# Quick 5 Gal Stocking Question



## SongCloud (Aug 30, 2005)

Hey all!!

Just a quick post to see what you all think of my plan! I have a 5 Gal Eclipse Corner tank and am looking to change/add to what I have in there. It is a medium planted tank right now, bit I will add more plants to it shortly. As of right now I have a baby java fern that I separated from the parent one on another tank, about 10-15 dwarf sags that are sending out runners, 1 weak banana plant (no bananas left on it as it was sickly looking when I got it), and 1 very happy melon sword. Substrate is Eco-complete, and the tank will have DIY Co2 and nighttime aeration to keep things in check. 

Into this tank I would like to put 5 neon tetras, 3 x-ray tetras, and a blue dwarf Gourami. The Mystery Snail that is already at home in there along with some misc. pond snails and a few MTS will also stay, perhaps with 2-3 ghost shrimp cleaning crew. 

Ok, question time . . . . does this sound like too much to stuff into a 5 gal tank?? I think with the plants and the added aeration at night they should be fine, but please let me know what you all think!! 

I might just scrap the Gourami as I have not yet purchased it, but I think it would ba a nice addition. Any help or insights would be great! Thanks!!!!


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

Just my cheap advice, but I'd probably leave out the gourami. You'll have plenty of critters with the tetras. I'm sure that you could probably get away with even more fish than you have listed, but water quality and algae issues pick up at the higher stocking levels.


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## kelliope (Apr 13, 2006)

I have had 5 neon tetras in a 5 gallon and they didn't do well at all. And I am religous about my water changes. It was a planted tank and looked beautiful but the fish suffered in such a small tank. I lost two and was down to three. I moved them into my large 36 gallon and they are doing great now. Much healthier.

I then tried 3 male guppies in the 5 gallon. Same thing. They did ok at first then started to decline then died. The guppies I had in my 30 gallon tank I got at the same time as these dead guppies and they are still doing great in the 30 gallon.

Then I got bettas for the 5 gallon and they are awesome! They do great in there and look beautiful. They are active and gorgeous.

IMHO, the only fish for a 5 gallon is a betta and even they wouldn't mind a bit more room if they had the opportunity. I will never again keep anything other than a betta in a 5 gallon.

Here are two of my bettas in their respective 5 gallon tanks.


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

I agree, I don't think any of the fish you would like to add would do well at all in a 5 gallon. The Gourami's are definitely out.

In addition to one Betta, you could probably add a few dwarf Cory's.

Otherwise, a 5 gallon would be a nice tank for a few shrimp.


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## kelliope (Apr 13, 2006)

Even my little panda and false julii cories didn't do well in 5 gallons. I had them in there 2 at a time for quarantine and they didn't seem to be doing well at all. I took a chance and put them in the large tanks and now they are fat, happy and quite active.


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## SongCloud (Aug 30, 2005)

Well, thanks for the replies. 

I currently have 3 indian glassfish (non-painted!) in there that are doing just great, but since their water params and the molies that I have in the 10 gal are the same, I was going to put the 2 together in the 10 gal and have the tetras that I currently have (2 neons and 3 X-rays) move into the 5Gal. I figured that with the smaller sizes of the tetras, they should be fine, but perhaps I'll just leave well enough alone. Thanks for the opinions!


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## madcaow (Jul 31, 2006)

kelliope said:


>


rad. can u post a pic of the full tanks??

ive got a 5g with one betta in it. hes lovin it.


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## Burks (May 25, 2006)

Gourami's are messy little critters. I've found that they can be somewhat agressive toward other fish in smaller tanks, various species of gourami's too.

Kelliope, I love the second betta. Never seen one quite like that!


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## kelliope (Apr 13, 2006)

Madcaow, I will get a picture tonight and post it.

Burks, thanks - I love him too. He is quite beautiful - even more so in person.

Here is one more pic of him:


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## kelliope (Apr 13, 2006)

Here is his tank - his is my least favorite:









and my other guys tank:









Bettas Rock! :supz:


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## SongCloud (Aug 30, 2005)

Those are some awesome tanks!! Eclipse 5 Gal hex, huh? What kinds of plants are those in there?? i think I see a sword, and some rotala . . . . Is it low tech, or Co2 injected?? now I'm thinking about scrapping the whole thing and getting just a betta for the 5 gal. 

I had a betta in with the mollie and tetras in the 10 gal and he did great, lived for another 2 years or so after I rescued him from the centerpiece at a wedding ( :frusty: GRRRRR :mad2: ). I saw a beautiful platinum crowntail with some streaks of dark blue on his fins at the LFS yesterday. Now i wish I had picked him up . . . . . hopefully he is still there when I go back tonight. out:

Great tanks kelliope!!! rayer:


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## kelliope (Apr 13, 2006)

Thanks! Bettas are in my opinion, one of the absolute best fish! Mine have been very hardy, have never been sick and are so beautiful and personable.

The tanks have no co2 or ferts. They are super easy to care for and do water changes on. I just used a substrate of pure laterite (usually available at PetSmart) topped with plain aquarium gravel. The light that comes with the 5 gallon hex (if it is the flourescent one) does a great job with lighting. The plants always grow great.

I think the laterite is the most important part of the equation.

Good luck!!! I hope your betta is still there!


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## madcaow (Jul 31, 2006)

is it a 6watt lamp in your hex tank??


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## kelliope (Apr 13, 2006)

It's a 10 watt flourescent bulb from Wal-Mart for $4.95.


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