New 6 Gallon Tank

[Joe_Shafe]

I recently bought a 5.5 (in reality more like 6) gallon tank from my LPS. It came with a filter light and the tank. I know I should've got a larger tank but I don't have the money and I knew I could get away with a couple fish maybe (hopefully) more. I currently have two female Platys living happily in it as well as a Ghost Shrimp named "Bubba". I have a live plant, two good sized rocks, a large relic castle decoration, an air stone, and black gravel as a substrate inside the tank now.

What I would like to know is would it be a good idea to add anymore fish, and if so what kind, and should I add anymore ghost shrimp. I like Gouramis, and I really like the Galaxy Rasbaros. But I read that the Rasbaros were hard to come by and may be being threatened by too many people buying them. So I didn't know if it would be advised to try and buy a couple or not.

Any help on what fish to buy I'm open to all suggestions and anything else with my tank you think you could help with would be great. I want to provide the best habitat and life for my fish while also keeping myself entertained.

Thanks,
- Joe

 

[AquaticHamster]

I think the fish you have in there are enough. With a tank that size you must must MUST be careful with stocking. It can very easily become crowded.

As for the fish you want..
Gouramis should really only be in ten gallons or more. You could maybe put in a sparkling gourami since they are fairly small and easy going. A couple more shrimp could go in too but other than that I wouldnt add anymore. The two platies should probably be in a bigger tank even, since they are so active. I would highly recommend an upgrade when you can afford it.

Oh, and I dont know anything about galaxy rasboras. I'm more into harlequins.

 

[Em29]

Sorry but Platies are too big and active for a 6 gallon! I made exactly the same mistake for a while but have now moved the platies into a 90l tank. The difference in their behaviour is incredible. They actually grow quite large and are very active swimmers that need space.

Please do not put any other fish in with them in such a small tank and upgrade whenever you can? I am sure if you put anymore fish in there you will struggle to keep the water quality good and the fish healthy.

You sound like you want to do the best for your fish

 

[faildeadly]

In a 5.5 (or 6) gallon tank, your only options really are a betta (siamese fighter) or shrimp. As mentioned above, platys are too active for a tank that size. Could you maybe look at re-homing the platys and then re-stocking with something else?

 

[Joe_Shafe]

Thanks for the replies guys. I just found a 10 gallon for free from my friend however I don't have a lighting system or filter for it. I'm low on cash and I don't know if I can afford a new filter and hood/lighting system. I'd really love to upgrade to the larger tank but I'm not sure how at this point with what I have. Any suggestions, could I DIY a filter or hood. Thanks again for the help.

 

[Em29]

I am not sure if you can move the filter from the 6g over to the 10g? What type of filter is it? You can make shift a hood out of something maybe...any pics maybe? Upload onto a host website and then paste in the URL into your reply.