# Stocking a 5.5 gallon



## harrynolan27 (Dec 31, 2015)

So as the title says I've got a 5.5 gallon and I need ideas for stocking it. Currently it holds 1 horned nerite snail, 1 male 1 female cherry shrimp, and 5 gold tetras. (Had 6 but one disappeared) I'd like to take the tetras out because one, I don't think its big enough for them and two, they hide constantly, nothing like my neons in my other tank.

Here's the tank...










It's got high flow (can be dialed back), no lid (no jumpers!), no heater but average temp is around 73-75, high light (2 finnex stingrays), injected co2 (1-2bps)

I'd like to avoid just having a single fish, preferably I'd like to have a group of 6-8 small fish that fit in this tank. Not only in size but color, behavior, and all that good stuff. Should I just add a couple more gold tetras? Fish I've found locally are ember tetra, white cloud minnows, endlers livebearers, least killifish, celestial pearl danios, pygmy Corrie's (rare), chili rasboras (microrasboras/rare). Honestly I think my favorite out of these is the wcmm, but I feel like they are too big and throw off the scale? Some others I've seen online are microdevario kubotai, espei rasbora, and Normans lamp eyes look nice. Sorry for such a long post! I'm just looking for opinions, any and all are welcome! It will most likely be awhile until I have the chance to restock this tank but I'd just like to consider all my options!


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

Good looking tank that is.

I would move tetras and add about half a dozen male Endlers. Otherwise, guppies.


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## jaymyess (May 13, 2016)

Endlers IMO. They're the hardiest in your list methinks so you can just focus on maintaining your very nice tank.


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## Smooch (May 14, 2016)

Pretty tank. I would have never know it was a 5.5 gallon.

White Cloud minnows, perhaps. (?) They don't mind cooler water, but I'm not sure if a 5.5 would be big enough for them.


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## harrynolan27 (Dec 31, 2015)

Smooch said:


> Pretty tank. I would have never know it was a 5.5 gallon.
> 
> White Cloud minnows, perhaps. (?) They don't mind cooler water, but I'm not sure if a 5.5 would be big enough for them.


Thanks for all the compliments everyone! Not to toot my own horn here (im going to haha) its my first real attempt at a planted tank! This was my goal, to make it seem like its bigger than it is. This was my concern mostly with white clouds, how big do they actually get? Also I found some gold white clouds, are they the same just different colors or does one stay smaller than the other?


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## Smooch (May 14, 2016)

harrynolan27 said:


> Thanks for all the compliments everyone! Not to toot my own horn here (im going to haha) its my first real attempt at a planted tank! This was my goal, to make it seem like its bigger than it is. This was my concern mostly with white clouds, how big do they actually get? Also I found some gold white clouds, are they the same just different colors or does one stay smaller than the other?


Awesome! I wish my first looked like this. 

I think white clouds max out at around 2 inches,

If you don't mind watching You Tube, Rachael O'Leary is cats meow when it comes to nano species of fish. She does awesome stuff about inverts as well, but check her out for other nano fish that may tickle your funny bone. https://www.youtube.com/user/msjinkzd/videos

I watch her videos all the time. Now I want a dario dario tank. LOL


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## theatermusic87 (Jun 22, 2014)

I think a 5 is too small for white clouds (gold is just a different color of the same fish) they can be quite active amongst themselves


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## Grah the great (Jul 3, 2013)

Elassoma pygmy sunfishes would do very well if you are prepared with small live foods like BBS (they often learn to take frozen also, but not always...they will also hunt baby ramshorn snails and baby shrimp, if that helps). Same with Dario sp, the scarlet badises. Neither have much interest in jumping.


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## harrynolan27 (Dec 31, 2015)

Grah the great said:


> Elassoma pygmy sunfishes


Awesome little fish, may be a little hard to come by though. How many could be kept in 5 gallons and are they aggressive? Thanks for sharing!



Smooch said:


> Rachael O'Leary is cats meow when it comes to nano species of fish.


I actually messaged her on Facebook haha! She suggested white clouds, endlers, and kubotai as best suitable and that would appreciate the flow.


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## harrynolan27 (Dec 31, 2015)

Update: Went to a new LFS I found with high hopes. They had long fin white clouds so I picked up 6 of them. Get them home, pop them in quarantine, leave for a doctors appointment and come back to 4 on the floor and on closer inspection the other two have ich... Awesome. Went to my trusted LFS today and they had three endlers left and some nice (he said ss grade?) cherry shrimp. Enough blabbing! Pics!


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## Opare (Sep 9, 2015)

Woah the tank looks spectacular with the lights on! The colours really pop.
Trusty quarantine preventing nightmares from spreading to our main tanks.
The shrimp in the second picture has nice full colouration so they are probably highish grade.
Think the Endlers were a good choice.
EDIT: Just read that this was your first tank?!? What? Seeing a lot of y'all with great tanks off the bat nowadays. Man, wish I could have started out with tanks that looked this good.

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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

If the elders don't work out you could try a betta splenden, they're very colorful active/interactive fish when given a proper tank (heated/filtered/room to swim). However depending on the betta's temperament the shrimp may end up as lobster dinner. But that tank is pretty densely planted so they could be safe hanging out in the plant mass.
I have 8 bettas and my husband owns 1 (all in their own planted tanks), they're so addictive!
Stunning tank btw!!


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## TankPlanter (May 31, 2015)

I agree Betta would be gorgeous and they're my favorite fish, but if you want a school or shrimp-safe fish: I'd highly recommend M. kubotai. They're active, like higher flow, but not using lots of tank area- so truly potentially a nano fish, gregarious, pretty, hardy, easy. They would keep the scale of your tank effect. They school together (vs my CPDs, just hiding in the plants and chasing subdominant males and females to death). I have a school in my 20g.


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## harrynolan27 (Dec 31, 2015)

Thanks for the compliments everyone!

I love bettas as well but this tank has a lot of flow, plus if I don't put a betta in here it gives me an excuse to set up another tank  haha. 

Anyway, I'm having some seriously bad luck with stocking this tank. Two of the three endlers jumped so I've got one left and both female crs kept swimming into the filter inlet getting stuck and eventually died. I sat in front of the tank for about a half hour and watched them do this, unplugging the filter every time. I think this may end up a plant only tank...

2 male cherry shrimp(doing good, molted successfully, very active)
1 male endler(doing good, eating, exploring the tank)


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

I find it is always good to keep new fish covered. After a while most wont try to jump the tank unless chased.


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## FreshwaterAdvice (Jun 15, 2016)

Nordic said:


> I find it is always good to keep new fish covered. After a while most wont try to jump the tank unless chased.


With Endler's you might have some chasing during the mating process. Using some cut up window screen is an easy and cheap way to cover the tank.


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## harrynolan27 (Dec 31, 2015)

I'm almost certain they jumped because of my lights. They are on timers and just suddenly switched off on them and then the tv was flashing :/. Probably pretty stressful on them. I'm looking into a cover, found one sold as a kit that's basically a window screen frame with clear screen. Was trying to find any info on setting up a finnex on a ramp timer but didn't find much other than just adding a dimmer. I'd like to actually switch to a chihiros led and ditch the dual stingrays on this tank, but that's for another thread!


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## Opare (Sep 9, 2015)

Could you cover the inlet with some sponge or pantyhose?


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## harrynolan27 (Dec 31, 2015)

Opare said:


> Could you cover the inlet with some sponge or pantyhose?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


The problem is I'm using this surface skimmer.








They keep getting stuck at the top where the clear and black part meet. If it wasn't there they would be sucked into the filter. Just the females get stuck and then a few hours later I find them dying or dead with a split between the head and body.


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## Opare (Sep 9, 2015)

Oooo can't help you with that. Maybe someone else can chime in.


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## Willcooper (May 31, 2015)

My first thought was wcmm. Absolutely beautiful tank!


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## harrynolan27 (Dec 31, 2015)

Willcooper said:


> My first thought was wcmm. Absolutely beautiful tank!


Thanks! Well it seems that I have a pair of them, the male keeps flashing and wiggling in front of the female. I've never bred fish before but my plan is to separate them for about a week, not feed them for a few days, then give them a good amount of blood worms, then put them back together in a small tank with a spawning mop the next morning and hope I can get some eggs. Wish me luck haha. After spending 60 bucks on 3 shrimp and 9 fish and all I'm left with is 1 shrimp and 3 fish I kind of want to try this first before shelling out more cash.


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