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would a male betta,one cherry barb, and a south american bumblebee catfish(bottom feeder, 2.3" maximum size) do ok in a 5 gallon long? the bumblecat stays small and only roams at night when my beta will be asleep, is peacefull and hides most of the time.

Last edited by Reun at 05-Jan-2006 17:54

With the limits, but yes, you can have them in a 5 gal. tank.


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Personally I say no. Not without risking the lives of all three. 10 gallons are known for crashing, 5 gallons are even worse.

If you need to stock them all together for now it'll be okay but you must must, MUST make sure you do weekly if not twice weekly water changes. Do NOT overfeed and make sure you do a good substrate vac during water changes. Just the slightest miss in maintence is likely to cause that tank to come crashing down.
Not something I'd want to risk, but your fish your choice. Please see about getting a larger tank for the barb and bumblebee.

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I'd go against it. If you want 3 fish, 3 cherry barbs or 3 female bettas would work better thank 3 unrelated fish. I still think bb cats are too big.

I also would say a big nono you have no room for any error at all. One M Betta yes and then keep the it well maintained.

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ok, so, i wont add the cherry barb. the 5 gallon will house my bumblebee catfish and the beta. a SOUTH AMERICAN bumblebee catfish is too large? granted at night her is pretty active, but the tank i am getting is custom, slightly larger than a 5 gallon, and is 17w x10d x12h...he is 2.3", and wont grow any larger, he is the size of a kuli loach

well, i will just add him there cause he feels threatened in my large tank because of all the activity...i think he will be fine, and him andf the beta should get along well...

2.3" is much too big for a 5 gallon. That's even a little big for a ten gallon.

based on the dimensions that you provided I calculated that you would have approximately 8.8 gallons (US) of capacity which is much better than the 5 gallons you stated, but still very limited. You should be okay with the last 2 fish you mentioned, but only if you meticulously maintain the tank with frequent water changes (a minimum of 1 per week).

Jim

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Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain

better than the 2 water changes a week on the two gallon the beta is in now, its HARD to keep ph balanced and nitrates low in that sucker, but i have kept him alive for a couple weeks there, so the 7 gallon should be a bit easier. all my water changes on my 29 gallon and other tanks are done with a gravel vac. i am meticulous with water changes, i tend to overfeed a bit now on the 29 gallon, mostly because i have to make sure the bumblecat gets some food.

p.s. 2" is too big for a 10 gallon? it is shaped like a kuli loach....he is long, but he is super skinny....i dunno, he neevr had a problem in my 10 gallon, and at least if i put him in the 7 gallon i am getting he will at least start prowling the tank again. i am up all hours of the night, and i NEVER see him out anymore since i added the angelfish to the 29. he just darts out,grabs food and darts back to his cave. at least in a 7 he will be by himself, the beta will be sleeping on the surface on a plant and he will have the whole tank to himself. he might even start coming out in the day again like he used to...


p.s.p.s. i know how hard it is to keep small tanks maintained. when i first started fishkeeping a couple years ago no one told me and i learned the hard way on my ten. i slowly learned how to balance ph and nitrates and properly cycle a tank. i clean,vacuum,and change the water in the tanks 1-2 times a week, and have lots of live,frozen,and flakes foods i feed them. im not some idiot who will forget about his fish in a 5 gallon and leave them till their waste builds up and they die from ammonia....