I have two tanks that are lying around my house that I can set-up for an aquarium. One is a 55-Gallon and the other is a 5-gallon. I haven't had an aquarium in a while so I want to start off small so I am going to use the 5-gallon while the 55 G will sit around until I am ready to pull it out. I am going to go freshwater. I am aware that the livestock I can choose from is very, very unlimited. Does anyone have any ideas? I was thinking a few Endler's livebearer.
First tank set-up!
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Whoa! Dude, you've got a 55 gallon just hanging around? And you are going to start with the 5gallon?
Oh, Welcome aboard!
As much as it may be a great idea, I couldn't do it.
Personally, I'm not fond of live bearers, trying to deal with all the fry if/when they breed... The endlers may be a good choice, others can comment.
Do you know what your water parameters are? Hardness, pH? That will affect what you can choose.
A 5 gallon won't be as forgiving as a larger tank but certainly easier to change out the water.
Plants? Or plant less (I'd recommend plants but some don't like to put them in even though it helps with the ammonia and looks great) if you want plants, what light do you have?
Depending on your water you could go with something like a group of Pygmy Cory , dwarf Rasbora , Mosquito Rasbora . A single species anyway. Those are some of the smallest that will allow for a decent sized group in such a small tank. Click on the highlighted names to go to the profiles... if I spelled them right. You might be able to put 8 in but they all need a group of at least 6.
Add a tiger snail or similar to provide a little cleanup duty. I find four in a 37 gallon do a nice job so don't go for a large one.
You know, if you just bump up to a 10 gallon, it opens up more options for you and a 10 can't be much more than $15... what other equipment do you have that you are going to use for the 5? Heater, filter, light?
Jeff.
Oh, Welcome aboard!
As much as it may be a great idea, I couldn't do it.
Personally, I'm not fond of live bearers, trying to deal with all the fry if/when they breed... The endlers may be a good choice, others can comment.
Do you know what your water parameters are? Hardness, pH? That will affect what you can choose.
A 5 gallon won't be as forgiving as a larger tank but certainly easier to change out the water.
Plants? Or plant less (I'd recommend plants but some don't like to put them in even though it helps with the ammonia and looks great) if you want plants, what light do you have?
Depending on your water you could go with something like a group of Pygmy Cory , dwarf Rasbora , Mosquito Rasbora . A single species anyway. Those are some of the smallest that will allow for a decent sized group in such a small tank. Click on the highlighted names to go to the profiles... if I spelled them right. You might be able to put 8 in but they all need a group of at least 6.
Add a tiger snail or similar to provide a little cleanup duty. I find four in a 37 gallon do a nice job so don't go for a large one.
You know, if you just bump up to a 10 gallon, it opens up more options for you and a 10 can't be much more than $15... what other equipment do you have that you are going to use for the 5? Heater, filter, light?
Jeff.
lol It sounds crazy, doesn't it? I'm pretty sure you have an idea of how bad I want to set the 55-Gallon. My only problem right now is finding space for it. Once I find a good spot for it where it won't be in the way, I can set it up. I don't have any water parameters yet. I don't have the tank set up or anything. I'm in the planning phase right now. The 5 gallon came in a starter set so the lighting is not really anything spectacular. I forget the wattage on it. I have a submersible heater for 5-20 gallons.
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I would do a planted betta tank. If it doesn't need to look professional or anything, you can just use a CFL inside of one of those dome work clamps. That'll be plenty of light for a 5g.
I want to start using live plants in my tanks from now on, it's just that i'm not plant smart. I know they need light to grow, but that's about it. This tank might be a good way for me to start growing plants so I don't ruin it in a large tank. Would snails do well in a tank with a Betta? Would the Betta terrorize them?
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I've always kept a snail with a betta, even back in the "bowl" days. Never had a problem. (don't try this at home, but I have a betta in my community tank, four tiger snails, pond snails and trumpet snails with no snail bullying troubles)
A CFL, good idea. You can get some plant friendly bulbs cheap enough I expect.
I started into aquariums in December and just did a bunch of plants to see what would work. Out of 14 species 12 are successful and I am not doing really anything. Decent light (LED) hard water, bit of fertilizer. They just grow... and grow.... and grow. Check out my shotgun planted tank thread, I outline what I did in my 37 gallon planted tank.
I almost like the plants as much as the fish, I like playing in the water garden.
Jeff.
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A 5g tank is pretty small, and there are very few options when it comes to fish. But knowing your tap water parameters will help us suggest possible fish. You should be able to obtain the water params from the water folks, they likely have a website. You need to know the GH (general hardness), KH (carbonate hardness or Alkalinity) and pH. The first two will change very little if at all in the aquarium, so selecting fish suited to the hardness is advisable.
On the issue of planted tanks, check out my series A Basic Approach to the Natural Planted Aquarium stickied at the head of the Aquarium Plants section of the forum. That will set out the whole picture.
And, welcome to Tropical Fish Keeping forum.:-D
Byron.
On the issue of planted tanks, check out my series A Basic Approach to the Natural Planted Aquarium stickied at the head of the Aquarium Plants section of the forum. That will set out the whole picture.
And, welcome to Tropical Fish Keeping forum.:-D
Byron.
What does CFL stand for? I have another question. Say if my tap water has its parameters that are not suited for the fish I want to get, would I be able to change it by will to the level I need it at in order for the fish to thrive? I've heard of aquarium supplements before but I don't know if they have anything that will change hardness, alk, ph, etc...
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Sorry, "Compact Fluorescent" light bulb. You can get them in varying colours, 6500K is the "warmth" or colour temperature rating. Oh, if we talk you into the big tank, forget CFLs, too small.
Second question.... yes, you can change the parameters but it is not a great idea. The issue is that if you mess with the chemistry on one level, something else goes out of whack and you are always adding chemicals and messing with it to get it where you want, that's hard on the fish. The one exception would be if you have hard water, you can cut it with reverse osmosis water to reduce the hardness (GH). I have done this and it's not an issue BUT you have to have RO water available for water changes. The closer to your source water the tank parameters, the more likely you are to do regular frequent water changes.
If your water is 20dGH and 16dKH and you cut it half and half with RO water it effectively cuts to 10dGH and 8dKH and the pH may shift but it will be predictable.
Byron has good results adding Equilibrium to increase the hardness if it is low now that I think about it.
Messing with the pH is asking for trouble though.
What fish are you hankerin' fer?
Jeff.
This is all so confusing. It'll take me time to get all of this down. Hopefully I learn it sooner than later though. If I go with the 5 gallon, probably a betta with a few snails and at least two plants. If I go with the 55-Gallon though...I'm not sure if I even want to make it a freshwater. But since I'm a newbie, I might want to because saltwater will just confuse me on so many levels. What would you reccommend for the 55-Gallon if I were to do it?
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The 5 gallon betta is a decent first plan.
Do some reading here, the sticky posts are a good start. There are ones for plants, cycling, fish stocking and more. Ask questions. Get your water parameters GH, pH mainly, from the water utility.
Once you have those numbers, you can scan the profiles for fish that will fit them and that you might like. Many here have their preferences and experiences to make suggestions for your possible setup and fish combinations. Definitely look at plants.
Taking it slow isn't a bad thing, gives you time to get the info you need first.
If you go salt... You need to check out the salt water forum stuff.
Jeff.
Do some reading here, the sticky posts are a good start. There are ones for plants, cycling, fish stocking and more. Ask questions. Get your water parameters GH, pH mainly, from the water utility.
Once you have those numbers, you can scan the profiles for fish that will fit them and that you might like. Many here have their preferences and experiences to make suggestions for your possible setup and fish combinations. Definitely look at plants.
Taking it slow isn't a bad thing, gives you time to get the info you need first.
If you go salt... You need to check out the salt water forum stuff.
Jeff.
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1,243 Posts
Ditto on the planted betta tank
These guys prefer to live alone but there have been successful attempts to house them with other fish.
The bettas very easy to care for and come in a variety of tail types and colors.
These guys prefer to live alone but there have been successful attempts to house them with other fish.
The bettas very easy to care for and come in a variety of tail types and colors.
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Bettas are the pitbulls of the fish world. Misunderstood. Lol they get along well with other community fish , they just hate eachother. Its very important u just keep community fish with them though because any aggressive ones will nip their fins.
I have guppies, neon tetras, rams, and a cory cat with mine.
I have guppies, neon tetras, rams, and a cory cat with mine.
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Welcome aboard.
Be careful with the Betta promotion, it seems that we "Betta in a community tank" are the underground of the fish keeping community. Mine sleeps with the catfish and eats with the barbs. Although having said that, I wouldn't have done that mix except the Betta was first and I wanted to get him into our larger tank when it arrived.
Jeff.
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There is one guppy in the tank that causes the betta, or Bruce as my wife calls him, to flare up. Kinda funny. Never attacks, just puffs out his gills and the guppy swims away.
This is the second time I have housed a betta with other fish. Never had no problems.
This is the second time I have housed a betta with other fish. Never had no problems.
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Betta are not community fish, and I could cite a plethora of experts so this is not my thinking. It is simply fact.
Sometimes things work, oftentimes not. Individual fish--and here we are considering not just the Betta but the other fish, as the problems can be two-way--can be outside the norm. For the sake of the fish, it is always better to assume the normal rather than the exception.;-)
Byron.
Sometimes things work, oftentimes not. Individual fish--and here we are considering not just the Betta but the other fish, as the problems can be two-way--can be outside the norm. For the sake of the fish, it is always better to assume the normal rather than the exception.;-)
Byron.
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I agree.
I think that every time it comes up in my posts that I do have a betta in my tank it is by default rather than design and I provide the caveat that I would not recommend it and, usually, that I was lucky that it has.
I will also admit that it is working "so far" and it may not continue to be so sunshine and roses down the road, I don't know.
One last thing to mention; when I say there is no sign of aggression or nipping, our tank is on our main floor livingroom area which is an open concept living/dining/kitchen area where we spend the vast majority of our time, so we get to watch the fish a LOT as opposed to being in a room where we might only go to see the fish sometimes.
Jeff.
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5,142 Posts
Betta's are what they are, and may or may not get along with other fishes .(prolly not)
Large tank's would be preferrable to small ones if housing more than a single betta. (more room for territorial dispiutes).
Fish can turn nasty in an instant and larger tank provides more avenues for escape if needed.
I personally feel the Betta's are the most abused,misunderstood fish in the hobby,right behind goldfish.
But that is for another time/climate.
Large tank's would be preferrable to small ones if housing more than a single betta. (more room for territorial dispiutes).
Fish can turn nasty in an instant and larger tank provides more avenues for escape if needed.
I personally feel the Betta's are the most abused,misunderstood fish in the hobby,right behind goldfish.
But that is for another time/climate.
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