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Best fish for 5 gallon tank

Angelfish Behavior

When most people first get into the fish-keeping hobby, they often choose a small aquarium to start out with. And it’s easy to see why: small aquariums have attractive designs, fit easily on a desktop or a counter, and will often cost a lot less than the larger alternatives.

But choosing a nano aquarium (generally defined as any freshwater aquarium under 10 gallons) greatly limits stocking options, as only a handful of fish will thrive in an aquarium that small.

So what fish will do well in a 5 gallon aquarium? And it’s important to emphasize the word thrive, rather than just survive. There are numerous fish that will survive in a 5 gallon aquarium, but they’ll often be unhealthy or unhappy for a variety of reasons. Some fish won’t have enough room to swim in a nano tank, while others are only happy when kept in large schools. It’s important to remember just because a fish can survive in an environment, doesn’t mean it should be kept in there.

Betta Fish

  • Care Level:  Easy
  • Temperament:  Semi-aggressive
  • Diet: Omnivore
  • Water Conditions:  78° to 80°F
  • Max.Size : 6 inch
  • Family: Cichlidae
  • Lifespan: 10 years
betta fish tank

Due to beautiful wings, this fish is kept in special aquariums. It is very small, which is made especially for small tanks. Usually, this fish likes to be alone. The tail size of these fish is different. Someone’s tail looks like half a moon, like someone’s crown tale. It looks very beautiful to see these fish of red, blue, purple and white colors moving in the container. You can also keep it in a small jar or container.

White Cloud Mountain Minnow

  • Care Level:  Easy
  • Temperament: Peaceful
  • Diet: Omnivore
  • Water Conditions: 64–72 °F
  • Max.Size :1 1/2 inches (4 cm)
  • Family: Cyprinidae
  • Lifespan: 5 years

It is very beautiful to see and it is easier to cure. You can also keep them in very cold water. The special thing about them is that they like to live in the group. If you have to look for a variety of colors in your Aquarium, then you can keep 6 more fish from White Cloud Mountain Minoz

Honey Gourami

  • Care Level:  Easy
  • Temperament: Peaceful
  • Diet: Omnivore
  • Water Conditions: 71-82°F
  • Max.Size :3 Inches
  • Family: Osphronemidae
  • Lifespan: 4-8 Years

The Honey Gourami is a freshwater fish found in northern India and Bangladesh, and occasionally in Nepal. It is an ideal fish for inexperienced fish keepers who are starting for the first time. They are also known as the Sunset Honey Gourami, The Red Flame Gourami, and the Red Honey Gouramiand any combination of the above. They are often confused with the Dwarf Gourami as they have similarities in their shape and size. The body of the Honey Gourami is narrower with smaller dorsal and anal fins. The ventral fins are narrow and thread-like.

Dwarf Puffer

  • Care Level:  Advanced
  • Temperament:  Aggressive
  • Diet: Omnivore
  • Water Conditions:  77°F – 82°F
  • Max.Size : 1-24 inches
  • Family: Tetraodontidae
  • Lifespan: 10 years or more

Puffer fish are cute looking chubby fish that are found all over the world. They can be a challenge to keep but they are very rewarding for experienced aquarists. This tropical fish comes with most colors and sizes. The many species have peculiar and unique hunting techniques that are mesmerizing to watch. They are well known for their dangerous venom, known as tetrodotoxin. But don’t worry, they cannot produce it themselves and therefore are mostly harmless in captivity.

Clown Killifish

  • Care Level:  Easy
  • Temperament:  Peaceful
  • Diet: Carnivore
  • Water Conditions: 73-79° F,
  • Max.Size : 1.2-1.4 inches (3-3.5 cm) 
  • Family: Aplocheilidae
  • Lifespan: ‎3-5 years

Clown Killifish is normally found in water holes, marshes, and streams in Africa. The term Killy is collect from the Dutch word meaning ditch or channel, not because this fish is a killer in the aquarium. These fish are ideal fish for the community aquarium and will add some dynamic color and activity to these aquariums. The males of this species are very brightly colored, with the body having alternating black and yellow vertical stripes resembling a bumblebee. The dorsal and anal fins are very dramatic with red and blue stripes. The female of this species is more subdued in color and form.

Least Killifish

  • Care Level: Easy
  • Temperament:  peaceful
  • Diet: Carnivore
  • Water Conditions:  66-75℉
  • Max.Size :2-3 cm (0.8-1.2″)
  • Family: Poeciliidae
  • Lifespan: 3+ years

Least Killifisg is also known as the Dwarf Livebearer, Least Killifish is one of the smallest species of freshwater fish in the world and they are the smallest species found in North America. These fish are native to the south-eastern United States where they can be found in shallow, densely-vegetated and slow-moving waters. They may even be found in brackish conditions. These fish can be identified by their olive coloration and the dark stripe running laterally along the body.

Dwarf Crayfish

  • Care Level: Easy
  • Temperament: Fairly peaceful
  • Diet: Omnivore
  • Water Conditions: 68° to 72°F
  • Max.Size :2″ /5 cm
  • Family: Cambaridae
  • Lifespan: 2 to 3 years

Dwarf crayfish is small cousins of big crayfish species like the blue Procambarus alleni. Unlike some other crayfish, they are peaceful and suitable for some types of community tanks. They belong to the genus Cambarellus, which contains quite some different species, all with similar requirements. The most commonly known and kept orange CPO (orange dwarf crayfish) is one of them.

Endler’s Livebearers

  • Care Level: Easy
  • Temperament: Relatively peaceful
  • Diet: Omnivore
  • Water Conditions:  77 °F to 83 °F
  • Max.Size :Up to 1.6 inches
  • Family: Osphronemidae
  • Lifespan: 4-5 years

Endler’s livebearers (Poecilia wingei) are a colorful and relatively rare species of guppies. They are found only in Laguna de Patos in Venezuela, which is a large freshwater lake. They are not technically a separate species from the common guppy, and it is believed that they were given the name Poecilia wingei for conservation purposes only.

Rosy Loach

  • Care Level: Easy
  • Temperament: peaceful
  • Diet: Omnivore
  • Water Conditions:  68° – 78.8° F 
  • Max.Size : 1.2 to 3 inches 
  • Family: Nemacheilidae
  • Lifespan: 6 years

Rosy Loaches are semi-active swimmers and quarrel gently with each other but are rarely aggressive. They need to have caves and places to hide; they like to bury themselves in the gravel. They will sometimes lie in piles on top of each other. These Loaches are caught in Myanmar, and now you can find these fish in aquariums all around the world. In aquariums, Rosy Loaches can grow to be about 3" long, including their tails.

Nerite Snail.

  • Care Level: Easy
  • Temperament: peaceful
  • Diet: Herbivore
  • Water Conditions: 70°F – 80°F
  • Max.Size : Up to 1 inch 
  • Family: Neritidae
  • Lifespan: 1-2 Years

Nerite snails are commonly kept in aquariums. Their name gives away their color, but most of them don't have a pattern on their shell. The black line of the coil stands out against the olive color and produces a simple but attractive look. They are one of the best options when trying to keep your tank clean, whether it’s freshwater or saltwater. Nerite snails spend most of their time moving around the tank, consuming any algae in their path. They are very easy to care for and have few demands once you’ve added them to your tank.

Celestial Pearl Danios

  • Care Level:  Medium
  • Temperament: Peaceful
  • Diet: Omnivore
  • Water Conditions:  73-79°F
  • Max.Size :Up to 1 inch
  • Family: Cyprinidae
  • Lifespan: 3-5 Years

Celestial Pearl Danio is a freshwater fish found in small ponds in South East Asia. These fish boasts plenty of color from the white pearl-like spots on their sides to the red coloration on the fins. Discovered within the past decade, aquarium hobbyist have quickly adopted and fallen in love with these little Danios. They are well suited for tanks that are packed with vegetation and other colorful fish that mimic their peaceful nature. It is true that these fish are timid; they work perfectly in communities full of Guppies, Mollies, and Tetras.

Ghost Shrimp

  • Care Level:  Easy
  • Temperament: Peaceful 
  • Diet: Omnivore
  • Water Conditions:   72-82°F 
  • Max.Size : 1.5” inches
  • Family: Palaemonidae
  • Lifespan: 1 year

Ghost shrimp, or glass shrimp, is a popular freshwater crustacean with fish keepers of all experience levels. Ghost shrimp easy to care, they are a great addition to a tropical community aquarium containing small, non-aggressive fish. Ghost shrimp are not for the sentimental, their life spans just one year, but this makes them much more affordable. They usually have two roles, as feeders to larger fish or as efficient tank cleaners.

Red Cherry Shrimp

  • Care Level: Easy
  • Temperament: peaceful
  • Diet: Omnivore
  • Water temperature  77-81°F
  • Max.Size : Up to 1.5 inch 
  • Family: Atyidae
  • Lifespan: 1 to 2 Years

The Red Cherry Shrimp (Neocaridina heteropoda) is also known as Cherry Shrimp or RCS, is a dwarf freshwater shrimp native to Taiwan. It is a freshwater Shrimp that is incredibly peaceful and renowned for its algae eating capabilities. Suitable for both beginners and experienced aquarists, it is one of the hardiest and easy to keep Shrimp available. They will add color into any tank which they are placed in and are very undemanding requiring very little upkeep.

Amano Shrimp

  • Care Level: Easy
  • Temperament: peaceful
  • Diet: Omnivore
  • Water temperature  70-80°F 
  • Max.Size : Up to 2 inch 
  • Family: Atyidae
  • Lifespan: 2 to 3 Years

Amano Shrimp is a popular freshwater aquarium shrimp available in many stores today. Amano Shrimp may also be called: Caridina multidentata, Caridina japonica, Swamp Shrimp, Algae Eating Shrimp, Yamato Shrimp, Japonica Amano Shrimp, Yamato Numa Ebi, Japanese Marsh Shrimp, and Japanese Swamp Shrimp. An Amano Shrimp can be described as spirited inhabitants of a tank. They are great swimmers and are always on the lookout for food.

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