How Many?

[AlSkDjFhG]

Hi just joined the forum.
Ive always gone by the one inch per gallon rule when picking fish, but have been told its wrong which makes sense because of the body mass of an oscar is a lot more than a tetra and stuff, but is there any general rule of thumb when picking fish??

Also how many neon tetras can i put in a 5.5 gallon tank that is 16ins wide by 8 inches deep and 10 ins tall??
Thanks and thanks for any replys

 

[orange shark]

you cant put any in a 5.5 gallon as they need a lot of swimming space and are shoaling fish so you cant have less than 6

 

[stang1]

Orange Shark is right, they need a 10G tank minimum as they are active.
Have you considered a male Betta for that size tank?
If not, how about a couple of Dwarf Puffers?

 

[AlSkDjFhG]

Ive never seen any dwarf puffers. Are they hard to get?? How expensive??

 

[stang1]

If they haven't got any at your lfs then they may be able to order some in. They vary from shop to shop when it comes to price. My lfs are selling them for about £9 at the moment although you may well find them cheaper.
Have a look at the pinned topic about Dwarf Puffers to get a better idea about them.

 

[Matty P]

Dwarf Puffers are great little fish with a great personality. Highly recommended!

 

[AlSkDjFhG]

I was looking at a thread started by orange shark and saw a link to small planted aquariums. Ive seen multiple tanks that are 5 gallons with many fish. One tank had like 12 fish including tetras and guppies. I still couldnt keep a small group of tetras even if I did like 50% water changes one to two times a week, or is this more of a concern of swimming space??

 

[Musho3210]

people keep goldfish in bowls all the time, doesnt mean its right....

Its more to do with swimming space, and honestly i find dwarf puffers much more entertaining than neons....

 

[Matty P]

honestly i find dwarf puffers much more entertaining than neons....

Definately