New to aquariums, and I just have some questions :)

[jkssquid]

Hey guys! Over the summer I want to start a 5 gallon tank and I have been looking up what kind of fish you can keep in that size of tank, because I know it's super small. I was thinking either a betta, or some tetras of some sort, or shrimp. So my first question is how many of each fish can I have and which are safe to keep together? I'm expecting a very little amount because, again, I know how small the tank is.

My second question is what is cycling, and why do levels of ammonium and things like that matter? If any of you could basically explain everything I need to know about everything related to aquariums, that would be great also should I plant plants in the aquarium and how does that impact the balance of the chemicals, and which plants should I plant?

Sorry for all of the vagueness and ignorance about this but I really want to experience fish keeping!! Thank you for all your help in advance!!

 

[seangee]

You can read all about cycling here http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/421488-cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first

For a 5 gallon you are pretty much limited to a single betta or a group of shrimp. Both of these will do better with plenty of plants.

 

[fluttermoth]

Hi there, welcome to the forum

Bettas are best kept alone. Some will tolerate other fish, but most won't.

Tetras really need a larger tank than five gallons. Although they're small, they're very active, so need room to swim, and they like to be in large groups; people often say five or six as a minimum for shoaling fish, but that's not really enough; really seven or eight is best and a dozen or more even more highly recommended, as these fish have evolved to live in groups of hundreds, or even thousands, in the wild. Many tetras can become quite nippy, if kept in too small a number.

We would need to know the dimensions of your tank and the pH and hardness of your water before we could recommend species for you. Some fish need hard water (that has a lot of minerals dissolved in it), whilst others will only do well in soft water (that has very few minerals in it). Same for pH; water with a low pH (less than 7) is acidic and suits some fish, while other fish need water that is alkaline (has a pH above 7).

Cycling means growing a colony of good bacteria in the filter. Fish produce ammonia in their wastes, and ammonia is very toxic. Without those good bacteria, ammonia builds up in the water and makes the fish very sick and eventually kills them. The bacteria eat the ammonia and turn it first into nitrite, which is also very toxic, then into nitrate, which is only toxic to fish at quite high levels, and which we keep low, in a cycled tank, with regular, partial water changes.

In the old days, people just used to put some fish in the tank to produce the ammonia so the bacteria could grow, but nowadays we can buy liquid ammonia, so we use that for 'fishless' cycles. That means no fish are exposed to the high levels of toxins in a cycling tank, before the bacteria have colonised the filter.

Plants use ammonia and nitrate as fertilisers. If you had a lot of plants and a very few fish, you could not cycle at all, but that's not a method I would recommend to a beginner to the hobby. But plants make the tank look nicer and more secure for the fish, and will help a bit with the water chemistry.

 

[SorryEh]

Personally I would recommend going up to a 10 gallon, only if you have the ability to do that of course. I started with a 10 gallon and I still use it as a quarantine. Like said above, you should get your tap water tested and let us know your PH and hardness and we can recommend the best fish for your water, it's always best to go with a species that fits your tap water than trying to fiddle around with the water. You got lots of time to read up on how to do things right and you have everyone here to help you out with any questions.

 

[IHaveADogToo]

+1 on the betta train.

5 gallons is perfect for a single betta.

Don't buy any fish until the tank is cycled, though. If you buy a fish before that tank is cycled, it will make the fish sick, or you'll be stuck changing the water every day for weeks to keep it from getting sick.

 

[jkssquid]

You can read all about cycling here http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/421488-cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first

For a 5 gallon you are pretty much limited to a single betta or a group of shrimp. Both of these will do better with plenty of plants.

Thank you so much! All the replies recommend a betta, so I'll probably stick with that. What kinds of plants would you recommend? Thank you for the link, it helped clear everything up a ton. Thank you!!

 

[jkssquid]

Personally I would recommend going up to a 10 gallon, only if you have the ability to do that of course. I started with a 10 gallon and I still use it as a quarantine. Like said above, you should get your tap water tested and let us know your PH and hardness and we can recommend the best fish for your water, it's always best to go with a species that fits your tap water than trying to fiddle around with the water. You got lots of time to read up on how to do things right and you have everyone here to help you out with any questions.

This might be a dumb question, but how do you get your water tested? The article linked above talked about testing kits; do those have everything I need in them? And I was looking into a 10 gallon tank and I think I'll probably upgrade to one of those since they aren't that expensive. I have a 50 gallon that I used to use for my hermit crab, but I don't think that's a good starter tank I also didn't know you could use tap water for fish. Is that why cycling is important?

 

[jkssquid]

+1 on the betta train.

5 gallons is perfect for a single betta.

Don't buy any fish until the tank is cycled, though. If you buy a fish before that tank is cycled, it will make the fish sick, or you'll be stuck changing the water every day for weeks to keep it from getting sick.

I think I'm probably gonna go with a betta. Thank you for your reply!!

 

[jkssquid]

Hi there, welcome to the forum

Bettas are best kept alone. Some will tolerate other fish, but most won't.

Tetras really need a larger tank than five gallons. Although they're small, they're very active, so need room to swim, and they like to be in large groups; people often say five or six as a minimum for shoaling fish, but that's not really enough; really seven or eight is best and a dozen or more even more highly recommended, as these fish have evolved to live in groups of hundreds, or even thousands, in the wild. Many tetras can become quite nippy, if kept in too small a number.

We would need to know the dimensions of your tank and the pH and hardness of your water before we could recommend species for you. Some fish need hard water (that has a lot of minerals dissolved in it), whilst others will only do well in soft water (that has very few minerals in it). Same for pH; water with a low pH (less than 7) is acidic and suits some fish, while other fish need water that is alkaline (has a pH above 7).

Cycling means growing a colony of good bacteria in the filter. Fish produce ammonia in their wastes, and ammonia is very toxic. Without those good bacteria, ammonia builds up in the water and makes the fish very sick and eventually kills them. The bacteria eat the ammonia and turn it first into nitrite, which is also very toxic, then into nitrate, which is only toxic to fish at quite high levels, and which we keep low, in a cycled tank, with regular, partial water changes.

In the old days, people just used to put some fish in the tank to produce the ammonia so the bacteria could grow, but nowadays we can buy liquid ammonia, so we use that for 'fishless' cycles. That means no fish are exposed to the high levels of toxins in a cycling tank, before the bacteria have colonised the filter.

Plants use ammonia and nitrate as fertilisers. If you had a lot of plants and a very few fish, you could not cycle at all, but that's not a method I would recommend to a beginner to the hobby. But plants make the tank look nicer and more secure for the fish, and will help a bit with the water chemistry.

Thank you for your reply!! How do you test the pH of your water? I know my local pet stores sell "fish water", but I've also learned in the past to not trust most pet stores... Is there a certain pH that the water should be at to be safe for fish or is that where cycling comes in to handle it? Thank you again!

 

[SorryEh]

This might be a dumb question, but how do you get your water tested? The article linked above talked about testing kits; do those have everything I need in them? And I was looking into a 10 gallon tank and I think I'll probably upgrade to one of those since they aren't that expensive. I have a 50 gallon that I used to use for my hermit crab, but I don't think that's a good starter tank I also didn't know you could use tap water for fish. Is that why cycling is important?

I use my well water for my aquarium so I don't need to dechlor it, if you are on city water then you will need to use dechlorinator as they add chlorine to the water which is deadly to fish. You can pick up many tests from any aquarium store and chain stores. I personally recommend the API Liquid test kit https://www.apifishcare.com/product.php?id=580#.Www1U0xFxhE it can be found at most stores. You can also buy test strips but those aren't as good in my opinion and end up costing more in the long run. Now the test strips are fine to use but just remember if you plan on doing this for over a year then the test kit will be much better for you. Look for a test that tests your PH, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate at a minimum, having one that can test for GH too is your best bet.
As for tap water being the need for cycling, it makes no difference, no matter where the water comes from it needs to be cycled because the bacterial colonies are on surfaces and in your filter media, not in the water.

 

[jkssquid]

I use my well water for my aquarium so I don't need to dechlor it, if you are on city water then you will need to use dechlorinator as they add chlorine to the water which is deadly to fish. You can pick up many tests from any aquarium store and chain stores. I personally recommend the API Liquid test kit https://www.apifishcare.com/product.php?id=580#.Www1U0xFxhE it can be found at most stores. You can also buy test strips but those aren't as good in my opinion and end up costing more in the long run. Now the test strips are fine to use but just remember if you plan on doing this for over a year then the test kit will be much better for you. Look for a test that tests your PH, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate at a minimum, having one that can test for GH too is your best bet.
As for tap water being the need for cycling, it makes no difference, no matter where the water comes from it needs to be cycled because the bacterial colonies are on surfaces and in your filter media, not in the water.

You are a life saver! Two more questions: where do you buy liquid ammonia? Also, should I still buy the "fish water" from my pet store, or are there dechlorinators that you recommend?
THANK YOU

 

[SorryEh]

You are a life saver! Two more questions: where do you buy liquid ammonia? Also, should I still buy the "fish water" from my pet store, or are there dechlorinators that you recommend?
THANK YOU

It depends on what country you live in for the liquid ammonia, here in Canada you can get it from somewhere like Wal-Mart or Safeway (I have no had to do a cycle like this in over 10 years so I am not sure the best product to get now). If your pet store offers pre-declorinated water for a good price then you could stick with that, I sometimes use API Stress Coat water conditioner because of its other benefits besides dechlorinating, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000255MZG/?tag=ff0d01-20 there's what it looks like.

 

[SorryEh]

One thing that's good about using your own water is you know exactly what chemicals have been added and know that you have done the right doseage of dechlorinator