I have a 5 gallon tank and am starting my first aquarium since i became an adult.How about these?

Question

Is a tropical environment too advanced for a beginner like me? I was thinking about acouple livebearers, glassfish, and platys. If it is, I might go with fantails, tiger barbs and red rosy minnows.

Answer 1

If you have only 5 gallons to work with, you have very limited choices. A small school of 4 White Cloud Mountain Minnows would most likely be enough to overcrowd the tank.
I'd strongly suggest considering a 20 or larger if you want to do anything interesting...

Answer 2

A 5g will not support many fish. For a beinner i would suggest getting Danios. They don't breed much, they are easy to keep and feed. They can live in a wide range of temps, water PH and are generally tough and sturdy little fish. A small group of 3-4 Danios in a 5g tank would be great for a beginner

They come in longfin and shortfin varieties. The most common is a Zebra Danio, then Leapord Danio and finally Blue Danio. tehy can be found at nearly any pet store or fish store.

Good luck with your tank. If you want to get more involved elt me know and feel free to send email or chat.

Answer 3

You've already received a lot of good advice, but I just want to point out that glassfish are a poor choice for anyone. They're often sold as "painted glassfish" and have neon stripes in their bodies. These stripes are not natural. These fish are injected with dye in a process that is cruel, unnecessary, and often kills the fish. The ones that do survive are often in poor health and don't survive long.

Answer 4

I know that people say that 5 gallons won't support many fish but from experience, they're wrong. I have seven rosy reds, a fantail, a goldfish, a shubunkin, and an algae eater, all of which are doing quite nicely. For a beginner, goldfish and rosy reds are your best bet. They can stand cooler water. With Tropical fish, you need a heater and maintain a warmer temperature. Try different types of goldfish, a lot are very pretty like the calicoes and there is a lot of variety. Once you get the hang of this tank then you can go on with more advanced fish.

Answer 5

Start with guppies. That's what answer i give everyone. They are beautiful, colorful, tropical fish, livebearers and are easy and fun to breed (just trow them in a tank together and the job is done) They go great with most other fish, as long as theyre not big enough to eat them, that is!

But yeah, that racist comment that guy gave was uncalled for >:(

EDIT:

also, red rosy minnows will pollute your tank with a bunch of poop! They are actually meant as feeder-fish and are very messy! I wouldnt put them in anybody's tank unless they are meant to be eaten!

Answer 6

I suggest a betta, It will end up only about 4 gall because you have all the gravel,plants,deco,heater,pump etc, To put it in. So i suggest a betta or 3 male guppies OR 3 male platies, Dont get females because you will end up with lots of babies and ur tank is far too small,

Answer 7

tonight is your lucky night sweety. I am an expert in freshwater tropical fish. Rule # one. One pair per 1.5 gallons or less ie, the more room for the fish the better. A good way to look at it is this. Pretend that you and say ,I ,are the size of the pair of lets say, black mollies, or gold angel-fish(which Im proud to say, am the one and only original developer of), and lets say that we live in your five gallon tank along with our furniture, the rocks, and our trees and grass and sandy garden with lots of vegies for our vitamines and some pets like our watch dog, the bottom dwelling hound called the leapord scanvenger and
his girlfriend, the nextdoor neighbors daughter missy glass catfish,...and the ancient giant diving sailer who never quits spitting spubbles out of his mouth. In this track home neighborhood, we are already so cramped, that you get so depressed and full of anxiety, especially since Ive already filled you with my seeds and you are gravid with about 60 little ones, that you feel it is in your best interest to jump out of the tank and onto the carpet, not that you thought suicide was the answer, but, the grass is not always greener on the other side of our neighborhood. So lesson one, for a community tank to work successfully, its got to have space, fish that get along, pleanty of proper shade and lighting, a proper and aged undergravel filtering system, the right temperature for the fish, and the proper water pH, ie acid or alkaline chemistry, and always, always use a chlorine eliminator-conditioner for the water, and use it ofter and extra, not just what the label says. If it costs more, thats good. The cheep ones kill fish just like cheep food from cheep greasy restaurants kill people. In order to know fish, you must think and feel and become in you spirit, a fish. Wow! I used to charge $100.00 for that intro lecture,...but to you dear,..enjoy.
And remember, if you got questions,...ask the expert of experts, me. Richard. Ridata Aquatics you got the e-address.
Good Night

Answer 8

Don't put tiger barbs with fantails, they are terrible fin nippers. Your first setup sounds better.

Answer 9

That guys racist comment was completely unacceptable. But anyway....i love the cardinal tetras, you can get a school of those and have a colorful display. I also enjoy the rummy-nose tetras, they can school w/ the cardinals. They are interesting to watch, easy to feed, and can live a long life is you take proper care of them. Good Luck!

Answer 10

5 gallons is too small, try a ten.
Buy a book to read up on it's needs,
cares, and Fish that can live together.
There are alot of things your going to
need to buy.