5 gallon fancy guppy tank

[ctaggart]

My girlfriend wants my 5 gallon tank setup that I'll no longer be using. She wants to keep fancy guppies. I currently have a HOB 15 gallon filter for it. Would this be too small to responsibly keep guppies in? Dedicated 25% water changes would be done ever week along with a gravel siphoning every month. Whattya think? Of course 10 gallons would be better, but so would 20. Where does it end? Opinions are valued. Thanks.

[Red]

IMO guppies should be kept in nothing smaller then a 10 and that should be a unisex tank. They would reproduce to much for the bioload.

[cocoa_pleco]

i would say 4 females where there is no chance of fry is alright, i would put some live plants in though (a few java fern)

[ctaggart]

Can 4 males not be housed together without a female?

[cocoa_pleco]

might be some aggression issues but you could give it a try

[ctaggart]

Ok, lets break this down to the real issue. My 22 y/o girlfriend wants fancy guppies because they're pretty. Lets maybe figure out an acceptable alternative to the guppies that she'll like. Must be relatively hardy and relatively good looking. She loves goofy looking/acting animals too. Thoughts/comments/suggestions?

[Heliwyr]

A very small school of ember tetras? Or maybe a betta. Or a peacock gudgeon. Hmm... Endler's live bearers? They would have to have the same rules as the guppies, though. Perhaps a cherry shrimp tank?

Ohh, if you can find them, Scarlet Badis (dario dario) would be very fun. Not more than 3 stocked, I would say.

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[Mvjnz]

For a funny fish with personality I'd definitely go with a betta. They are happy by themselves in a tank, so it will have enough room in a 5G, and to control algae you could also get a mystery snail or some shrimp. (For shrimp you'd need lots of plants and hiding places so the betta doesn't pick on them.)

Only problem with the betta is that it doesn't like a strong current, so you'd have to maybe modify the filter or get lots of plants to put in front of the filter. Also HOBs are not shrimp friendly.

Definitely no peacock gudgeon in a tank that small.

[karbomb]

i'd say a small school of celestial pearl danios, if you can find them.
they are beautiful and full of personality. you could put 7 or so in a 5g.

[Northernguy]

Cherry shrimp start with 20!:22:

[Corndawg]

I would go the betta also. 5gal is perfect for it. Very active and attractive fish! As far as current there is ways to help that. I bought an Aqua Clear 20gal filter when I had mine in his 5gal, and just turned it down all the way. A sponge over intake helps slow it down some too on some filters. Some people also use a can or plastic bottle over filter output to not make current. Very clean fish, and fun to watch!

[Demi ^_^]

Betta or Cherry Shrimp..

I think Cherry shrimp are very cute, active..

But so are bettas ;)))

[Wild Turkey]

Heres a crapload of fish that will fit in a nano thanks to jess

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[Slow Cheetah]

i would say betta
just purely on the fact they are relatively hardy and have great personality

[lovleeko]

agree on the betta. You could also throw in a mystery snail and African dwarf frog.

[mac]

For me Pygmy Croaking Gourmias.

mac

[ctaggart]

I think the betta idea is a good one and will be working on a plan to convince her likewise. I've got one of those fully submersible filters that is about the size of a small V8 juice can. Ya know, the ones that you can use in turtle tanks? That should filter well enough without causing too much current. Thanks for the suggestions! I'm gettin a little excited about setting up a nice betta tank now.

[Northernguy]

Betas are nice!
That list that WT posted has a lot of suggestions for other fish.

[MrJim]

She loves goofy looking/acting animals too.
...does that also include her boyfriends?:hmm3grin2orange:

[ctaggart]

...does that also include her boyfriends?:hmm3grin2orange:



Ya know...it may.

[Hailey]

Ya know...it may.

lol!

Ya a betta would be the perfect choice, there are so many different colours to choose from, I'm sure she'll find one she loves. Good luck!