Is this too much for a 5 gallon aquarium?

Question

I have 5 tiny neon tetras, 2 red zebra danios (less than an inch long) and an african dwarf frog (less than in inch long)? Also, can I put my male beta in the fish tank with them?

I have 4 neon tetras, one glolite tetra, 2 red zebra danios, and a african dwarf frog. It is a five gallon aquarium with a filter than takes water from bottom and spits it out to the top. I am about to get a heater for my little neons, and some of that bottled bacteria stuff for the ammonia on the water. Does this sound like I'm gonna be ok?

Answer 1

Those tiny fish will grow. Add a few live plants and you can put your Betta in the tank. Those tiny tetras will require a hiding place until they get larges. If you notice fish gasping at the surface, you will need an air pump and stone, but as long as you are VERY careful not to over feed you should be fine.
A

Answer 2

Your tank is not overcrowded but may soon be missing some members because the dwarf frog or the Betta may consume the Neon Tetras. If you notice any fish gone, that is what happened. Sometimes you can see the Betta chase them. Sometimes the Betta won't bother them, then you have to worry about the frog, it will definitely eat them.. If the tank is heated and has a filter, choose fish like Glolite Tetra, Black Neon or Lemon Tetra. They are a little larger so harder for the frog and Betta to eat.

Answer 3

I think, WHY mess things up more? Adding a Beta to the tank will do that. He will dominate the tank and kill everything with color that is fast moving. He may not kill the NEONS, but the red zebras will be annoying ( to the betta). 5 gallons is just not enough!

Don't add anything or take away anything from the tank.

Good Luck and Take Care

Answer 4

I don't know if this is too much for a 5 gal but I just wanted to say, I have a male betta in my 10 gallon and, he picks on the other fish much less than my brothers female. She has killed some of his fish, my male has not.

Answer 5

I'm not an expert on fish but a single male beta needs his own tank unless you are certain he isn't a fighter... Eight fish is too much for a 5 gallon tank with or without the frog...

Answer 6

Contrary to popular myth, Bettas are only aggressive toward other Bettas and will not bother your tetras. However, your tank is already pretty full with 7 fish and a frog.

Answer 7

i suggest u get a bigger tank 10 gallon or even a 20 gallon , as for the beta fish its ok to put him or her in the tank with other fish , just dont put 2 male bettas in the same tank unless u want a dead fish ,

Answer 8

The 1 inch per gallon is based on an non-aerated tank. If your tank has a filter that circulates the water, such as an outside filter, then those fish should do fine. I have kept Betta's with all types of fish and they never bothered any of them. Usually other fish tear the Betta's fins but the one you have should not be a problem.

Answer 9

The previous answers are correct, you can have about 1 inch of fish per gallon. However, I have had great luck putting male betas in aquariums with other fish. Just don't add any other betas to the aquarium -- especially another male beta!!!

Good Luck and have fun with your fish....

Answer 10

Th Betta will grow to large for the neon tetras. You should not
put fish that are less than 3/4 the size of the largest fish. The zebras are schooling fish which stay near the top of the tank where a male Betta is likely to stay the Betta may attack the zebras or eat the neon's. Aeration allow you to keep more fish in the tank by creating additional surface area (bubbles) to exchange gases (Oxygen) and by keeping the surface water moving which helps keep pollutants from forming a barrier on the water surface. Here how to determine how many fish per tank.




Virtually every fish owner has gazed at their aquarium and wondered just how many fish can be put in there. Unfortunately aquariums don't come with a stocking chart slapped on the side. As a result many owners unwittingly overstock their tank, sometimes with a disastrous outcome. So how does a fish owner know how many fish they can keep? There are a number of factors to consider, as well as several methods for calculating safe stocking levels.

One Inch Per Gallon Rule
The most widely known rule for stocking a tank is one inch of fish per gallon of water. While this type of calculation works as a rough estimate, it leaves plenty of room for error. Like people, fish are not all the same size and shape. Stocking a ten-gallon tank with ten inches of slender shaped zebras is not the same as stocking it with ten inches of full-bodied goldfish.



Larger bodied fish create far more waste, and therefore require more water volume.

Furthermore, the fish often are not fully grown when first brought home. The adorable little catfish that is scarcely an inch long today could reach a half foot in size when it grows up. The true adult size of the fish must be used in the calculation. However, many owners have no idea how old their fish is or how large it will grow to be. Before making a decision, always research the fish in question to determine the true adult size.

Another place for error is assuming the size of the tank is equivalent to the number of gallons of water it holds. A ten-gallon tank filled with gravel, rocks, plants, and an assortment of decorations does not hold ten gallons of water. In reality the water volume is often ten to fifteen percent less than the size of the tank.

So while the one-inch per gallon rule is a reasonable yardstick, it has it's flaws.

Surface Area Calculation
The larger the surface area of the water, the greater the oxygen exchange, which in turns supports a larger number of fish. Therefore, surface area of the water directly impacts how many fish can be kept in an aquarium. A tank that is tall and thin may hold the same number of gallons as a tank that is short and wide, yet they have vastly different surface areas.

Using the surface area rule, the shape difference between the tanks is taken into account. The surface area is calculated by multiplying the width times the length of the tank. Under the water surface area rule the tank can be stocked with one inch of fish for each twelve square inches of surface area. However, this calculation has many of the same flaws as the one-inch rule. For instance, it assumes a fairly slender fish, which isn't always the case. If wide-bodied fish will be kept in the tank, the calculation should be changed to one inch of fish for each twenty inches of surface area.

Like the one-inch rule, the surface area rule isn't perfect. Its primary advantage is that it takes into account unusually shaped aquariums.

Which Calculation to Use?
As a general yardstick for normal situations, the one-inch rule works adequately and is very easy to calculate. If using it, always use net gallons of water, and take into account the adult size as well as the shape of the fish. If the aquarium is a non-standard size, the surface area rule will work better than the one-inch rule. In either case, always do your homework first, and err on the side of going under the limit rather than over.

Also do not fully stock the tank all at one time. No more than 25% of the total volume of fish should be introduced at one time. Fish wastes, which are toxic, are eliminated by colonies of beneficial bacteria. Those bacterial colonies need time to adjust to changes in the bio-load. By introducing fish a few at a time, the bacterial colonies have sufficient time to grow and take care of the toxins produced by the fish waste.