Fish for 5 gallon standard aquarium?

M

Marty McFly

New member
I have an extra 5 gallon standard that is not currently being used so i was hoping to turn it into a small fish tank. my plan is setting up a low maintanance tank w/ sand substrate and just an airpowered bubble filter. i know this is enough for just a betta or some other small single fish but id prefer to setup a temporary tank for some small tropical fish that i could move later. i was thinking 1 dwarf gourami, 2 small corys, and maybe a snail or two (i really just want some form of algae eater so if i could get something else thatd be great too). i know the general rule ppl use is an inch of fish per gallon (i dunno how snails figure into that tho) so 2 corys and a gourami even w/ the snails is under that for at least a while. so, can i put them in a 5 gallon standard and for about how long will they last before i NEED to move them. or again is this just absolutely out of the question (i know its not ideal but has anyone had success w/ a few small fish in a smaller tank?)
 
I think that this should be fine. I have had success with a few fish in a smaller aquarium. I think the most important part would be to keep the water highly oxygenated and keep water quality clean. I actually kept to many fish in a 5 gallon before, because they were guppies, but they were healthy and happy. I kept it clean and oxygenated.
 
That's not gonna work. Cories need larger groups for security, and by depriving them of that, they'll become extremely stressed. Dwarf Gouramis are also quite active, and need more swimming room than a 5 gallon tank can offer. It's not that your 5 gallon isn't fine for fish-- just not those fish. Instead, try a smaller species of Gourami, like a Sparkling, Licorice, or Honey Gourami. They are equally, if not more, attractive when compared to Dwarves, and stay about half the size. Also, look for Dwarf Cories (C. habrosus, C. hastasus, C. pygmaeus) instead of the more common Corydoras species. These stay about an inch long, and will do just fine in your 5 gallon tank for their entire lives. Bumblebee Gobies are another consideration-- you could keep one or two just fine, and contrary to popular belief, they are almost exclusively freshwater.
 
I recommend.

5 Guppies (all male since you don't have room for fry)
or
5 neon's
or
5 GloFish
or
3 Corydoras
or
1 Betta, 2 corydoras
or
2 Betta's (none aggressive and lots of hading places)

I would put a snail in any of those combos, they don't make that much of a difference with the inch per gallon thing.

thats all i can think of for now, hope this helps!!
 
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