In the future I would like to get some more fish for my little tank. It is a Splish & Splash medium-sized tank (it may be about 5 gallons, but I don't know for sure). I know most goldies won't fit in there, so I'm wondering about other fish.

Someone suggested to me White Clouds or Danios, but I've been reading that they probably both will need a 10 gallon tank, min, since they both generally live in groups of 6 or more etc. Plus, they may need a heater which I can't afford, and I know they like a high water flow, and my filter is fairly calm. One of them (or both, I'm mixing up articles, lol) need lots and lots of plants, especially for a small tank. I'm not sure if I'd like to spend money on plants every other week, ya know? Fake is good for me, but probably not for them.

So... yeah, I don't know! Yesterday when I went to the pet shop for supplies, I saw Siamese Fighting Fish, Feeder Fish? (maybe they have a proper name, but I don't know, I'm an amateur) and some other littlies that might fit into my tank? But I obviously don't know for sure. So yeah, I'd like some suggestions for what kind of fish I should get that can live in my tank, in the future.

I am guessing, though, that my tank is too small for almost anything if I want to give whatever fish I get a happy, natural environment (), but I'd like to try and not rule out everything. Fish are awesome.

Thanks.

About the only thing I would put in a five gallon tank is a betta, which I think you saw advertised as the Siamese Fighting Fish. It's probably a no on the danios or white clouds, they like to be kept in schools, and that tank would not be able to accomodate a proper school. The problem with tropical freshwater is that most of them are schooling fish, which would not be best for that tank. You could try one or two small, non-schooling fish if you can find one, otherwise go with the betta. Also, if the feeder fish you saw were feeder goldfish, that is definately a no because single-tailed goldfish require twenty gallons of water per goldfish. Hope this helped, good luck finding a match!

Hi there, and welcome to the fishy world!

Sounds like you're on the right track--a siamese fighting fish or betta, as they are also called, would be a perfect choice for your little tank. Since they're tropical they don't like being too cold so around 72F is probably the lowest temp. You shouldn't need a heater unless your house gets really cold in the winter.

The male bettas need to be kept alone or they will fight with other males and females. If you want just female bettas you could put 2 in there together but they may pick at each other so just one girl would probably be best as well. They like at least one silk plant made for aquariums to rest on and hide under. They don't really need gravel so some people go bare bottom tank and others like to add glass marbles for decoration. The bettas will require a tank cleaning every week to remove waste and have fresh, dechlorinated water added. In my 5 gal aquarium I use a siphon to vacuum the bottom to about 1/2 full then add the fresh water.

Both betta males and females have lots of personality and make great little pets.

I also give the thumbs up for a betta (siamese fighting fish) in that tank. Would make a very nice home for one.
Personally I would have a heater. My betta becomes noticeably less active if the temp drops below around 76 F. This may depend on your local climate though. If you can't afford a heater right now you might be able to wait til winter.
Bettas don't like a strong current in the tank, so you filter may be quite suitable. It is also possible to keep a betta in an unfiltered tank too, but it's generally adviced to do 100% water changes once a week if you do that.
You may want to have a look in the betta section on the forum for more info. In my experience they are lovely fish and relatively low maintenance.

hey hun,

siamese fighters are also called bettas, that's their real name. These fish are tropical fish, and where you live, you'd need a heater in winter (it'll cost about $25 for one, you'll need a 25watt one for a tank of your size), the temperatures drop too low for these fish to survive, you'll see them being sold as a cold water fish in pet shops during summer and then as soon as autumn hits unknowing owners are confused why their otherwise healthy fish just turned up it's tail and died, you'll often find that pet shop clerks are adamant that siamese fighters are cold water fish, DO NOT believe them, they are misinformed....

Danios and white clouds are not true tropical fish, what I have read is that White Cloud Mountain minnows are found in mountain springs in near zero water temperatures. so who ever said they need a heater are mistaken. I have always kept basic zebra and leopard danios in room temperature water, although there are some more fancier breeds of danios that may survive better in heated water, you can just avoid these.

I think it'd be fine for you to have a little school of 4-5 in your tank, water quality wouldn't be an issue for that amount. Because your tank doesn't have a light I'd suggest to avoid real plants, although a bunch of java moss would be good for your white clouds (i'm saying this as I know you wiki'ed white clouds yesterday, and also they are not as fast as danios so they don't need such a large area) to swim, in hide in, play in and it's a robust plant that can survive low levels of light.

From my memory (I used to sell Splish and splash set ups back when I worked in an aquarium) the HOB filter has adequate current to keep white-clouds/danios happy, and could be a little too turbulent for a siamese fighter.. just my opinion.

Thanks everyone, you've all opened my eyes a little more.

I don't know, maybe when I'm done with these two goldies I'll get a bigger tank or something. Or not! Lol. Anyway, I'm just thinking about the future. Fish are so interesting.

Just a small question, though: Can one betta/siamese fighting fish, live alone and be happy??

absolutely! they are lone animals, they don't like sharing their territory with other fish any can display signs of stress if forced to share a tank with other fish, they have very large territories so if you've got a small tank it's best to keep him alone. as their colloquial name suggests, they;re "fighting fish" and will fight to the death if put in the same tank, infact in some countries it's like a sport that people bet on, similar to cock fighting or dog fighting

some people have sucessfully kept other fish with their betta, but the other fish has ti be carefully chosen, the other fish shouldn't have long flowy tails like guppies or goldies as your betta will see it as a threat and can attack your flowy finned fish, also you dont want the other fish to be at all aggrssive or fast as they can attack/or at the very least freak your betta out. also, if you were going to have another fish with your betta you'd need to have a tank that was at the very least 5-6 times as big as your splish and splash. perhaps if you are considering a tank mate a ramshorn snail might be a good option.

Actually in NSW at least you can pick up heaters dirt cheap at Big W, in the pet section they've got a small selection of pet stuff, The heaters are 50w, 100w, 150w and 200w, get the 50w, since they have thermostats in them, it won't cook your tank. From memory their $13-15 each.

My suggestions for fish would be
1 betta, and a mystery snail (apple snail for the yanks)
OR 3-4 male guppies
OR one small gourami, either a honey gourami or sparkling gourami and 2 bronze catfish, or two albino catfish (corydoras for the yanks)
OR a paradise gourami, these lil chaps are gorgeous and full of personality.
OR a lone dwarf gourami (I wouldn't recommend it, the dwarfs in NSW seem to have come down with some weird species specific illness)

A lone Betta would love the room in the tank though, lots of swimming room and more that they generally get.

I know some people won't agree with the above stockings, but I've done most of them before and with regular maintenance the fish are prefectly happy and healthy, and reach their full sizes. Apart from the paradise gourami, none exceed 2 inches.

Thank you both again! And here I am with some more q's, lol...

If I purchased one Betta (probably a male) for my tank (Splish & Splash Medium Aquarium Kit [Aqua One]):
* Would you suggest leaving the filter in -Aqua One Hang On Aquarium Filter H200 (200 L/Hr)-, or taking it out?
* For the above scenarios, how often would I do water changes and how much would I change?
* What food would you suggest, how much and how often a day would I feed the fish the food, and is it readily available/cheap where I live (if you know or can guess of course, lol)
* What plant or plants?
* Is a light/lights tooootally necessary? If so, would a desk lamp positioned over the tank be suitable??
* Would a smooth coffee mug turned on it's side be suitable as a hidey place that wouldn't hurt the Betta's delicate fins/scales?
* Gravel or no gravel? Or does it even matter?
* Is my water conditioner suitable (Splish & Splash again), if so, how often/when would I use it?

Umm... I think that's all for the moment. If anyone knows of anything else I should be aware of, please tell.

Oh! And would some pretty marbles for decoration be okay? Instead of gravel?

And when I would do a 100% water change (actually this applies to my two goldies now, actually)... when/how often would I do it and how? Would I put the Betta (or my goldies atm) in a bag, and then when I'd done the water change, float the bag in the water for a while? Sorry, that is one confusing and actually really dumb question... lol, but water changes confuse me. All I know right now is that with my sick fish and his buddy I have to do a 50% change everyday. I don't know until when either... lol. But anyway, getting off topic.

Thanks. Sorry for all of the questions, but I just want to get everything right when I hopefully can get a Betta in the near future. They're so beautiful.

For a Betta, the Hang on Back (HOB) Filter you already have should be fine, though you'll probably need to add some sort of sponge around the intake grid, and some plastic plants in front of the output to disperse the flow a bit as Bettas can get blown around by the current pretty easily.

The best of the best food is Hikari, and their betta food at least is generally available in most places-
http://www.theaquariumshop.com.au/shopexd....ish+Food+2%2E5g
It should be at your local pet store, if not try and get pellets made for bettas, or good quality tropical flakes

Put whatever plants you want in, just be careful with plastic plants as some are a tad sharp and can rip their fins up

Lights aren't necessary, but a desk lamp would work well

Gravel doesn't matter, or you can put in marbles, pebbles, smooth glass, whatever suits your fancy

Water conditioner should be fine.

25-50% weekly water changes if all you ahve is a single Betta.

To do a 100% water change, put the fish in a bag, clean the tank completely and reacclimatize the fish, this isn't recommended. I'd do an 8-90% water change then slowly refill the tank, if your doing huge water changes you have to do them VERY frequently though, or you run the risk of shocking your fish with the new water, I'd stick to the 50% daily your doing now.

I would say guppies! lol I would say get from 2 - 5 male guppies, you dont want them to breed...well you can if you have space or tank for them, they breed alot, but few guppies will be great, they are pretty much hardy and very pretty.

Hey hun, avalon has answered all your questions really well, so I wont repeat stuff, but I will add, live plants need a proper light that produces uv so they can photosynthesize and grow, if all you have is a desk lamp, you will find that live plants will tend to die off, so it's best to avoid them, if you wnat something green and living in your tank I'll suggest java moss again, this is a moss that will survive in low light, so even incident light from a window near by your tank will be enough to keep it going. -If you can't find java moss in the shops and you have a po box or another anonymous address (i'm sure your parents don't want you handing out your home addy on a message board you've only just started using) I could send you some, I've got heaps, it just keeps growing and growing!

Also, marbles are fine, but make sure they're not the ones with the reflective paint on them, just the straight pure glass ones are fine.

Thanks everyone!


Lol, that's not really up to them at all. They're not strict and they trust me and my judgement. They just get pissed off at times if they have to drive around getting stuff for me, basically. xD But yeah, I have handed out my address online a lot, to people I trust. I do trust you, even though I've "known" you for a few days. I've just got a vibe, I guess. Lol. Orrrrrr you're s serial killer and my judgement is awful.

Thank you, though, and Java Moss (how long does it live on average, btw?) sounds great, then! I'll keep it in mind. When and if I get a Betta I will surely contact you about that if I can't find any here. Thanks so much.

I'm really startig to settle on a Betta for my Splish & Splash, one day.

Java mos lives for ever, I swear its impossible to kill, I ordered a handful a while ago which got lost in the mail, it spent 3 weeks in an envelpope and when I put it back in the tank it just kept on growing.

One warning though, to get all of it out of your tank, you have to break the whole thing down and scrub everything, one strand will turn into a baseball sized hunk in no time.

Haha, wow!! Well Java Moss sounds just too great and fairly easy to care for. Thanks for the extra info!

Like what she said! I've got heaps of it in my baby axolotl tank, and it's not only the axolotls larvae that is growing! I've gotta update my thread on baby axies but I've gotta photoshoot for the band this morning, and then playgroup for the little man.. perhaps tomorrow I'll get to take pics of my tank and you'll see what I mean by the stuff taking over the tank!

Sigh I soooo wish you were closer, I wnat baby axies too! LOL

you would probably never want to do a 100% water change with your tank, because it would mess up your biological filter. in other words, there are beneficial bacteria that grow in your tank as the water ages, and if you change all the water all the bacteria will be gone, which could lead to death for a tropical fish. bettas might be a little easier to take care of because the can breathe water at the surface, but that doesn't mean that you don't need to pay attention to water conditions.

Good luck with your betta!

Bacteria lives in the filter media, not in the water, so you are not removing the bacteria when you remove water (you may remove a tiny amount but not enough to affect the cycle).
There can be downsides to 100% water changes, such as, if the pH of the tap water is different to the pH of the tank, as a sudden change in pH will be bad for the fish.