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I am cycling a 5 gallon and would like to put a small school of White Cloud Mountain Minnows and a snail in it it. What would be a good number for it? Would 4-6 be overstocking?

WCMMs are very active fish. I personally wouldn't keep them in anything less than a 10 gallon, and I would still do it with a cringing face -- a 20 gallon or larger is a lot more appropriate. A 5 gallon is simply too small for most types of schoolers or shoalers. If you're looking for something that stays small enough and is still pretty, may I recommend a pair of Cherry Barbs?

A 5 gallon would be perfect for a small school (of 5 or 6) helequin rasboras and a couple ghost shrimp... and a snail or two if you want (stick to a Mystery/apple snail as other snails reproduce like mad!)

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

A trio of male guppies would look nice, you could even add in a few ghost shrimp or snails, this would not be overstocked at all. And err... brandeeno, harlies arent to great for a 5g...

Cherry barbs are every bit as active as white clouds...if you won't keep white clouds in a 5, why cherry barbs? I found both school about equally (much less active schoolers than most tetras).

Do you already have the 5 gallon tank? Most 10 gallon set ups are cheap and I'd keep white clouds in a 10 gallon tank any day...same with cherry barbs.

For your 5, harlequin rasboras would be my choice as well.

Eric

i would advise on adding some cherry shrimp and some harlequins in a well planted ienviroment... would be a really cool enviroment...!~

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

I would really suggest just adding a Betta and maybe some shrimp, although he might eat them. Maybe try some African Dwarf Frogs, they are really interesting. A trio of male Guppies might work, but I think the tank is a little too small for that. It's too small for any schooling fish really.

Thanks for the input. I already have the 5 gal, but no fish in it. My 10 gal has a small group of swordtails, one male two females. I might go with the Harlequin Rasbora, but I will need to look, because I don't know if my LFS carries them, sometimes I'm lucky to find goldfish

If you're able to find them, I think ember tetras (Hyphessobrycon amandae) or celestial pearl danios AKA galaxy rasboras (Celestichthys margaritatus) would be a good choice for a 5 gallon tank, especially if you are planning on planting the tank

Both species stay tiny (2-3 cms) and although they may look dull in the stores, once home in a nice envrionment they colour up nicely.

G_T

Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.

Cherry barbs are every bit as active as white clouds...if you won't keep white clouds in a 5, why cherry barbs?

I have to disagree. Everywhere I've seen them, cherry barbs were quite timid and really didn't associate with each other, even in large tanks. I've found that if kept in an appropriately sized thank (mine were in a 38 gallon for ~4 years), WCMMs were more active than any tetra I've seen. Not quite as frenetic as the average danio, mind you, but still enough that I would not recommend them for a 5.

I found both school about equally (much less active schoolers than most tetras)

My point wasn't about whether cyprinids schooled closer than tetras or vice versa, it was about trying to keep a full school of fish in a tank that size. Frankly, I don't think it should be done at all, not even with something the size of Microrasbora kubotai. Just my opinion.

I know that it isn't a cyprinid but, if I decided to put a male Betta in it would their be any inverts that would be safe in such a small setup? If this is getting off topic then just let me know.

Actually Joe, in my experiences with Cherry Barbs, I found them to be decent schoalers. They weren't zipping around the tank in sync or anything, but they did prefer to hang out in a group, especially when it came to feeding time.

Desertfish, an Apple Snail would work in that setup, and unlike other snails they can't breed without a male and female. Some Ghost Shrimp would work, but some Bettas will eat them, it depends on the fish. But you could try it. Don't think it's an invert, but African Dwarf Frogs (1 or 2) would work in that tank.

if you want more fish than just one, although it is a little cramped... you could add three female bettas... and then a couple dwarf frogs or an apple snail... i personally love apple snails as they are extremely active but they get rather large... they have been reported to get larger than the size of a standard soda can in diameter... although they can take years to achieve such a size it still needs to be kept into consideration!

it is all up to your personal preference. i would get a few Malasian trumpet snails (usually seen on the glass in an LFS and they will just give them away) and an apple snail... or if you want you could get soome other types of snails and just do population control...

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

Truestar - my cherry barbs are like yours - fairly active and hang together as much as white clouds I've kept in the past. I wouldn't have felt they were this active for the first month or so...but once they settle in they are active, the females tend to school with at least one male a goodly amount of the time.

Eric