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I know I've asked a similar question like this before, but I have a 5g and I need to know how many fish I can put in there.

I like: tetras, guppies, mollies, and barbs....

I know it's hard for schooling fish. Which brings me to another question, how many fish are in a "school" haha.

Also, I'm always afraid neons will get eaten...will any of the fish above eat the little guys?

thanks!

Here is a list that kitten is compiling for small tanks. Check it out. It suggests a wide variety of fish or combinations for small tanks.

[link=http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/forums/General%20Freshwater/55574.html?200503090056]http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/forums/General%20Freshwater/55574.html?200503090056" style="COLOR: #009999[/link]

I hope it helps.

I have only a small tank myself, and I know the frustration of wanting bigger fish or schooling fish.

But really, for the neons best interest, you can't fit a school in there. Barbs and Mollies probably wouldn't do too well, either.

Your best bet is with Guppies. If you have a spare tank, feel free to mix sexes. (You'll want a 1:3 ratio of male to female, or 1:2 if you feel like four fish is pushing the bioload) Otherwise, stock all females or all males. Beware, however, as many female Guppies come home from the store already pregnant. If your tank is heavily planted, you may end up with more fish than you wanted.

Good luck

alittle small but some livebearers. if u have more tanks that u can use for later then u can mix the sex of them. good luck. p.s ottos are good as well

If the tank is planted, you could put a pair or maybe even a trio of cherry barbs in there.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

I love the idea of a trio of guppies in a small moderately planted tank. And in a tank that size making it "moderately" planted is very cheap and easy. One male and two females would be gorgeous in there. You could probably fit some shrimp as a mini clean up crew since they aren't hard on the bioload.

Only thing with guppies in small tanks: they can quickly overpopulate it. If the parents aren't eating the fry you'll need to find homes for them not long after they are born.

I love the idea of guppies myself, but even 3 is too much of a bioload for a five gallon, going by the rule of thumb 1 inch of fish/1 gallon of water, as your typical guppy will get to be about 2 inches. Also even if you don't buy a male and figure oh well, she'll only have 1 batch of fry and then it'll be over...I hate to remind that females once impregnated can have as many as 9 batches of fry without another male in sight, and by the fourth or fifth batch, her "sons" will be plenty old enough to become the males of the tank.

If it were me, I'd go with a nice male betta, or 2 female bettas...this way you are guaranteed not to have fry, and I know my betta really has tons of personality...Plant and decorate the tank, and enjoy...

Just my thoughts, Heidi

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

Mollies get too big for a 5g tank.
Barbs get too big for a 5g tank except Cherry Barbs.
Guppies you could do- I would suggest maybe just doing 3 Male Guppies, or 3 Females. If you mix genders you will end up with hundreds of guppies in a month or two. Not good for a small tank.
Another idea, why not do a pair of Cherry Barbs, and a Single Male Guppy you really like? You could then add a couple of Amano Shrimp, or a single Wood Shrimp for clean up, or maybe an apple snail.
The rule of 1 inch per gallon is outdated really, and you should consider many more things than inches.
Will the tank be planted or filtered? What type of filter?
Sand or gravel substrate?
Cycled or Uncycled?
Neons really need more space than a 5g can offer, and a school for them should really be 6 or more, but 12 or more being preferable.
Another option is Pencilfish! These great little guys are small, and you could probably do 4 or maybe even 6 of them if you did weekly water changes on it.
I know there is also a tiny Rasbora that could fit in a small school in there too...but I cant remember the name of it.
A pair of Sparkling Gouramis (1m/1f) would work as well.
I hope this helps and gives you some more options!



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I would not suggest 1 male guppy, as from my experience with them that is cruel. I had 2 and you would not believe the increase of activity when i added 2 more. I had 1 at one point and when i added 2 more thye started chasing each otehr up and down the side of teh take all day.

Male guppies it is! Thanks so much for all the help! It's appriciated!

Good Luck with them as they are disease e.