Basic Reccomendation

[~FairyAngelFish~]

I really want to start off new, now finding out that the tank I now own is too small for most fish. I want to buy a new bigger tank, but not over 5 gallons. I have no clue what kind of fish to put in there! I was thinking on a beta but then the thought that they jump came to mind and I do not want to have to deal with that since I'm a bit scared BUT back to the story. Ya. I'm not an expert so I don't think I could deal with more than 4 fishes . And what ones aren't agressive? And ugh lol

Maybe I'll get some Danios. They look alright. Are they easy to care for and hardy? Please give me some ideas!

 

[StarOrbs]

You don't have too many choices with a 5 gallon tank, but I think danios would work.. But I'm sure someone who knows will post here soon..

 

[flautist]

I thought Danios had to be kept in groups of like, 5 or so...

Bettas do jump, but not very often... as long as you keep a lid on the tank that has air holes in it, it should be fine.

 

[~FairyAngelFish~]

I guess I could keep 5 but it would be only danios.

 

[modernhamlet]

You should definitely not keep danios in a 5g. They are fast and need plenty of swimming space. The only things I would keep in a 5g would be a betta, an ADF, or a few dwarf corys or otos.

If I may ask, why do you only want a 5g tank?

 

[~FairyAngelFish~]

What is an ADF? Because my parents don't want to be "responsible" for my own pets and so I have to keep the tank in my bedroom and I have a table that's 17X24 in. in surface. I'm not an adult so... I want to be able to maintain it. What size gallons would fit on my table?

 

[NinjaSmurf]

Um, I could fit my tall thirty gallon on that table. If you get a tall tank you can get more gallons, but if your looking for something short I know for a fact that a ten gallon would fit on there.


Oh, ADF stand for African Dwarf Frog, not to be confused with a ACF, African clawed frog, which will grow large and eat anything it can fit in it's mouth. They are small aquatic frogs that don't need dry land and stay pretty small.

Tanks aren't that hard to take care of once you get the basics down, cycling (check out the pinned posts) water changes, picking the right fish, water testing... It's actually easy once you get the main rules down pat.

 

[WILDER]

I don't think you could get a very big tank on that size of desk ,maybe a 8 to 9 gal then you could go for some platys or guppys.

 

[modernhamlet]

As odd as it may sound, larger tanks are actually easier to maintain than smaller ones. They tend to be more stable as well.

That said, 24" x 17" is a pretty small table. How sturdy is it? It's important to have a very sturdy stand for your tank because even a 5 gallon tank is going to weight upwards of 50 lbs.

If it's a good solid table (you can sit on it and it feels very stable/strong), then I would suggest a 10g tank. The 10g will give you several more options on what and how many fish you can keep compared to the 5g. A 20g long is an even better starter tank with many more fish options, but unfortunately wouldn't fit in your space.

Good luck!

 

[glolite]

Agree with Modernhamlet about the danios, my 4 leopard danios are in an 11g and even that's too small. Will be moving them to 45g tank when it's cycled.

For a 10g tank guppies are good to start with but they breed live babies every 3-4 weeks so may be best to stick to one sex if you don't wan't lots of fish. Neon tetras look nice aswell.

 

[~FairyAngelFish~]

Oh! See I thought that size of tank would be a 5 gallon or something close to that. I didn't want a tall tank because I heard the fish gasp for air. Maybe that was just goldfish... I'm not so sure on the stability of the table... It's a few years old. Yes I probably sound very un smart right now but I still have years of schooling to go so haha help me out here. Oh no no more neon tetras! haha Any other small fish you can think of?

 

[nino]

did you figure out if your table will support a ten gallon? first figure out which kind of tank you want to get. this way we can help you with stocking it.
keep in mind, with five tanks, your options are going to be rather limited.

 

[~FairyAngelFish~]

I want a basic horizontal tank. I didn't figure out yet despite the fact that my small gallon tank is on it right now.

 

[clutterydrawer]

be careful putting a tbnk on a table, tanks are heavy and tables are weak.

my friend has an 8gallon (18x10x10) on a slighlty wobbly old table that we found on her attic, and it ahsnt collapsed yet. remember that the bigger the tnak the healthier and ahppier your fish will be.

 

[FrAnK3333]

i still have years of school left and i have a 20L gallon and i want more lke a 55 gallon, but thats in the future. id go for the 10 gallon, maybe even a 15 gallon. but thing ios to research some tanks and use the dimensions and find out the most gallons and what would be stable for the table. as for air jsut get a air pump and an air stone. I would stock it with some sort of tetra.