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Ive been wanting to compile a list of small tank appropriate fish for a while now....but im lazy

(For 5 Gals)

killifish
guppies
endlers
1 male betta
female bettas
ADF
Paradise fish (Better off in a 10)
Cherry Barbs
Dwarf puffer

Last edited by katieb at 28-Feb-2005 11:49

I'll do graffiti,
If you sing to me in French.

Hehe... thanks! I'll send it to the email in your profile.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

Kill two birds with one stone Kitten. Send it to me, get grammas and fish facts checked

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

sneaky_pete - First of all, love your avatar. As for the platties... I agree... too much body mass and activity for such a small tank.

Good point on quarantine. I never even really thought about mentioning it in this article. Dunno if it's really necessary, as I'm more talking about appropriate fish than about setting up the tank, but I'll take that into consideration.

LittleMousling - See, I knew this is why I hung around here... y'all know so much more than I do. I'll change that point and insert the info you've provided. You learn something new everyday.

Calilasseia - Yeah, noticed after posting it that there were some oopses in there. I'd appreciate the help if you can spare it, if not, I know some other people who have free time. Of course, they wouldn't understand a word about the fish talk, but they'd get the grammar corrected for me.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

Kitten, if you want a proofreading before you submit it, you could always E-Mail me a copy.

If you're doing it in a word processor, send it in Rich Text Format (.rtf). I'l have a read & get back to you afterwards. Might take a few days' turnaround though, because my Entomology Society is hosting its Annual Exhibition on Saturday and I'm supposed to be doing a presentation (sheesh) ...

Last edited by Calilasseia at 02-Mar-2005 14:18

Last edited by Calilasseia at 02-Mar-2005 14:18

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Just one thing - N. brevis are pair fish and don't live in a colonies. A 10 will allow space for fry until the parents cease to tolerate them, but no tank of any size will allow for a colony of this species - just multiple pairs and fry.

-Molly
Visit shelldwellers.com!

Hi Kitten, your article looks very good so far...I am super glad to see you didnt list Platys as a good fish for 5-10g tanks or smaller. I know lots of people recommend platys, but I know in my experience that those little tiny cute fish get very large in comparison to guppys and therefore need a 20g min.

One thing I think you should mention before you mention stocking limits however, is the super important step of Quarantine. I cannot stress how important quarantining fish are before adding them to your tank. I lost all my guppies because I didnt quarantine a new pair, over 100 young fish and some adults. Espescially in tanks under 30g, where a disease or infection can spread rapidly, the importance of quarantining new fish cannot be overstated. Even if it is in a sandwich container floated in your tank with an airstone, its better than no quarantine. A little effort and a little patience will save you, and your fish a world of grief.
Just a thought to add that. Well done so far though!


Come Play Yahtzee With Me!
http://games.atari.com
Http://www.myleague.com/yahtgames

*boggles* Five gallons aren't that big... my parents said "no more tanks"... and that was before the five and the twelve. Luckily, Mum has sympathy for Baby, the barb I rescued as a fry, and I argued that he needed a bigger tank.

Cool... you write up that ADF article and I'll just link to it.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

djtj-

I've done alot of reaserch about small tanks, because, due to space, money, and other reason's, that's all I can afford at the moment. I know what you mean... my dad wouldn't let me have anything bigger than a 20 gallon, so I've got a twenty, a twelve, a ten, a five and four twos! And he was worried about a 29 gallon winding up in the basement. Funny thing is, I have the 20 and 10 on the same stand.

If I paid money for a 5 gallon tank, I want something different. Isn't it amazing how much more expensive - comparatively speaking - smaller tanks are? Yeesh!

Speaking of which, how many gobies could I put in a 5-gallon tank. Do I need brackish water for them? Are there any other fish I can put with them? I haven't kept gobies, but the idea is intriguing, isn't it? I would guess maybe three or four if you're going to add tankmates? Not really sure. I'd like to feasibly get number ranges for ALL the fish I've mentioned before actually trying to make this an official article. There was a question in one of the recent small tank threads about putting together dwarf puffers and gobies... dunno how well that would work. I haven't kept either, unfortunately, though if that turns out to be a viable combination, I'm all over it. And the bumblebee gobies can be either fresh or brackish... pretty much depends on how they're kept in the store where you get them.

ADF's... All your comments on ADFs are good points. I wish I knew how to put it all in the article without it seeming like it's an ADF article. My sister kept them, but I never have... they were a blast to watch, though. I still love that Zen thing they do.

Also, on shelldwellers, neo. multi is a good shelldweller for a 5 gallon tank. A pair might even breed. Again, never kept them, so I'm going on what people with experience tell me. LittleMousling said n. brevis, so that's what I put.

Other than that very nice job! T'anks! It was fun to write... kind of reminded me of school again, though. At least it was my choice this time. I'll wait and hope others comment too, then do a revisal and try to bring in all your points as well as any other comments that are made.

misty -

I'm glad... I've accomplished my goal if I made it easier to find all the information that was scattered throughout numerous threads. I hope you wind up with a fun little tank all your own that you will enjoy... and if this article helped at all, I've done what I set out to do!

Last edited by Kitten at 01-Mar-2005 18:47

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

Just wanted to leave a quick note to say well done!!!! I found your article very informative and well organized

I've been playing with the idea of putting a tank in my office, but space is very limited and the tank will have to be small. I wasn't at all sure what to put in it, so I've been reading over all of the small tank threads here at FP. Your article really does do a great job of putting all of that information in one place. Thanks!!

Great idea, your right about all of the small tank threads. There certainly are alot of them (some of which didn't make me look too good...). I've done alot of reaserch about small tanks, because, due to space, money, and other reason's, that's all I can afford at the moment. I'm impressed by the list. I didn't know many of those fish could go in small tanks. And I agree completely with the betta statement. If I want to get a betta, they make 1 - 2 gallon tanks which I can buy. If I paid money for a 5 gallon tank, I want something different.

Speaking of which, how many gobies could I put in a 5-gallon tank. Do I need brackish water for them? Are there any other fish I can put with them?

I want to add something too. ADF's are very small and are not that active. I would say that, if you wanted to have a 2.5 gallon with only ADf's, you could have at least 3 or 4. According to some of the best ADF websites, the frogs only need a tank of 1/2 a gallon. They are very similar to bettas, and the only reason you don't see them in bowls at the fish store is that they can climb out.

When you keeping an ADF, be sure to keep plenty of companions. ADF's should not be kept alone for the same reasons why a guppy or a tetra shouldn't. Although they don't school, ADF's like company of their own kind and, during the spring, they may even sing to each other! Also, you should not keep ADFs in pairs. They are very "friendly" and the females get stressed out easily. They need time to rest. Therefore, you should keep the frogs in groups of 1 male to at least 2 females.

I, myself, kept 3 ADFs and a betta in a 2.5 gallon tank for more than 2 years with no issues. In fact, they might have lasted longer, if not for some mechanical problems. Since they are so social, once one frog died, the other two frogs went soon after. Unfortunately, they didn't sell them in my area, so there was not much I could do.

Also, on shelldwellers, neo. multi is a good shelldweller for a 5 gallon tank. A pair might even breed. Other than that very nice job!

Yeah... I know that the wild types will need more attention. I'll be putting them in the same category as the puffers and gobies... fish that need more diligent care and wouldn't be for the novice.

Never said this was for the newbie... some threads I've seen recently have been from fishkeepers who just happen to have small tanks lying around. I thought this could help for both new and experienced alike.

I plan to expand much more on the topic than making a simple list... which is why I'm asking for opinions here. I haven't KEPT most of these fish, so I'll be doing a lot of research. :%)

Once we all get settled in this list, I'll probably be asking for experience about some of these fish from people who've kept them. :88)

Edit: Right... seems I forgot about the ever-popular one gallon. While I am of the mind that even bettas would prefer more space, I suppose I should at least mention them.

1 Gallon
*1 Male Betta
*1 Female Betta
*Shrimp
*Snails (good for raising snails for puffers, etc)
*Live foods (brine shrimp, etc)

Uh... that's about all I can think of. I found a site ages ago that supplied a list of creatures that could live in those uber-tiny supposedly-betta-appropriate containers. Like... ghost shrimp and tiny lil things. Trying to find it again. If I find it, I'll post it.

Last edited by Kitten at 28-Feb-2005 16:32

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

wild bettas r great fish but require so much specail care n attention that i woodnt reccoomend them to beginners in the trade/hobby as it may b depressing to loose ur first fish as many ppl tend to start with small tanks
all of the above seem fine to me altho i dont like keeping 3 male guppies in a 5 but it can work
glad to see someone starting a list

A pair of N. brevis works VERY well in anything from 5 gal up although as with any fish more is better. The other species (EDIT: of shellie, that is) I wouldn't suggest for anything under ten gals.

EDITed so as not to give the impression your whole list is inappropriate for small tanks!

Last edited by LittleMousling at 28-Feb-2005 13:05

-Molly
Visit shelldwellers.com!

No, I'm not asking because I'm setting up a tank, but I figured since we're getting SO many questions on stocking for small tanks (2.5 and 5 gallon, in particular), I'd attempt to write up an article so we can all just *point* people to it. Soooo much easier than everyone giving conflicting opinions and arguing over it.

I'm going to see if I can gather information from the recent bevy of questions, but I wanted to get information from all of you lovely, brilliant people, too. I can post what I come up with and have y'all tear it apart and critique it and whatnot, too.

Just hoping to make things a wee bit easier for those of us who can't afford (money or space-wise) to set up huge tanks.

If you submit an idea, could you let me know what tank size you'd recommend? I'm basically hitting the five gallon, but anything under 10 gallons would work.

Last edited by Kitten at 01-Mar-2005 15:09

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

"I know what you mean... my dad wouldn't let me have anything bigger than a 20 gallon"
My mom took away my 5 gallon because it was too big... ]

"All your comments on ADFs are good points."
Thank you. I don't get complimented that much.
You just might have inspired me to do an article of my own...

"... they were a blast to watch, though. I still love that Zen thing they do."
I agree, they are very entertaining. If I had to pick my favorite fishtank animal, it would be them.

"Again, never kept them, so I'm going on what people with experience tell me. LittleMousling said n. brevis, so that's what I put."
I've never kept them either, but I read this article that Mez had posted a long time ago and that's where I got my info. But, littlemousling knows much more than me when it comes to that.

I'm glad that i could have helped out, sometimes I do more trouble than good... I hope all works out for you.

Now how did you find out about that rainbowfish site? Good though isnt it, one of my faves.

Personally I tend to think all rainbows are better in 10 gal plus, up to 30 -65 gals for the big ones. Its a water quality and swimming thing- theyre all really fast fish.

I'm dragging this thread back up to the top, it's good and a bunch of questions lately on small tank stocking

Noone's mentioning super nanos though

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

Great list of options of what can go in smaller tanksgoodness knows you would know the best way to keep the most in the leastand especially how to hide the tanks from prominent view of the door way Just wanted to bump this up to an easier finding...hml

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

Hmm... that's interesting! I've never kept dwarf puffers (though I want to!), so I was just going by what I've read. I dunno... suppose I should correct that bit, then, hmm? Intriguing...

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~