I am soon to get a 30 gallon tank for my two little goldies and then I will be left with a 5 gallon. I don't want it to be a dustcollector in my attic, and I got this book from the library about fish. It showed some pretty tropicals, so I was wondering, what will fit in a 5 gallon. This scene might work, but only with my parent okay, so I am going to be begging for a while!
What I would like to get: between 2 & 4 guppies
about 2 sunset platies
and a leopard corydorus catfish
I know nothing about tropical fish, (the book only had good pics) So I need your help guys!

I know i'm the minority when it comes to putting fish in to small tanks but really its only big enough for a betta and a couple of cory.

I kind of agree with Sandy about this myself.I will be honest and say that right now I have a 5 gal. Octogon tank in my bathroom with 4 Kuhli Loaches in it.That does well
I also use to keep cherry shrimp in a 5 gal. that had alot of real plants,and that worked.
Cories need to be in at least groups of three,if you decide to go there.
Betta's are really perfect for that size tank.And you talk about color,wow-they have some great color varieties that they come in.

Couldn't I fit some guppies in there. If a betta can fit I would think guppies could. Give me some tips. I need to know some facts about how many gallons the fish I described need. Thanks in advance.

Normally it is recommended an inch of fish per gallonWith guppies in a small tank like this,you can not buy male and female as they will breed,and this is not the tank size to be doing that with.If you really feel the need to have guppies,then you could maybe purchase three females.They are not as colorful as the males,but they do still contain some color.Purchasing all males may or may not work-as sometimes they tend to pick on each other.This of course is only my opinion.I raised guppies for a lot of years and know how they can get out of hand.
Here is one link that you can go to.I'm sure that if you google guppy care,you'll be able to find more.Alot of it talks about breeding though and as I said,your tank is too small for that.

http://www.guppies.com/FAQ.html

You really have to be careful about stocking a 5 gallon since its so small. Here are the fish I would put in it. Not all, but only one type.

1 betta
1-2 African Dwarf Frogs
5 ghost shrimp with plants
1-2 apple snails (depends on the species)

Thanks for the tips! Frogs sound cool, but my parents wouldn't let me have them. What about those sharks. I can't remember what they are called.

What about mollies? How many gallons do you need for them?

Sharks and Mollies get too big.

Remember Mariah, it's not just the gallons, but the swimming room you gotta think of. Bettas, shrimp, and snails and stuff like that work because they don't need the open area that plattys and guppys would prefer to have.

That being said, my brother has a 5 gallon eclipse that against my advice he stocked w/ three male guppies. It's not ideal, but they seem to get on really well (once I showed him how to do water changes... )

Personally I'd skip on the platys and lone cory. I bet your goldies will love their new home though! Let us know what ya end up deciding.