8 Gallon Tank

[clja]

i was wondering if anyone cud help me by tellin me how many fish i cud keep in an 8 gallon tank in terms of different communities, any ideas wud b helpful in terms of what fish, i jus need to no wat goes wel and how many wud fit.

 

[cowboy507]

not too many fish. you have a stocking limit of 8 in of fish. maybe a little more.
this will rule out most shoaling fish, except for the small ones that only get about 1 in, but then you can only add that species.
shoaling: neon tetras will be fine (8-10 of these), galaxy rasboras, panda cories
a male betta will be fine.
a few female bettas
a dwarf puffer
shrimp tank

you will have a few options.

stay away from common plecs. most algae eaters that your lfs will try and sell you, these will get to big.

 

[clja]

not too many fish. you have a stocking limit of 8 in of fish. maybe a little more.
this will rule out most shoaling fish, except for the small ones that only get about 1 in, but then you can only add that species.
shoaling: neon tetras will be fine (8-10 of these), galaxy rasboras, panda cories
a male betta will be fine.
a few female bettas
a dwarf puffer
shrimp tank

you will have a few options.

stay away from common plecs. most algae eaters that your lfs will try and sell you, these will get to big.

ah ok thanks for the help.
Would neon or threadfin rainbows work well in an 8 gallon tank?
how many would fit if i was to have a small shoaling community too?
which small community would work best?

 

[HYJ]

Few years ago, I kept 9 neons in 5 gallon tank..(I added them slowly, not all at once though) and they did fine with the weekly partial water change..so I guess you could have little more than that.

But neons are smaller than other small tetras, so probably fewer numbers if you choose to keep other tetras.

If I had a 8 gallon tank, I would probably get 6 neons and 3~4 male guppies

 

[kizno1]

a betta and 5 pygmy corys
pair of honey gouramis and a few corys
1 dwarf puffer
livebearers
tetras

Would neon or threadfin rainbows work well in an 8 gallon tank?

the tanks to small for threadfins they need a min of 20g

 

[clja]

a betta and 5 pygmy corys
pair of honey gouramis and a few corys
1 dwarf puffer
livebearers
tetras

Would neon or threadfin rainbows work well in an 8 gallon tank?

the tanks to small for threadfins they need a min of 20g

ok thanks very much for the help.
i like the idea of tetras and guppys i fink they wud work well.
if it was to be a livebearer only tank which ones work best together and how many?
and what if it was a tetra only tank?

 

[waterdrop]

Hi clja and welcome to the forum,

I see you're getting good advice about types and amount of fish.

May I mention that we always like to ask newcomers if they've had access to information regarding the preparation of a tank before it can have fish. It can take up to 2 months or more to prepare a tank that's ready for fish and we find that the majority of beginners (if indeed that's what you are) have been misinformed about this by their local shop.

The members here are great at helping with this and there are writeups in our beginners center and lot's of fun threads of conversation to follow of other beginners.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[HYJ]

If you want livebearer tank, you would want to get only one sex, ohterwise they would reproduce offsprings very quickly.

If you decide to get male guppies, you can get about 8~10 of them in a "fully cycled tank" because they are smaller than other livebearers such as platy or swordtails.

In other words, if you decide to get platys, you should get fewer numbers, probably like 6~7.. and I think swordtails need bigger tank because of their size and they are bit more aggressive.

If you decide to get tetras, you can probabaly stock your tank with 12~15 neons in a fully cylced tank..and in the case you keep up with your partial weekly change. I assume this makes sense, because as I have said, I was fine with 9 neons in a 5 gallon tank that was fully cycled.

Tetras like to be in groups so if you want to get more than one species, you could get two different kinds..probably something like 6 neons and 5 other tetras that are bit bigger than neons.

Personally, I think neons go well with glowlight tetras because of the color contrast (blue neons and orange glowlights).

They look very colorful and pretty in a tank with dark gravels.

In either case of guppies+neons combo or other tetra+neons combo, make sure you add the fishes slowly and add the neons later, because neons tend to die easily in new tanks.

a betta and 5 pygmy corys
pair of honey gouramis and a few corys
1 dwarf puffer
livebearers
tetras

Would neon or threadfin rainbows work well in an 8 gallon tank?

the tanks to small for threadfins they need a min of 20g

ok thanks very much for the help.
i like the idea of tetras and guppys i fink they wud work well.
if it was to be a livebearer only tank which ones work best together and how many?
and what if it was a tetra only tank?

 

[clja]

If you want livebearer tank, you would want to get only one sex, ohterwise they would reproduce offsprings very quickly.

If you decide to get male guppies, you can get about 8~10 of them in a "fully cycled tank" because they are smaller than other livebearers such as platy or swordtails.

In other words, if you decide to get platys, you should get fewer numbers, probably like 6~7.. and I think swordtails need bigger tank because of their size and they are bit more aggressive.

If you decide to get tetras, you can probabaly stock your tank with 12~15 neons in a fully cylced tank..and in the case you keep up with your partial weekly change. I assume this makes sense, because as I have said, I was fine with 9 neons in a 5 gallon tank that was fully cycled.

Tetras like to be in groups so if you want to get more than one species, you could get two different kinds..probably something like 6 neons and 5 other tetras that are bit bigger than neons.

Personally, I think neons go well with glowlight tetras because of the color contrast (blue neons and orange glowlights).

They look very colorful and pretty in a tank with dark gravels.

In either case of guppies+neons combo or other tetra+neons combo, make sure you add the fishes slowly and add the neons later, because neons tend to die easily in new tanks.

a betta and 5 pygmy corys
pair of honey gouramis and a few corys
1 dwarf puffer
livebearers
tetras

Would neon or threadfin rainbows work well in an 8 gallon tank?

the tanks to small for threadfins they need a min of 20g

ok thanks very much for the help.
i like the idea of tetras and guppys i fink they wud work well.
if it was to be a livebearer only tank which ones work best together and how many?
and what if it was a tetra only tank?

ok thanks very much for the help i like the idea of a livebeaerer tank so think i might go with that.
thanks

 

[Winterlily]

Hi and welcome!

a betta and 5 pygmy corys

While it doesn't sound like you were interested in this choice, I just wanted to interject just in case. Not all bettas will tolerate tankmates. It very much depends on the betta. One of my males, for example, might but the other would absolutely not - bottom dweller like a cory or not. If you were thinking this way, get the other fish established in the tank FIRST, then add the betta and watch like a hawk for a few days, being ready to separate (and re-home) if necessary. Again, some male bettas are fine even in community tanks (though I personally wouldn't do this - they should be living alone imo), and some definitely do okay with peaceful bottom dwellers, it depends wholly on the personality of the betta.

Just something to keep in mind!