introduction and questions?

[hopkia]

hello everybody,

I literally just joined today and quick snapped a shot of my small five gallon aquarium which, until recently, held a betta, he past away after a long and happy 2 year life.

now, i believe i am ready to hold another fish in that tank, but I am not sure what to keep.

I have had several ideas about an invertebrate tank, maybe a crab or two? But i do not know much about fishkeeping and, therefore, do not know what would live well in a five gallon tank.

but, if there is anything that can live in a five gallon tank for a short amount of time, such as five weeks. I have an empty ten gallon tank at home i plan to put to use when i get back from the college dorm this year.

any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks a bunch!

 

[lauraf]

Hi, welcome to the forum!
You could do one dwarf puffer in your 5g, and when you set up your 10g, you could add another, providing one isn't much bigger than the other . . . . You could also do ADFs (African Dwarf Frogs) - two in a 5g would be happy, and you could put them in your 10g with a couple of new fish later . . . .
Cheers,
Laura

 

[kb951]

what laura said i would go with a dwarf puffer you can buy them at wal-mart (Green Spotted Puffer) it's a neat fish and fun to feed, i would get a small water pump a air pump and a little heater, your good to go, as you ask the expert's on this site your questions, you will get better at this hobby we all love. Good luck

 

[hopkia]

thanks a bunch!

I've seen the dwarf puffers before (a guy on my floor has two) and i"ll start research on them asap.

 

[misterking]

Dwarf puffers are really cool. Just make sure they're dwarf puffers, dwarf puffers and green spotted puffers are VERY different!

 

[achase]

I second that be VERY careful to pick up a Dwarf Puffer and not a GSP (Green Spotted Puffer) because a GSP is not suitable for a 5g or 10g.
GSP's are NOT a freshwater puffer and require a minimum of 30 gallons for one!

Here are some things you should know about DP's:
- Make sure that your tank is properly cycled before adding the puffer because they are sensitive
- 30% - 50% weekly water changes are important as well because they are messy eaters and have a relatively large bioload compared to their size.
- You might want to pick up a internal parasite killer because most puffers come with them...it's a really common program.
- Plants are another important thing to have with puffers (especially when you get 2 for the 10 gallon), they can be real or fake. Plants or other decorations help to reduce boredom and aggression.
- Avoid copper products around your aquarium and equipment because they are DEADLY for puffers.
- One last thing....they are the BEST!! They are cute and full of personality!

Here are a few links on DP's:
> Dwarf Puffer - Puffer Forum
> Dwarf Puffer - Dwarf Puffer Forum

 

[aakaakaak]

You can also do just about any of the microrasboras in a 5 gallon tank. OC used to breed the phoenix rasboras, but I think she retired from doing that. One of my LFS sells the emerald dwarf rasboras and about half a dozen others. Celestial Pearl Danios should fit in a 5 as well. They're kinda-sorta microrasboras, but they keep changing the family they belong to.

With pea puffers remember to add snails in their diet.

Edit: Actually, here's a list of some of the micro-fish that should be okay. Pretty much any of the ones 1 inch and under should be okay: http://www.franksaquarium.com/nanofish.htm (Note: Only the burmese bumblebee goby is true freshwater. The other is brackish)

 

[pateceramics]

As long as you are planning to transfer to a larger tank...pygmy cories! They are incredibly cute, but they are happiest in a school, so you'd want to be moving up to the 10g and adding a few more.

 

[achase]

With pea puffers remember to add snails in their diet.

Good point! I forgot about that, although snails are not as important for DP/Pea Puffers as they are for other puffers. Snails are used to maintain beak length which can cause major issues if they grow too long but it's rare for DP's to have beak length issues. So you don't really have to worry about feeding snails to your DP like every day (which you would do with other puffers) just every once and a while (weekly or monthly depending on availability).

 

[IThinkTherefore]

Welcome to MFT!

If you're still interested in invertebrates, here is a link to some really cool ones:

Planet Inverts Home .:. Freshwater Aquarium Shrimp, Crystal Red Shrimp, Red Cherry Shrimp, Crayfish and more.

There are some awesome shrimp available! Red cherries being the easiest to keep. Also really awesome snails, and check out Mexican Dwarf Crayfish for another unusual invert

 

[hopkia]

thanks everyone.

You all have been tons of help, I am currently doing research on dwarf puffers and plan to get one within a month.

P.S. my tank is fully cycled. so that's a plus *thumbsups

Thanks again!