I have a 5 gallon tank and currently I only have one small rosy red minnow. I'm going to give it to my friend soon however once I get some new fish. Any suggestions? I already have a betta in separate smaller tank, and I don't only want some shrimp or snails. I was in a live chat the other day and people told me I could do some tetras. They said 6 neon tetras would be good, or I could do a dwarf puffer fish. However, I researched the neon tetras and they can grow up to 2 inches, so would a 5 gallon be too small for them? What about black neon tetras? And if I do get these tetras, is 6 a good number, or should I get less? And should I put any other fish in my tank with them, or would that be overstocking? Thanks.
What Can I Get In A 5 Gallon?
- Thread starter Dwu280
- Start date
Snooks1!
Fish Addict
With a 5 gallon tank you are very limited to stocking. Really, the only things suitable for 5 gals would be:
A betta
Shrimp
Dwarf Puffer ( However, you need over the top filtration for them, as they are extremely messy)
You could get away with stocking with a few neon tetras...But really, it's just not worth it. A much easier solution would be to buy a 10gal tank. They cost little to nothing and you will have plenty of other options in stocking choices.
Check out This link for ideas.
A betta
Shrimp
Dwarf Puffer ( However, you need over the top filtration for them, as they are extremely messy)
You could get away with stocking with a few neon tetras...But really, it's just not worth it. A much easier solution would be to buy a 10gal tank. They cost little to nothing and you will have plenty of other options in stocking choices.
Check out This link for ideas.
DarkEntity
Eater Of The Fishies!!!
a bunch of flowers is the best bet 
ok but a lot of other people on this forum said 6 neon tetras would be good, there is someone on this forum who seems like an expert say that he has owned them in a 5 gallon with a betta before and they were fine
also would rasboras work?
keep in mind i am removing the rosy red minnow
also would rasboras work?
keep in mind i am removing the rosy red minnow
three-fingers
Fish Connoisseur
What you've got to remember is that, provided filtration is adequate and you do enough water changes, you could put tonnes of fish in there.
However, these animals are your responsibility regardless of whether you are keeping them for decoration or as a pet, and 6 2" fish swimming around in something as small as a 5gallon aren't going to be very happy. This is the kind of space neon tetras have in the wild, keeping them in a relatively tiny tank just doesn't give them the space to behave naturally. Personally I think nothing under 2' long would be fair.
You could keep tiny shoaling fish like Microrasbora and Boraras species, the always popular celestial pearl danio or even pygmy corydoras (provided the ground area of the tank is a decent size). But most commonly stocked species won't be able to live properly in such a small aquarium.
However, these animals are your responsibility regardless of whether you are keeping them for decoration or as a pet, and 6 2" fish swimming around in something as small as a 5gallon aren't going to be very happy. This is the kind of space neon tetras have in the wild, keeping them in a relatively tiny tank just doesn't give them the space to behave naturally. Personally I think nothing under 2' long would be fair.
You could keep tiny shoaling fish like Microrasbora and Boraras species, the always popular celestial pearl danio or even pygmy corydoras (provided the ground area of the tank is a decent size). But most commonly stocked species won't be able to live properly in such a small aquarium.
@ombomb
Fish Gatherer
pico reef
or cereal
one of the two
or cereal
one of the two
three-fingers
Fish Connoisseur
True, a couple of dwarf crayfish (which is what I hope your talking about) are a possibility too. I personally wouldn't trust them with a fancy veil-tailed betta, though they should be fine.
Though they are probably going to be harder to find than the small fish species, and they are illegal in the UK.
Though they are probably going to be harder to find than the small fish species, and they are illegal in the UK.
three-fingers
Fish Connoisseur
Then your going to be looking for the fish I mentioned, order them off the net or ask your lfs to get them in.
Black neons get about the same size as regular neons, and serpae tetras get bigger than both of those species, plus have fuller bodies and are more active amongst each other. If your into tetras, look up ember tetras.
This site has lot's of small fish, obviously just make sure you actually research a species before you look into acquiring it.
AngelOfDeath
Fish Crazy
black neons grow larger than regular in my experience
but it says black neons only go up to 1.5 inches.
what about bloodfins?
i think my lfs might have some rasboras i can get, are they tropical fish?
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