively good deal if you peruse the classifieds or craigslist.com etc. I found my 29 with a stand next door at a garage sale for $30!
Anyway...if you're stuck on the 5g really the best option is to get a betta and an apple snail, maybe some shrimp and an adf...the school of tetras will work, but neon tetras are notoriously frail and probably not the type of fish you want to be getting for longevity. IF you cycle the tank first...you would probably be ok with a school of small tetras and an apple snail for cleanup.
I wouldn't reccomend shrimp for a first tank, maybe ghost shrimp but nothing more expensive then that until you know what you are doing. Shrimp are sensitive to all sorts of stuff so a cycled tank is a must. Also dont forget your dechlorinator 
usualy that is a reason fish die after being in a tank for 1 or 2 days and not cause of a not cycled tank (unless they are really crammed in there).
usualy that is a reason fish die after being in a tank for 1 or 2 days and not cause of a not cycled tank (unless they are really crammed in there).
Ditto everything on froggy. You should fishless cycle, but if you already have the fish, you'll need to change the water daily to keep ammonia out, and other stuff that builds up, that you will be reading about in cycling.
as far as size, the benefits of having a 29g as opposed to a 5 also include a more stable environment. If there are toxins in the water, you have a longer time before they are deadly. temperature shifts less. if you run into problems, like over feeding, a larger tank can be more forgiving until you figure your problems out. Plus you can have a lot of cooler stuff. The set up new would probalby be in the ball park of 200$ (tank, hood, stand, lights, heater, filter) and you can use your 5 as a hospital tank or q-tank (quarentine for new arrivals, so it wouldn't go to waste.)
if you keep the 5g, a betta is good, I don't know about cories, I think they need schools and prefer more swiming room. Mine do at least. You can also do the water change option with the betta (and African dwarf froga - not the clawed ones!), changing the water instead of cycling. www.bettatalk.com and www.bettaforums.com should have info on that. If your tap is not from a well, you may need water conditioner, if you haven't found that in your research.
Good luck!! sounds like a great family project!
as far as size, the benefits of having a 29g as opposed to a 5 also include a more stable environment. If there are toxins in the water, you have a longer time before they are deadly. temperature shifts less. if you run into problems, like over feeding, a larger tank can be more forgiving until you figure your problems out. Plus you can have a lot of cooler stuff. The set up new would probalby be in the ball park of 200$ (tank, hood, stand, lights, heater, filter) and you can use your 5 as a hospital tank or q-tank (quarentine for new arrivals, so it wouldn't go to waste.)
if you keep the 5g, a betta is good, I don't know about cories, I think they need schools and prefer more swiming room. Mine do at least. You can also do the water change option with the betta (and African dwarf froga - not the clawed ones!), changing the water instead of cycling. www.bettatalk.com and www.bettaforums.com should have info on that. If your tap is not from a well, you may need water conditioner, if you haven't found that in your research.
Good luck!! sounds like a great family project!
I keep Ember Tetras in a 5 gallon and they are quite happy. Just give them plenty of plants. If all you have are Embers, then you could go to 8 or so. If you want to add an otto later you could do that too (but wait until the tank fully matures). Shrimp are great for small tanks too.
Regardless of what you put into the tank, you may need to find a way to slow down the water return current. I've found that taking some fake plant leaves (just the top section, not the whole plant) and sticking them in the outflow shoots works fine. Thesse tanks are so small that even the small pumps that they come with make too much of a current which the fish have a hard time swiming against. Especially bettas.
Regardless of what you put into the tank, you may need to find a way to slow down the water return current. I've found that taking some fake plant leaves (just the top section, not the whole plant) and sticking them in the outflow shoots works fine. Thesse tanks are so small that even the small pumps that they come with make too much of a current which the fish have a hard time swiming against. Especially bettas.
