Fish Combos for 5 Gallon Tank

The one rule everyone abides by in the fish-keeping hobby is having a big enough tank to keep your fish happy. Hobbyists always go in for a more significant A 5-gallon tank is not a very spacious area to keep any kind of fish. Because you are limited by space, you have to pick and choose what type of fish can thrive inside your tank. Ensuring that each fish has enough room to roam around and explore the aquarium is an essential part of keeping your fish happy. And to do so, you need to pick a fish species that will not take up much space in the tank.

We recommend eight to ten perfect fishes to liven up your 5-gallon tank and tell you how to care for them. We will also outline what you need to do to enhance your tank setup to keep your fish in the healthiest conditions possible.

10 Best Fishes for 5 Gallon Tank

There aren’t multiple options for fish who can peacefully live in a 5-gallon tank. However, some tried and tested fish species are listed below that thrive even in smaller tanks.

1. Guppy fish

Guppies are native to the tropics. Their habitat are the waters of South America. They come in all shapes and sizes. Not only that, but Guppies are also popular because of their beautiful colors. They are easy to keep and breed. Something to keep in mind for Guppies is that their population will grow quickly, so if you have a small tank and do not want it to be overcrowded, get a couple of males. Males are also more colorful and look better. 

• Family: Poeciliidae
• Care Level: Easy
• Behavior: Peaceful
• Diet: Omnivorous
• Water Conditions: Freshwater, tropical
• Max. Size: 0.6 to 2 inches
• Lifespan: up to 2 years

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2. Molly

Mollies are perfect for fish-keeping amateurs. They come in so many colors, many shades, and they are active swimmers. You will always find them moving around the tank. There are many Molly varieties, and all of them only grow up to 3 to 4 inches, so they are okay to keep in a smaller car. They are peaceful fish and will live in a small tank well.

• Family: Poeciliidae
• Care Level: Easy
• Behavior: Peaceful
• Diet: Omnivorous
• Water Conditions: Freshwater, tropical
• Max. Size: 3 to 4 inches
• Lifespan: up to 3 years

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3. Betta fish

Bettas are very popular in the fish-keeping industry. They are also called the Siamese fighter fish because of their angry, territorial personalities. They also love playing, jumping, and flitting around. The males of the species often fight to death with the others. If you keep bettas, we recommend that you only stock a single male betta to prevent fighting. You may also add some cherry shrimp to the tank to keep it company.

• Family: Osphronemidae
• Care Level: Intermediate
• Behavior: Semi-aggressive
• Diet: Omnivorous
• Water Conditions: Freshwater, tropical
• Max. Size: 2 to 4 inches
• Lifespan: 6 to 7 years

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4. Neon Tetras

Neon Tetras originate from the tributaries and rivers in the Amazon basin. Neon tetras are beautiful fish, and lend your aquarium a streak of color. The average neon tetra has a red stripe and a silver stomach. These fish need to be in shoals. This is the big problem when they are keeping them in a small tank. If you decide to have neon tetras for your tank, you won’t have space for other species.

• Family: Characidae
• Care Level: Easy
• Behavior: Peaceful
• Diet: Omnivorous
• Water Conditions: Freshwater, tropical
• Max. Size: 1.6 inches
• Lifespan: 2 to 3 years

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5. White Cloud Mountain Minnow

The White Cloud Mountain Minnow is a peaceful fish, and just like the Tetras, it is a shoaling fish. They have set water temperature and experience discomfort if the water temperature fluctuates. They need enough space to roam around. If you want to keep these fish in your tank, you will have to keep at least 4 of them not to make them feel lonely. They enjoy cooler temperatures, so you may forego the heater completely if you wish.

• Family: Cyprinidae
• Care Level: Easy
• Behavior: Peaceful
• Diet: Omnivorous
• Water Conditions: Freshwater
• Max. Size: 1.5 inches
• Lifespan: 3 to 5 years

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6. Harlequin Rasboras

Harlequin Rasboras belong to South East Asia, Thailand, Malaysia, and the surrounding areas. These are shoaling fish. Harlequin rasboras inhabit peat-filled water, rich with leaf litter and forest decay. There are more than a hundred different rasbora species, but Harlequin Rasboras are some of the most famous. They are pretty playful and love to interact. They come in different shades such as red, gold, bronze, etc. They are fond of hiding so that they will enjoy a well-planted tank. You can keep around 4 to 5 of them in a small 5-gallon tank.

• Family: Cyprinidae
• Care Level: Intermediate
• Behavior: Peaceful
• Diet: Omnivorous
• Water Conditions: Freshwater, tropical
• Max. Size: 2 inches
• Lifespan: 2 to 3 years

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7. Least Killifish

Least Killifish has many common names, such as dwarf topminnow, mosqu, or midget livebearer. Like many others on this list, this fish is a shoaling fish. They should be kept in pairs or groups of 4 to 5. They love hiding inside structures and playing around, so they will appreciate a well-planted tank. These are not as popular as their peers, but they are straightforward to care for and a hidden gem.

• Family: Poeciliidae
• Care Level: Easy
• Behavior: Peaceful
• Diet: Omnivorous
• Water Conditions: Freshwater, Tropical
• Max. Size: up to 1.4 inches
• Lifespan: 3 to 4 years

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8. Honey Gourami

Honey Gourami is a fish with multiple names such as sunset gourami, red flame gourami, red honey gourami, etc. The natural habitat of honey gouramis is parts of India and Bangladesh. These and other small fish get along well together. These fish are just like Dwarf Gouramis. They get their colors later as they grow up. If they change their tanks, they turn silver and regain their color once they get adjusted to their new habitat. Therefore, they are called ‘honey’ gourami because their original color is honey-golden. 

A fun fact about them is that in their native habitat, they are accustomed to living in low-oxygen environments, so sometimes, their bodies function as a lung, and they come up to the surface to breathe in.

• Family: Osphronemidae
• Care Level: Easy
• Behavior: Peaceful
• Diet: Omnivorous
• Water Conditions: Freshwater, temperate
• Max. Size: 2 inches
• Lifespan: 4 to 6 years

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9. Celestial Pearl Danios

The Celestial Pearl Danio is also commonly called the Galaxy Rasbora. Celestial pearl danios are curious creatures. They are recent, as they were discovered in 2006. The native habitat of this fish in South East Asia, specifically Myanmar. These fish spend most of their lives investigating their surroundings. They inhabit the bottom of the tank and can co-exist with many community fish. In a small 5-gallon tank, you must add at the most 2 to 3 Celestial Pearl Danios.

Celestial pearl danios are also shy, and they will not initially come out of their hiding spots when they move to a new environment.

• Family: Cyprinidae
• Care Level: Intermediate
• Behavior: Peaceful
• Diet: Omnivore
• Water Conditions: Freshwater, tropical
• Max. Size: up to 1 inches
• Lifespan: 3 to 5 years

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10. Endler’s Livebearers

Endler’s livebearers are named after Dr John Endler, who was responsible for rediscovering this species. These fish are peaceful and social fish, who need to be kept in a large enough tank for them to explore their surroundings. They love swimming around. They will often hide in the middle of the plants. They are one of the famous fish in the aquarium industry because of their bright colors. They are easy to breed in the tank.

Endler’s livebearers are also pretty rare. Researchers have come up with a grading method to judge the line of the fish to determine how pure they are. Endler’s livebearer has various color strains, such as ‘sunburst cobra,’ ‘snake chest,’ etc.

You will need to have a couple of these fish together to feel comfortable in the tank.

• Family: Poecilia
• Care Level: Easy
• Behavior: Peaceful
• Diet: Omnivorous
• Water Conditions: Freshwater, tropical
• Max. Size: 1 inch
• Lifespan: 3 to 5 years

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How To Set Up A 5-Gallon Tank For Fish?

Like all fish tanks, setting up a 5-gallon tank is a process of carefully picking a good-quality glass tank and buying the necessary equipment to keep the fish healthy. There are many tank options, such as rimmed ones and rimless ones. For aesthetic purposes, we prefer rimless tanks because they give you a clearer view of the happenings inside your tank.

Once you have picked the tank, you can start buying smaller equipment such as filters, heaters, etc.

Lighting:

If you keep live plants in the tank and fish, you will need some form of lighting. Look out for an affordable lamp or external light if your tank does not get natural sunlight. Most fishes on this list love hiding or playing in the dark, so you do not need to take considerable effort to light up your tank.

Filters:

Filters are essential because most fish species rely on water conditions to ward off any diseases or to keep themself safe. Even with a tank as small as 5 gallons, we strongly recommend you to get a filter for the tank. The filter can be a submersible filter,power filters, sponge filters, or a simple hang-on-the-back filter. Because your tank is small, if there is an infection, it will spread fast and cause distress to all the fish.

Heaters:

Heating a tank and maintaining the proper water conditions are a big part of keeping your fish alive. Even though you may not need a heater for such a small tank, your fish will. Most fish are sensitive to temperature changes and will react to them. If your temperature goes below the recommended degree for the fish, they will be uncomfortable and might even die. In a 5-gallon tank, the space is limited, so you can think of installing a submersible heater to save space. Along with installing the heater, keep in mind a thermometer handy to check the temperature from time to time. 

Fish Combos for 5 Gallon Tank – Tank Maintenance & Care

Water Changes:

With a small 5-gallon tank, you will need to perform regular water changes to keep your tank clean. As a basic rule, you must change at least one third of the water every week. If your water gets dirty quickly, then it is probably because your tank is stocked more than usual, or your filter is not working. Whatever the case may be, keep performing regular water changes.

If you add new water, heat it or cool it accordingly to bring it to the same temperature level as the previous water.

Tank Cleaning:

Fish produce a lot of waste, and even though you might have filters in the tank to neutralize the debris, they may not always work the best. It is important to clean the tank regularly. Some waste may get buried under the gravel, which you can get rid of by using a vacuum. What you can do to reduce the waste is not to give your fish more food to eat. Giving them enough food to eat up in one go will lessen the amount of food that goes waste. Algae will also keep coming in, which you will have to keep cleaning. In other cases, where algae is recurrent, an algae cleanup agent like a shrimp or a snail would help you out. But, this is not possible for a small tank due to lack of space. 

Water testing kits:

Water testing kits will prove to be your best friends and help you keep an eye on spikes in harmful chemicals like ammonia or nitrates. Unfortunately, fish cannot withstand these spikes, so we advise running a check every other week to ensure healthy water conditions.

Growing Plants for a 5-gallon tank

Most small fish loved planted tanks because they could hide and play well inside the structures. Hiding inside the planted spaces around the tank helps them reduce their stress and ward off threats. Keeping live plants will also ensure that the waste levels do not build up. Plants will keep the water healthy for a longer duration. One drawback is that you cannot have thick or heavy plants inside a small tank space. Some options that you can consider are:

• Java Moss
• Petite or Anubias Nana
• Bucephalandra
• Marimo Moss Balls
• Java Fern, etc.

Having live plants will also help in replicating the environment of the fish.

Which fishes are not suitable for a 5-gallon tank?

Fish species that are unsuitable for a 5-gallon tank are as follows.

1. Goldfish:

Goldfish are famous because of their beautiful appearance and small size, but in spite of the size, they cannot live in a 5-gallon tank. Even though a lot of people keep goldfish alone in a bowl or a tank, they hate being alone. These fish love interacting with the other fish. As a result, you will have to keep them in a school, even growing more. Keeping them in a 5-gallon tank is a big no.

2. Cichlids:

Cichlids are available in larger varieties and smaller varieties. Cichlids are aggressive and known for their territorial behavior. They are not suitable for smaller tank sizes because they will constantly keep fighting each other unless they all have plenty of space. Even keeping a pair of cichlids together is not a good idea because of the cramped tank because there will be no place to swim or explore.

3. Angelfish:

Angelfish are 1.5 inches in size, on average. Throughout their life, they keep growing. For this simple reason, we do not recommend you to keep these fish together in a small 5-gallon tank. Angelfish are also aggressive at times and do not like some other fish invading their space. Due to their immense size and nature, keeping them in a small tank is not advisable.

FAQs

Wrapping Up

It takes a little research to figure out which fish species you want to add to your small tank, given that the space is less. There are multiple options about the kind of fish you can keep, the care they need, etc. We have highlighted some fish species that will live well in a confined space. If you do water changes at proper intervals keep the ammonia and nitrate spikes in check, you can keep your fish healthy for a long time.