# what freshwatr fish can live together in a 5 gallon aquarium



## ron4th (Nov 15, 2007)

I recently bought my little sister a 5 gallon freshwater aquarium, and I want to have a few different species living in it. I was thinking maybe a few tetras or guppies and a few other kinds of fish, maybe one alge eater.NO GOLDFISH

HOW MANY FISH CAN I PUT IN THIS 5 GALLON COMMUNITY TANK?

WHAT FRESHWATER FISH ARE COMPATIBLE TO LIVE TOGETHER IN A 5 GALLON TANK?

ps: would it be possible to have a male betta living in the aquarium aswell


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## It'sJames (Nov 15, 2007)

I have a 5g and a 5.5g. You're pretty limited with a 5g (putting in more than one species is difficult), but these are some things I've found. I've not owned them all, but I think they would work out fairly well. (Do you have a heater and filter? Is it a standard aquarium?)
- Sparkling (or Croaking) Gourami: Very pretty, prefer live plants though. About 1.5in, so maybe keep 2 or 3? 
- African dwarf frogs: These make great pets! I know they're not fish, but they're very interesting and easy to care for. Maybe you could try one betta (male or female) and 2 ADFs?
- Betta: Good community members, if the other species in the aquarium are not bettas, or anything that looks like a betta.
- Neon or Glowlight Tetras: Keep them in a small school, 4 minimum and no more than 7.
- Dwarf puffers (freshwater): I'm currently trying to find these in my area, for a 5.5g tank. I've noticed that most places that sell "dwarf puffers" are really selling spotted puffers, a much larger fish. They can be aggressive, so you must be careful not to overcrowd. I would put no more than 2 in a 5g.

Small cory cats (pick up what other fish leave behind and fun to watch, but keep more than one), dwarf gouramis, platys (4 or 5), guppies, or another small tetra may also work. Tetras and guppies together may be tuff, because both like to be in schools. Many of the smaller species prefer to be in schools, so mixing species would get a little cramped. I'm not an expert, but through all the searching I've done for my 5 gallons, this is what I've found. Hope it helps.


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## ron4th (Nov 15, 2007)

thank you for the fast and very helpfull response
yes i bought a Elite-Stingray 5, Underwater Filter made by hagan( which im not sure if it is the right kind by the way)
and yes its a standard 5G rectangular glass tank.
I do have a male betta that i would like to put in aswell if it would get along in a community tank, but i can keep him alone in his tank if i find some nice fish to put in the 5G tank instead.
thanks for the help


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

ron4th said:


> thank you for the fast and very helpfull response
> yes i bought a Elite-Stingray 5, Underwater Filter made by hagan( which im not sure if it is the right kind by the way)
> and yes its a standard 5G rectangular glass tank.
> I do have a male betta that i would like to put in aswell if it would get along in a community tank, but i can keep him alone in his tank if i find some nice fish to put in the 5G tank instead.
> thanks for the help


Keep the betta by itself. For a 5g, I'd put only sparkling 2-3 gouramis in it. These are very easy to keep whereas otos may not tolerate the extreme changes in water conditions in a small tank. Remember that a small tank has more extremities in comparison to a larger tank.


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## Falina (Feb 25, 2007)

What tank do you currently have your betta in? If you currently have him in a very small tank perhaps you could move him to the 5g by himself and give him a much better home? I find that bettas are great fish to keep when they have a bit of space.


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## sillypony (Nov 16, 2007)

I'm seconding Falina's motion on the Betta. My betta loves to swim around, i can't imagine having him in a little jar. 

If the betta already has a sizeable home, I would just recommend making sure not to over stock. I have a 55 and a 10, and I have to do more water changes on the 10, and it's much more sensitive to changes, even though its way under stocked. Not fun.

IF you try to make a community with the betta, make sure it is small, easy going fish that WON"T NIP HIS FINS. Neon tetras, for example, would shred his tail. Also, some bettas (i've read) will attack tankmates even if they don't look like bettas.

I've read that cory cats do well with bettas, but that would be hard to do in a 5 gallon b/c they are supposed to be kept in groups of at least 3.

Best of luck, I'm eager to hear what you stock in it.


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