What's the best fish for...???

Question

My sons recieved a 2 gallon tank for xmas with no heater, and a cheesy filter system. It's a decent little starter set up I guess. I keep it about 70 in the house (no lower!) and the water would be about the same. The light also heats it a little. I know quite a bit about fish since I grew up with them, but it's been years since I've kept them.

Would a school of neons or zebras do ok without heat? How about some platys, mollys or swordtails? What about a catfish or alge eater? Any other exotic kinds that could do good in such a small, colder tank? How many would be a good number to keep? I'd rather stay away from goldfish, and I can't have two male betas. I can't have any agressive fish either (ie, barbs, oscars, etc.) since I have 2 sons, and have to have at least 2 fish.

I just need suggestions as to what would be good fish for a cold 2 gallon (non heated but about 70 deg.) tank, besides goldfish and betas.
Thank you in advance for your help!
;o)

I believe I said NO GOLDFISH. thank you.

Answer 1

See the source link.....
Some recommended fish for your 2 gallon tank

Hardy Tetras & Others adapt well to small tanks, and do not require heaters (maintain temperature of 68-80 degrees.)
Fish Choices- Black Tetras, Serpae Tetras, White Clouds, Rasbora, Cherry Barb, Bloodfin Tetra, Red Eye Tetra, Tiger Barbs, Corydoras Cat. - 2-3 small fish

You probably already are aware of this but if you only got the tank at christmas you will need to cycle the tank first. Have a look at this http://www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php.

I cant see that you have the space for an algae eater; even a dwarf otto needs a 10g tank. The corydoras cat as mentioned above would be a good choice if you want a catfish.

Answer 2

its too small for anything other than a beta really. General rule is an inch of fish per gallon of water. You could get female betas (fighting fish) they can live together and have generally the same requirement s of the males. Gold fish are too messy for such a small space. You could also do 2 mollies or platys or sword tails or even guppies.

Dont put a [pleco in there. it will never survive. It would be best to just wipe the algea of the tank by hand.

You are going to have to think about getting a bigger tank pretty soon or those poor little guys wont live. They need to grow. There is no truth behind the saying that fish will only grow to the size of their tank. Platys, mollies and swordtails can get to a good 4 inches.


So no more than 2. No neons or any other type of tetra. They need space and in groups of atleast 6.

Answer 3

PLEASE don't put anything other than a betta in there. Zebras and Neons need much more room than that-the one inch per fish rule isn't the same when the tanks are so small- that tank can't be more than 6" in any way. The fish like tetras like to move fast, and they'l get stressed if they don't move fast enough.

If you go to a PetSmart, you can get a very cheap 20 gallon tank which will serve you much better, and you can put an algae eater in there too. I currently have 3 zebras, 3 neons, 3 cherry barbs, and an algae eater

And even in this case, do not buy a catfish. Or at least not a channel one. Stay well away from those. I got one and he's rapidly growing. They can easily reach 2+ ft and weight in excess of 20 lbs.

Answer 4

labrinthye breathing fish like bettas, would be best suited as per size of tank. other options would be a pair of white clouds these fish hail from thailand, they actually are minnows, and prefer 60-62 degree water but will be happy at room temp and higher. I would recommend keeping a small live plant in with them if the tank is not oxygenated, something like a Java fern plant. The smaller species of danios will do ok if you do only two with simular set up as the white clouds. Most all other fish species that are availible will have certain requirements in order to do well heat/p.h. low or high. ex. neons need 6.0 ph. whereas Platys like 8.2 p.h. which will be hard to do in a 2 gallon.

Answer 5

It is very, very hard to keep a stable cycle in a tank that small. I don't recommend it. Besides, all the recs for fish other than bettas really are improper since 2 gallons is TOO SMALL for any of those fish. I would chuck the filter and go unfiltered.

You choices are, a betta (you could keep 1-2 ghost shrimp with him or a snail) or 2-3 African Dwarf Frogs. The frogs are lots of fun, and can get very friendly. The tank care is the same as for a betta.

DO NOT put 2 female bettas together!!!! They establish a pecking order, just like schooling fish (neons, danios, mollies, platies, etc) do, and one will chase the other relentlessly til it dies of stress and disease. To keep female bettas, you need a minimum of FOUR, with at least 2 gallons of territory per fish, and even then it's a tricky thing finding 4 girls that will all get along.

Go with one betta (male or female), who will LOVE you for the space you are giving him/her, or frogs.

These animals do need temps in the high 70's, tho.
There is a good small tank heater you can get too, for not much money from That Pet Place on the web.
http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products/KW/F54BA/Class/Aquarium+Heaters+Submersible/T1/F54BA+0418+0016/EDP/44886/Itemdy00.aspx
I have bought stuff from them, and find them reliable and their delivery fast.

Or you could use a heating pad if you can find one that does NOT have auto shut-off.

Answer 6

Don't know if anyone has suggested it yet ,but White Clouds are cold water fish that are easy to care for,and are quite attractive. I believe there is a long finned variety on the market now,they shouldn't be expensive. Be sure to cycle the tank before adding fish. Good luck. PeeTee

Answer 7

yeah you could do a few zebra danios or a few fancy guppies. or two platys. set your tank up and let the lite on for a couple hours then check your temp. it might get warmer than you think. still the rule is 1 small fish per gallon. so more more than 3 tiny fish. the platys are quite hardy fish and don't stress too much with temp flux. and the guppies don't need heated water.

Answer 8

I have mickeys that are really fun and are very durable! They didn't have heat for a very long time and they did just fine. Most of mine are all babies. I have been trying to get rid of a few of them if you would like some. They are easy to maintain and don't take a lot of work. I advise you to get these. They are also a lot of fun to look at. If you don't want Mickeys then I suggest any molly fish. They are very stable. As long as you get them at a good dealer. Hope this helps.

Answer 9

You can try mollies and fancy tail guppies. You can invest in a small heater to make thinks more amicable for any fish you do get. Try thatpetplace.com. They have great prices on heaters and you can get one very cheap and just the right size for your tank.

Answer 10

get a crab or a shrimp. If you don't get a Beta or a small goldfish, no other fish will be happy in a small tank. A feeder goldfish could be a good fit for a short time.