getting a pet fish...?

Question

ok thinking about getting a pet fish. i want something that is low-maintenance, clean, and 'hardy.' and i don't want a fish that i m going to have to feed live/frozen food too. i just wanna feed it with pellets/fish food whatever it's called. also is better/worse to use live plants in the aquarium. i am thinking of something in the 4-5 gallon range with 1 fish or more depending if it needs a school or not. any advice is appreciated!

i'm considering the biOrb Tank 4 gallon or the Eclipse Hexagonal 5 gallon by Marineland...

Answer 1

For those requirements I would suggest a small group of male guppies. 5-6 would be fine in that tank and you can get various colors to brighten up the tank. I would get only males so that you have no problems with babies that wouldn't have room to grow.

MM

Answer 2

A betta is a very simple choice. If you want to create a community tank using schooling fish with a betta, put the betta in the tank last so that it doesn't get too territorial as it would if you added it first.

Live plants would be too much of an hassle. Plastic plants can harm your fish as it can tear fins and trap your fish in it's design. I would suggest silk plants instead. They are not as dangerous to your fish as plastic plants are plus they react in movement the same way as a live plant without the hassles of care.

Go to the link below to find some appropriate schooling fish, even a school of fish fit for a 10-gallon is fit for a 5-gallon tank.

Answer 3

If you get such a small tank, you are really limiting yourself. I would get one male betta, they are easy to care for. Most fish do better with additions to the pellets (some fish need veggies) so if you dont want to do any work then live creatures isn't the best thing. Bettas eat a lot of protein but also could use frozen food or at least dried worms to accept their diet. Schooling fish are inappropriate for such a small tank since they would be miserable and unable to zip around. My recommendation woudl be to get a 10 gallon, which costs the same, that way you can get like five or six schooling fish depending on how big they get AT ADULT SIZE. Dont base it on their baby size. Goldfish for example are sold small, but grow to be a foot long or more.

Answer 4

Bettas are pretty low-maintenance; just be sure that they aren't stuck in a tiny bowl :(

Um... neon tetras are good as long as you keep them in a school; same with tiger barbs.

Goldfish, the classic- they're cheap and adorable :D

Frogs- very adorable; I didn't have too much luck with mine, but I think it had something to do with my Betta.

About the plants- I prefer artificial, but many people prefer live. The only thing about live plants is that some of them can spawn snails. (This happened with a 10-gallon we had; we had to get rid of everything and bleach the stupid tank before the snails went away!)

Have fun with your tank and fishies!

Answer 5

Your limited with what you can get for a tank that is that small. You basically can only get Guppies as MM suggested or a male Betta. If you were to consider going up to a 10 gal tank or the eclipse system 12 you would have more options.

Answer 6

4-5 gallons and you want something hardy? I would say you should try a dwarf puffer. You can probably get away with 2 as long as 1 is female and 1 is male. 5 gallons are pretty small, so if you get a 4 you can only keep 1 dwarf puffer. They need at least 3 gallons each fish. They only grow up to 1 inch but they are pretty agressive. Having a 5 gallon,you can probably keep 2 dwarf puffers and maybe 1 or two otos. Remember, getting two in a 5 gallon is pushing it, but I would try it. They eat bloodworms. Every now and then (you might not like this part) you should put a snail or two maybe once every two weeks or 1 week if possible for it to eat. This helps their tooth. Pond snails by the way. Not the ones with the pointy shells, the ones with the curvy shells. If you want live plants, and want a nice growth to them. Consider getting a light that is better than the one the tank comes with. I would try a 8watt light with the 5 gallon, I'm not sure if its enough. Dwarf puffers like planted tanks.. so theres a shot for it so you can have some real plants. You know you will have enough plants when its hard to see the back of the tank. You can also add a couple freshwater shrimp in there if you like.

For more information go to the source I'm going to provide you with.

Answer 7

I would suggest some (two or three) fancy guppies. You could also get two fantail goldfish. The last idea I'd have is a Black Moor goldfish and a fantail goldfish. If you want teeny, tiny fish, Neon Tetras are beautiful schooling fish, and you could get about six of those.

Answer 8

I remember I had a simple five gallon tank with my favorite two simple goldfish in it- One of them lived for three years, and the other for five! I thought that was pretty good. Basically, a simple goldfish or another simple kind will be your best bet. Try asking somebody that works at the pet store you'll be buying from.

I never used real plants, I just had a couple of fake ones that the fishies could hide under sometimes. I think they're more trouble than they're worth. Do, of course, remember to buy a filter though! That's very important, I remember. =)

Answer 9

Mollies, or just about any kind of livebears are very good first time fish.

Answer 10

If you want a pet that's low-maintenance, and clean, well, you shouldn't have a pet. Seriously, get a dog. I had pet fish for like my whole life and all they do is eat and die. Get A DOG!