new tank set up?

Question

K...so I am running a new small tank for my bedroom (helps me sleep) It is a 5g with a biowheel filter and good lighting. I am running it as a fresh h2o and I do not want to get a heator I have 65-82f year round house temps. I was thinking one or two fish. What kind do you sugest? I work at a pet store so can get a hold of a large range of fish for good prices. I am running the tank now and have 8 small comets in it tell it is ready. Any ideas? Kind of at a loss...oh, I have a betta tank already so want to go with something else. Thanks!

I may be willing to put in a lot of little fish as well but would want the max I can put in. I know 5g is very small.

The comets are in there 2 die...they are feeders (breed to feed reptiles and bigger fish) and will help me get the needed bacteria for my biowheel faster.

Answer 1

Temperature stability is very important in avoiding dead fish. You may want to rethink getting a heater. Without a heater, however, you'll want to stick with cold water fish. A few white clouds is about all you could do there. Five gallons is too small for even one goldfish, and the eight you have in there now will soon be shuffling off their mortal coils. Goldfish are poop factories, and your ammonia's going to be insane.

If you got a heater, however, you could do a couple small tropical fish. Maybe a couple platies or guppies. I suspect I have the same tank on my desk (Eclipse 5 hexagonal?). With a tank that small, you can't do a whole lot, and you have to maintain it really well to keep it healthy. Plus, if it is, indeed, the Eclipse hexagonal, it's taller than it is wide, so there's less water surface area, which decreases the water's aeration, further reducing how many fish you can have in there.

My Eclipse is technically overstocked, but it's very well cycled. I've also modified the filtration a bit, and I keep a very close eye on my fish's behavior. Email me, if you want, and I can give you some tips.

Answer 2

Well it depends on what kind of look your going for. Tropical fish can really add some class to you room, and the best part is, no saltwater, which is a pain to maintian. Now you say you have a 65-82f year round temprtature, which is good, i dont think you will need a heater, but some fish at least a 72 degree tank at minimum.

I wouldnt recomond gold fish, most of them are geneticlly altered, which is why they die so easy. But you say you work at a pet store so im sure u know all this.

I would go with a " hearty" tropical fish as they say, and since you want only two i would go with a sunburst wag platty which have an amazing color. Or go with guppies, which also have a very pretty color and come in a vast aray of patterns. And since there so small you could get like three or four.

Hope that helps you with your decision. And remember, keep the water oxygenated, and the more light, the more algey. later.

Sincerly -ACID35

Answer 3

Hi Sarah, I hope you will be retuning those poor Comets to the store once they have suffered the pain & stress of cycling your incredibly tiny & almost unmanageable tank.

I respectfully suggest you do a fishless cycle (faster/more controllable/no cruelty) & get a much larger tank which will remain stable once cycled for whatever fish you choose.

Answer 4

take the comets out and put maybe 4 or 5 neon tetras

Answer 5

Not sure what kind of fish, but whatever you do don't get a newt because they need 10 gallons plus.

Answer 6

you could go with a group of neon tetras OR zebra danios of 6 since they're schooling fish
with some shrimps in there


EB