Suggestions For Fish Newbie

[xParadise]

Hi all,

I'm interested in getting a small aquarium for my (very) small apartment, to add some colour and life to it. I was thinking probably around 5 Gallons (~19L) but I'm not sure which fish to house in it and which ones get along. I remember as a kid I had a single Betta in a bowl (I now know that's incredibly cruel, but I had no idea at the time) and he lived for about 5 years. I'd be interested in getting another. I think it would be really neat to get some of those aquatic frogs and I'd like to have a "cleaner"-type creature in there (possibly snail, shrimp?) I just don't know anything about all this and I've been trying to research but there is just SO much information to sift through. So, I'm wondering what your recommendations are for my situation. I also don't have a TON of money, since I'm a struggling student. What are some inexpensive, easily compatible, hardy fish that are suitable for a beginner? Examples I listed are just simply ideas and I'm definitely not limiting myself to just that, all suggestions are welcome!

Thanks in advance!

 

[notg2009]

Hi all,

I'm interested in getting a small aquarium for my (very) small apartment, to add some colour and life to it. I was thinking probably around 5 Gallons (~19L) but I'm not sure which fish to house in it and which ones get along. I remember as a kid I had a single Betta in a bowl (I now know that's incredibly cruel, but I had no idea at the time) and he lived for about 5 years. I'd be interested in getting another. I think it would be really neat to get some of those aquatic frogs and I'd like to have a "cleaner"-type creature in there (possibly snail, shrimp?) I just don't know anything about all this and I've been trying to research but there is just SO much information to sift through. So, I'm wondering what your recommendations are for my situation. I also don't have a TON of money, since I'm a struggling student. What are some inexpensive, easily compatible, hardy fish that are suitable for a beginner? Examples I listed are just simply ideas and I'm definitely not limiting myself to just that, all suggestions are welcome!

Thanks in advance!

you can get 2 bettas and use a divider in the middle to keep them separated. If you want to get other fish, then go with the 1 inch of fish per gallon size, ie. one 1 inch neon occupies approximately 1 gallon. Also with most fish types a school of them is recommended, meaning 5 or more so that fish can feel secure and safe therefore more active. As for "cleaners" (bottom feeders) I love cory catfish, but you might need a school of them as well. Cory catfish, ottos, snails, etc can clean your tank TO SOME EXTENT, but still you need to do regular water change and cleaning as needed.
I understand that you want to save money (same here ), but you might find great deals on used tanks that people sell on websites such as www.craigslist.org/.

By the way, read up on how to start a tank from scratch (cycling, adding fish, etc.) on the web and this forum.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[Lolly123]

Hiya,

Like the above post says, your very first stop is reading up on how to cycle a tank, I'd recommend fishless cycling, but I always will as I think it is nicer to the fish.

Whatever you do and wherever you go, don't let them convince you that you can buy a tank one day and stick fish in it the next without any hard work. And don't let them talk you in to buying ' bottled bacteria ' that will cycle your tank in a day.....it won't, and you will have wasted some of your student budget we defo don't want that to happen!!

Regardless if you happen to fish in cycle or fishless cycle, you must purchase a decent test kit, for example API liquid kits for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and PH are the most essential. You must also be ready to spend time water changing and testing your water regularly to watch out for rising levels if you do fish-in.

Also think about that having a smaller tank comes hand in hand with having a lot of limitations, but if you are happy with having some very small fish or shrimp or a single betta then go for it, some nano tanks with bettas look lovely, esp if they are planted too.

And one last piece of advice, don't buy any fish until you are sure it will be suitable for your tank size and setup

Good luck

 

[xParadise]

Thanks for the reply! Of course I realize I'll still have to clean the tank, that's fine. And I've been reading up on cycling and that sort of thing, I'm not in any rush to buy any fish just yet, I'm going to work on getting everything set up first. I'm just wondering what fish are suitable for a 5 gallon tank and which you recommend putting together, and how many, etc.

 

[Lolly123]

well maybe 3 male guppies or a single betta...but not both by any means.

I've also seen the African dwarf frogs, but think they are picky about their diet and have bad eyesight so you kinda have to direct food to them at the start until they know where to go for it.

I know you are on a budget and 5 gallons is not a bad size, but if you possibly can find a good deal, a 10G would give you a few more choices, and I guess the extra room is always appreciated. Obviously, thats entirely up to you.

I like the varieties of shrimp, but heard they can be extremely sensitive so maybe you dont want to start with something very delicate.

 

[LoachLover]

What I ended up doing with a small 5 gallon aquarium, was buying a single male betta, and three corydoras catfish. I also put live plants in it, planted in a sandy soil. The plants are doing fantastic, and all my fish are very happy. In my experience betta's and cory's do very well together.

 

[xParadise]

Thanks for the advice! I'm definitely going to get all the supplies together in the next little while and work on cycling the tank and that sort of thing. Once I have all the water stuff figured out, I'll start looking into what fish I'm going to put in there. Thanks again.