I have a 5-gal. filltered tank ...and I want something to put in it but I can't decide...I was thinking about guppies?.....but if any one has any ideas of any thing else to go in there just let me know and tell me how many are cofortable in a 5-gallon......please comment I was planning on going tommorow or friday to get them....it's killing me I have been conditioning the tank for 5 days and I can't stand seeing it empty any longer....

anyone............?

I have two 5-gal tanks. In one I just added a betta. I just love him!

I'm still deciding on what to put in the other 5-gal. I think guppies need at minimum of 2 gal for one. They are pretty, but I don't know anything about them. I had tetras before and they are pretty easy to take care of.

Hmmmm, what to get....

Just because a fish is small doesnt mean it should be kept in a small tank. Guppies like other small fish need lots of swimming space so your best bet is a betta.

well I have 4 bettas and they are already in 2 gal. tanks each.....and i have 3 goldfish in a 29gallon....so I wanted something different for my 5-gallon.....is there anything ELSE!!!

what about minnows????

I think minnow's are ugly.......any other suggestions!?

Five gallons are hard to work with. You could put guppys in it, I would say 3-4 but they would all have to be the same sex or they would reproduce (though they would likely eat any fry). I think a dwarf gourami is what you should go with. They are small, around betta-size and function in much the same way bettas do.

OKay....I will ook up some things about the dwarf gourami...and see if i like them......but any other suggestions are welcome.... ....

I didn't really like the dwarf gourami,...my aunt had one and i don't really like them that much....how many gallons does one guppy need?

How long is your tank?
Its not about gallons per fish, its only part of the equation. Swimming area must be taken into consideration as well.
Its just not right to put 4 guppies into a 5 gallon tank when females can grow to 2 inches in length. Putting 4 males in will be a disaster as they will attack each other.
Dwarf gouramis do better in 10 gallon tanks anyway for a pair.

What about a couple of shrimp?

Maybe you can use it more as a plant tank, and maybe with a few shrimp or snail??

Hey, there are some pretty cool looking shrimp! Great suggestion.

http://www.petshrimp.com/shrimpspecies.html

Who suggested a pair of gouramis? I think one would do fine. I also think the guppys would work fine but all well, to eatch their own.

Wel...I do hesitate to recomend a lot of things for a small 5 gallon tank. Is this tank heated? Most options are tropical and need warm and stable temperatures to stay healthy. This is what I recomend:

3 male guppies
OR
3 white cloud minnows
OR
1-2 african dwarf frogs

Like sandtiger said, if you go with guppies, get all of the same sex because you do not have room for them to reproduce. Females can carry sperm for a long time or might even be pregnant when you buy them, so males are a safer choice. Make sure you know how to sex them yourself and don't count on the petstore employee to do that for you correctly. They will do much better at a stable temp between 75-80*F acheived with a heater.

What kind of minnows do you think of when you say they are ugly? White cloud minnows aren't what you use to fish and are very beautiful. I'm jealous that I don't have room in my own tropical tank for some, especially the gold long-finned strain. Here's a photo: http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/...whitecloud1.jpg They can withstand cooler temps in the lower 70s, but if the water temp doens't stay stable in the winter you should get a 25W heater and keep it on a low setting

African Dwarf Frogs stay under 2 inches and can be pretty interesting pets. They will do much better at a stable temp between 75-80*F acheived with a heater. ACFs are often confused with African CLAWED Frogs, which get much bigger. Make sure you know how to distinguish the two before you go to the store because they are often mislabled at the store, and can actually be illegal, but sold, in some states. ADFs absorb chemicals and ammonia etc in through their skin so it is important to keep their tank clean. They are fully aquatic and have no use for land, just make sure the surface isn't blocked because they need to swim up there for a breath. ADF diet usually consists of live or frozen bloodworms and pelleted frog food can actually be dangerous in their bodies if you feed them too much. Most frogs don't like that crap anyways

Whatever fish or amphibian you decide to get, make sure you cycle your filter first. Letting it run for a few days does not count, and you should do a fishless cycle before buying inhabitants. I'm assuming your 29 gallon goldfish tank is completely cycled and healthy, so when you buy your new additions and are slowly acclimating them to the new pH, grab some media or cut a little of the cartridge in the filter and plop it in the new filter. This will jump-start the cycle and make it much easier on them and you. Make sure you don't leave the media in clean water for more than a couple hours because the beneficial bacteria that supports the cycle will die without a source of ammonia. Don't let it dry out either

I hope that helps!

Well I haven't decided yet...but here are some pictures of the tank..but I am growning a potted plant in a quarintine tank for my 5-gallon......but here are the pictures....it is a very open tank with lots of swimming room......

Nice tank. I still vote white clouds..their colors would totally compliment your aquascaping.

I have narrowed it down to 2 guppy or 2 white cloud minnows....but around were I live the only fish places we have are nooppee and petsmart....and neither sell the white cloud minnows......what should I do..??

~EDIT~
I just found some info on the white cloud minnows...and it says ..well here it is
Quick Stats

Minimum Tank Size: 10 gallon
Care Level: Easy
Tank Conditions: 64-72°F; pH 6.5-7.5; KH 10-15
Max. Size In Aquarium: Up to 2"
Color Form: Gold, Yellow
Temperament: Peaceful
Diet: Omnivore
Compatibility: View Chart
Origin: Farm Raised, Singapore
Family: Cyprinidae


I can't find anything on tank size for guppys

I thought of another aquatic animal: snail. Mystery snails have a minimum of 2.5 gallons each and the large cannas (very cool!) have a minnimum of 5. You can actually take the snails out to play if you want to. They do have some special requirements, like a high pH and gH, and a varied diet of fresh calcium rich foods. They are fun none the less, and neither of these snails will reproduce on their own.

Are you sure your petsmart doesn't carry them? The one near me does, so if you'd rather have the wc minnows, why don't you call and ask them to order some? They are fairly common fish, so have a look at other petstores, chain or small business. I used to think that there weren't any privately owned fish stores near me, but now I found two rather good ones that carry a lot of rare fish.

Minimum tank requirements will be different for every website because they are based on opinion of size, mass, waste production, energy, aggressiveness, and whether they need to school or not. Guppies and WC minnows are very similar in all of those aspects. They are small, don't produce much waste, high energy, and peaceful. The advantage these two fish have over similar fish like small barbs or tetras is that they do not need to school. They'd definately appreciate friends of their own kind, but they feel comfortable in 2's and 3's unlike many other fish. The only thing you have working against you is the activity level. Both are fairly active fish so many think that they deserve to have a larger tank to zoom around in. This choice is up to you. ADFs are pretty low energy so they do not need a larger space to swim around in as long as you can keep the tank clean, but the major concern is feeding if you don't want to buy live or frozen food. I do not know if they'd take freeze dried or not. I think those are the three best choices besides a betta or apple snail for your size tank, so the choice is yours.

I really have my heart set on the guppies but I don't want them to suffer if my tank is to small...so do you think my tank can hadle 2 guppies????........I like the idea of a snail but I like to watch my fish (I know wierd ) but I don't know if I would enjoy watching the snail...but I will go look at petsmart...and see if any catch my eye...but could you still answer my ? about the guppys....I saw some black tuxedo guppys at nooppee that I fell in love will...so if you think I could handle the guppies how many could I get (all males of course)......thanks for all your help Kissy....!

If u dont already have 1 you could make it a quarantine tank....... The only things that i think would be happy in there would be the african dwarf frog or a betta..........but as kissy said its your choice........

The other thing to consider with guppies is they prefer to school, preferrably a minimum of 6, so only getting 2 wouldn't be the most natural lifestyle for them. Also 2 males almost surely will fight.

Your tank has a light, does it have a heater? Unless you have a heater than all tropicals are really out of the question.

Hang on...................... are you sure that's a 5 gallon tank? it's identical to my 2.5 gallon minibow.

IM positive its a 5 gallon...and I just put a heater in yesterday....I have decided to get 3 guppys tonight ..and within the next couple of days move them into an old 10 gallon......I just put it up today and I will let it cycle a few days before moving them.....ta ta ...off to nooppee!!!

What kind of cycle are you doing? Fishless? That takes weeks.

You cant cycle a tank unless you have a source of ammonia or you take some media from an established set up and add it to the new media, but again you will need a source of ammonia to keep everything ticking over.
You can get bacteria in a bottle but that is hit and miss as to whether or not it actually works.
If you have an established filter thats ready to move over then that will work as well, as will having a cycled filter sitting next to a new one.

Hope that made sense as its really late/early here

I have those same tanks for Bettas-half of them are 5gallon,the rest are 2 and a half gallons.

well.....my cycle was fishless...but I had bought a new filter last week and about 3 or 4 days ago I put it in the fishless tank to let the water cycle through it.....and I had added 2 silk plant from my goldie tank last night.....

I dont think the silk plants will do much.

So you used an old filter to cycle the new one without adding any fish?
You have to keep a supply of ammonia going through the tank or the bacteria that feed on ammonia will die off.
I think your tank will need cycling again.

OKay....well I bought my guppies last night and I put them in with my sisters 4 guppies .....she has a 20 gallon...with only 4 guppies, and I think like 3 neons....she is just starting into the fish thing...she had a female betta but she gave her to me.....so last night I bought 4 guppies....They are so cute!!!!....and they will be staying down the hall with my sister until my tank is cycled...!! Here are some pictures of them...I got 2 black tailed ones and I got 1 orannge tail and one orange tail with spots...!!

i think u should just buy a 10 gallon and use the 5 gallon to house sick or breed them.

yea...I bought a 10 gallon .....well I had it in storage...but I set it up about 4 days ago and Im letting it cycle....so I guess the 5 gallon will be a breeding tank!

BEFORE you breed youll have to find a place that will take em. We had a member on here a couple of months ago who just bred his guppies and had nowhere to put them.

As you didnt listen to what I said maybe you will listen to this. You seem to have 1 female and 3 males. At this ratio your female will be killed in a short time by the males trying to continuously breed with her. If your sister has males and females then see if you can swap one of her males for the female.

Or at least get two or three more females

listen to sandy aimless she has good info

Sandy is right, if you're gonig to get members of both sexes make sure you have more females than males. A ratio of 2-3 females for a single male is good.

well I have 2 females and 2 males....I have one orange girl and one black girl and the other are males....and my sister has 2 males and 3 females......is that bad????

It's not the best mix but it's not too bad. A better way to go would have been 3 females and 1 male but you've got the fish now so see how you go.

For the good of the fish, I would not mix the sexes. See if you can convince your sister to keep all the girls or all the boys. You'll most likely end up with harrassment and lots of babies in too small of a tank if you don't.

Ive lost count of the number of people who want to breed but dont have adequate tank space to grow them on.

Yep, I found that out the hard way. At first I had a 5 gallon hex tank with 2 females and 1 male. One of the females died, but the second one has already had 2 groups of fry. About a week ago I had to get a larger tank to house my new guppy family. They seem to really enjoy the extra swimming room.

Now that's a good idea.

Okay...well my sister is going to keep the girls and I will keep the boys they all get along fine..so I don't think that will be a problem....will it?

Your guppies should be fine, but one of them will probably be a little stressed due to dominance issues. You could probably squeeze in a third male guppy, but any more is definitely pushing it. I have 2 male guppies in my 6 gallon planted tank, the larger one postures with his dorsal fin rased and swims in a shaking motion to assert his dominance over the smaller guppy. Posturing doesn’t usually go on for very long its usually under a minute, and neither fish is ever harmed. My guppies don’t posture very often most of the time they get along and seem rather content, especially when they graze on algae.

Lol, I'm glad I'm not the only one to recognize that as dominance. My black neons do that. I know its partially my fault because I've only got 5, but no one is stressed of hurt. Do your guppies tilt too? The more dominant tetra will tilt its dorsal toward the other, and that one will tilt its dorsal away. So the two fish end up tilted but parallel to eachother. I swear, with this and my tail biting betta, I'm going to end up a fish behavioralist It is pretty interesting though...Can you imagine a job like that? Watching fish interact with eachother all day lol.