Foolproof 5G For Kids

[RobynR]

I introduced myself in the appropriate section, but for background here I had fish before, learned all about cycling and so on, but it's been a few years. At the request of my kids I'm looking at dusting off my old 5-gallon betta tank. My boys are 5 and 3, and have been asking for a fish for a little while. I don't mind fish upkeep, and they've offered to do other chores in exchange. Seems fair, and I don't mind an excuse to have a fish again. They help feed our cats every day, so they've got an age-appropriate understanding of pet care and they know not to tap on the side of the tank and so on.
 
My goal here is something the kids can watch and enjoy that will thrive in the tank and be forgiving if I make some mistakes while relearning things. Nothing fragile or super sensitive, nothing fancy, just a simple most-likely-to-succeed setup. My first thought is that that's probably a betta, but I'm here for advice so let me know if I'm wrong. The lady at the pet store showed us guppies, Endlers, mollies, platys, barbs, danios and a few types of tetra. Most of those seemed a little large or active for a small tank, given what I've read, and I really don't want to push anything. The oldest really likes guppies, but I'm telling him about where bettas live in Thailand in the big rice paddies and I think that'll do the trick. They're also intrigued by the large snails, which I've never kept before.
 
The tank is a standard 5-gallon (not a hex or anything), the filter is rated for 5-10 gallons (I think I put some plants/decorations in front of the output when I had a betta in it before), I need to get a new heater (I'm looking at an eheim jager, 25 watts), I'll do a fishless cycle first, make sure to use dechlorinator, small amounts of food, and water changes once or twice a week. I have black flourite from before, and I assume I could reuse that and maybe have some luck with a few simple plants.
 
So -- your best advice on a foolproof setup? Many thanks!

 

[lrhodes]

I just turned out 5 gallon into a Betta tank! They are good for kids because they come in so many colors! We had guppies in it before. Our mistake was having female and male.... You could easily put like three male guppies in there. though a beta would probably be more hardy. They do live in not the most ideal eater conditions in the wild! Sobi think you'd have more room for error!
 
I have a two year old... And I really wish he understood how fragile fish are! The new thing for him is catching guppies! Not good!

Sorry for the typos. I hate this phone...

 

[Jeremy180]

+1 on the single betta.
African clawed frogs are pretty tough too, but even one of them by itself might be pushing the stocking limit in a 5 gal.

 

[RobynR]

The major plus for guppies would be that they could each have "their" fish, and if something happened to one at least there would still be one or two more -- maybe less traumatic. All males, though; less complicated is good.
 
I think I'd pass on the frog idea -- not familiar with them, and if one would be pushing the stocking limit that's not the direction I'd like to go. We'll occasionally be out of town for a week or so at a time (once or twice a year), and I don't want to have the petsitter doing water changes if possible. He's a good kid, but it's easy to make a mistake.
 
I've had a couple of bettas in the past and neither lived as long as it seemed like they should. They were from PetCo so it could just be that they weren't very healthy to begin with, but I don't think either made it past a year. That makes me a little nervous... but the pet store where I shop now is a local place and they take good care of their critters. They're mostly about birds, but the fish seem healthy and well cared for. They keep most of their bettas in tanks with the community fish, one per tank. The ones that aren't in tanks are in good-sized bowls and vases that always look pristine.

 

[Wildbetta]

A single betta and a mystery snail (the large snail) would work out just fine in a 5 gallon.  Most other options are not as "forgiving".  Bettas are normally pretty hardy as long as you have a heater (temp of water at no lower than 78F consistently) and do not overfeed.  The snails are pretty easy as well and most bettas do not mind one of the snails. 

 

[BelldandyShanny]

consider a small group of white clouds, they are a better in cooler water so you may be able to get away without a heater.  To quote wikipedia:
 
"White Cloud Mountain minnows are considered good fish for beginners, especially young children, as they are extremely forgiving with regard to aquarium temperature and water quality. The White Cloud Mountain minnows are very easy to look after, and require regular fish food. They are often sold as ideal "starter fish" for cycling a new aquarium, however it is kinder if they are introduced to an already cycled tank. They are shoaling fish, and feel most comfortable in a group of at least five. An individual of these minnows kept alone may become timid and lose its bright color. White Clouds are generally peaceful and happy to coexist with other fish, as long as they are not put in a tank with larger fish that may eat them. The minnows are usually top or middle-level swimmers and rarely swim close to the bottom of a tank."
 
I think you'll be fine with a group of five in a five gallon, provided there's nothing else in there.  Hope that helps.
 
Edit: if it were a bigger tank I'd suggest dojo loach to hang about the bottom.  They are great!

 

[Blondielovesfish]

consider a small group of white clouds, they are a better in cooler water so you may be able to get away without a heater.  To quote wikipedia:
 
"White Cloud Mountain minnows are considered good fish for beginners, especially young children, as they are extremely forgiving with regard to aquarium temperature and water quality. The White Cloud Mountain minnows are very easy to look after, and require regular fish food. They are often sold as ideal "starter fish" for cycling a new aquarium, however it is kinder if they are introduced to an already cycled tank. They are shoaling fish, and feel most comfortable in a group of at least five. An individual of these minnows kept alone may become timid and lose its bright color. White Clouds are generally peaceful and happy to coexist with other fish, as long as they are not put in a tank with larger fish that may eat them. The minnows are usually top or middle-level swimmers and rarely swim close to the bottom of a tank."
 
I think you'll be fine with a group of five in a five gallon, provided there's nothing else in there.  Hope that helps.
 
Edit: if it were a bigger tank I'd suggest dojo loach to hang about the bottom.  They are great!

 
WCMM are too active for a 5G unfortunately
 
OP, have a look at our nano tank suggestion thread, found HERE, it should give you some ideas

 

[RobynR]

I did see the nano tank list -- it was great. Thanks to those who put it together!
 
So what I'm seeing on the list that looks most doable for us is:
a) A betta and a snail
b) Three male guppies (or 1m 2f)
c) Five male endlers (or 2m 4f)
 
The kids are pretty interested in guppies or endlers, and our local pet store gets their endlers locally so the lady said they tend to be hardier since they haven't been shipped (I assume it also helps that they don't have to acclimate to local water conditions). If they're still interested in endlers by the time the tank is set up and cycled, would that be as good an option as a betta?
 
If we did go with endlers, my assumption is that life will be easier if I get all males -- is that correct? I'm only planning on the one tank so I wouldn't have anywhere to separate the fry until they were old enough to take back to the store or anything like that, and I don't have any specialized equipment of any sort for taking care of fry.

 

[lrhodes]

I would stick with all males.

 

[BelldandyShanny]

they breed like rabbits, just like guppies, cause, they basically are guppies, so avoid females unless you'd rather have all females, which isn't as pretty.

 

[RobynR]

Well, now the kids are pretty obsessed with bettas. Works for me... if they'll make up their minds and stick to it.   Now I'm working on sorting out equipment issues (the heater may be dead, but I'm inquiring into the warranty).
 
Here's another fun question: what do you do when you're gone for a few days? The longest we're ever gone is about a week, so I'm thinking water changes could just wait till we get home (rather than risk someone making a mistake). We pay a neighbor boy to come over twice a day to take care of our cats. Would it work to just ask him to give the fish a few pellets while he's here, if I leave very specific instructions as to how much? I could even put the daily portions of food in little plastic cups to avoid overfeeding, maybe. My husband is worried about it, because the last time we had fish we had major problems while I was away for a few days (unplanned) and we wound up losing most of the tank. I'm still not sure exactly what happened since I wasn't there, but I had gotten some new cardinal tetras and I think some of them died and didn't get taken care of and tank conditions detoriorated.

 

[hobby5]

I could even put the daily portions of food in little plastic cups to avoid overfeeding, maybe.

 
If you only go away for a week, they can survive without any maintenace easily. If you want anyone to feed them, prepare it fool proof, as described above. If somebody comes along anyway, make him check the temp. every day (best would be if you could turn off the heater for the whole time, because they get stuck in heating mode sometimes.)

 

[BelldandyShanny]

bettas should be fed every other day at the most frequent, skipping two days in a row won't hurt them.  As for the water, change it before you leave, and once you get back, or if you trust your cat feeder, if you keep your betta cups that you got them in, just have them scoop out a cups worth of old water and replace with new water, if you do that in the middle of your away time should be fine.

 

[Blondielovesfish]

Bettas will be fine going without food, I know someone that left hers for 10 days without food and he was perfectly fine.
 
Before you leave, do a 90% water change and then another 90% when you get home. The water quality shouldn't deteriorate too much in that time.
 
I would leave the heater on, otherwise the tank could experience big temperature swings, which would stress the fish. It could also get too cold, which could kill your fish

 

[hobby5]

I would leave the heater on, otherwise the tank could experience big temperature swings, which would stress the fish. It could also get too cold, which could kill your fish

Why would temp swing stress the fish? That is natural and happens in nature any day? Imho constant hight temp is much more detrimental for fish health than some temp swings, as long as they are within an acceptable range.