Ideal fish for small tanks?

[cait.russ]

My little sister has now decided she wants to keep fish after seeing my tanks. She’s got a 25L tank and she wants a betta but I’m thinking the ta know maybe a bit small? I’ve never kept betta fish myself so I’m not sure I’m aware of how to do a cycle etc but I’m just looking for some advice on what might be an ideal fish for the tank size?

 

[Sgooosh]

My little sister has now decided she wants to keep fish after seeing my tanks. She’s got a 25L tank and she wants a betta but I’m thinking the ta know maybe a bit small? I’ve never kept betta fish myself so I’m not sure I’m aware of how to do a cycle etc but I’m just looking for some advice on what might be an ideal fish for the tank size?

ph gh so we can determine

 

[Anonymous Fox]

i 'agree' with Sgoosh, we need you PH and GH, but maybe some shrimp or least killifish?

 

[cait.russ]

ph gh so we can determine

I’m not sure as I haven’t yet helped her set up the tank. I know certain fish go better in certain conditions. I’m just wondering what might be suitable for a tank that size and I’ll work from there.

 

[Anonymous Fox]

I’m not sure as I haven’t yet helped her set up the tank. I know certain fish go better in certain conditions. I’m just wondering what might be suitable for a tank that size and I’ll work from there.

least killifish, as i said, they only grow 2-4 cm (i think) and are the smallest freshwater fish

 

[Byron]

I’m not sure as I haven’t yet helped her set up the tank. I know certain fish go better in certain conditions. I’m just wondering what might be suitable for a tank that size and I’ll work from there.

It is the GH and pH of the source water we need to know in order to advise you on fish suited. Nano sized fish are more demanding with respect to the parameters than many larger fish, and there is little value in getting one's hopes up only to find out the fish will not last more than a few weeks/months or something.

 

[Essjay]

The OP's location is Fife in Scotland so the GH is most likely very low.

@cait.russ A better starting point is the GH, then look at fish suitable for your GH. I know Scottish Water doesn't make it easy to find, but if you could look up your GH it would be helpful.
(On Scottish Water's website, you have to enter your postcode to find your supply zone, then download the most recent hardness pdf and look for your supply zone in that
https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/Your-Home/Your-Water/Water-Quality/Water-Quality )

 

[Sgooosh]

or

The OP's location is Fife in Scotland so the GH is most likely very low.

@cait.russ A better starting point is the GH, then look at fish suitable for your GH. I know Scottish Water doesn't make it easy to find, but if you could look up your GH it would be helpful.
(On Scottish Water's website, you have to enter your postcode to find your supply zone, then download the most recent hardness pdf and look for your supply zone in that
https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/Your-Home/Your-Water/Water-Quality/Water-Quality )

you can let your lfs test your tap water, mostly it is free

 

[NannaLou]

I have a single male Betta in a 25 ltr tank and seems very happy. There are lots of live plants (I removed a piece of wood/root as he hurt his tail on it) and a sand base…he eats everything I put in the tank except frozen daphnia, make bubble nests and seems to come to ‘talk’ to me anytime I’m near the tank.

 

[I Like Rare Fish]

There are smaller gobies for tanks that size. Medaka Ricefish, Celestial Pearl Danios, Pygmy Sunfish, and Dracula Minnow come to mind.

 

[Colin_T]

A male Siamese fighting fish should be fine in a 25 litre tank.

 

[ClownLurch]

View attachment 139012least killifish, as i said, they only grow 2-4 cm (i think) and are the smallest freshwater fish

Very expensive and hard to find in the U.K. £20 a pair plus slightly less postage on eBay. Scottish water tends to be very soft as well.

 

[ClownLurch]

There are smaller gobies for tanks that size. Medaka Ricefish, Celestial Pearl Danios, Pygmy Sunfish, and Dracula Minnow come to mind.

Medaka need a group and 25L is too small surely.

 

[Lajos_Detari]

Your 25 liter(more than 6 gallons) is perfect for a single Betta.

Get a short fins and tail Betta.
Avoid big/long fins and tail Betta that often have fins rot.
You will need a heater and a small filter such as sponge filter or hang on filter.
If you use a hang on filter, you need to cover the intake with a strainer sponge to prevent it from sucking in the Betta fins/tail.

If not, you can get a group of Cherry shrimps, probably 10-20 of them.
But make sure that your tank is fully cycled and have some algae.
When I was preparing my tank for Sulawesi shrimps, I prepared my tank for at least 3-4 weeks for the algae to grow.
During that period, I turned on the aquarium light for at least 10 hours per day.
But for Cherry shrimps, they don't need so much algae as they will eat shrimps pellets.

Here are some videos of short fins and tail Bettas.

 

[phill]

Medaka need a group and 25L is too small surely.

Why do Medaka "need a group", they are commonly kept in pairs in Japan when breeding for specific traits. However the aquatic trade in the UK does not seem to be very keen on stocking them, despite the fact that they occur in such a vast range of colours. Who would want to buy a small cold water fish that comes in a huge variety of strains?