I’m thinking of getting one of those small novelty fish aquariums, actually one small enought to fit on my …
by Aquaboy on Monday, July 26th, 2010 | 10 Comments
… desk. It’s about 5 gallons. How many fish can fit in that size and be healthy? I was hoping 4, one of which will be the resident gold fish. What other breeds of fish can survive together in a small environment like the one I am thinking of purchasing ?
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Each fish needs one gallon per inch. So if you are getting small fish (1 inch or less when full grown) a five gallon tank will be perfect for 4 fish. You may want to discuss with a local pet store which fish will co-exist well together. Good luck!
If you get really tiny fish, then you can put 4 in there no problem. Something like neons would be fine in a tank that size. Otherwise you might wanna get one big fish like a goldfish or an angel fish and then a couple smaller fish. Also you might consider getting a tiny crab (they’re so cute) or a shrimp to put in there.
I asked the exact same question today. Here is the link to my post so that you can get all the helpful advice that i received.
Select a small quantity of tropicals that max out at two inches or less. This pretty much rules out keeping a goldfish. Stock a tank based on the adult size of the fish, and not size at purchase (which is often significantly smaller).
Goldfish are inherently incompatible with small tanks due to the waste they produce and the size they attain. If you desire to have a gold fish AND keep it healthy, you’ll need a larger tank. Keeping it in a 5gal will inevitably lead to water quality issues which lead to fish health issues which lead to fish losses.
A 5gal tank would be ideal for a single male betta.
A goldfish needs 10 gallons (more as adults) all to itself, so don’t put him in.
As long as it has a filter and heat, get Zebra or Leopard Danios. They stay super small and you can get 4-5.
A betta will be happy. Just one though.
You can forget this stuff for keeping fish. Its cruelty to animals, too small.
Shrimps would be OK. You dont need no filtering and heater.
Please do not listen to the “1 inch per gallon”. This is ONLY true for small bodied fish such as tetra’s.
Unfortunately you cannot have any goldfish in a 5 gallon aquarium. Goldfish get to be 12+ inches long and need to have 50+ gallons PER FISH to be healthy.
In a 5 gallon tank you are going to be able to keep fish that get to around 1″ in size as adults.
This includes many of the tetra family.
I would recommend that you get a couple of tetras, and a couple of white cloud minnows. Or you could get a couple of Guppies and a couple of tetras.
Whoops edited to say Guppies instead of goldfish in that last line.
I have a 5 gallon tank too. They are great!! Small fish can fit in it and be comfy, ones that grow to about 1.5 inches since you want four. When you purchase the goldfish, make sure it is a kind that doesn’t grow to be two feet long, those you have to watch out for!! Hope this helps!!
All goldfish have the potential to grow huge, there are no varieties that can’t grow over a foot in length. Goldfish also need 10+ gallons per fish to stay healthy. For a 5 gallon consider swordtails, platies, or barbs for something colorful. A group of female bettas is also colorful and fun to watch.
You can keep a betta or even an oscar. but it has to be only one. Fish tend to stay the same size if the tank doesn’t increase in size.