type of fish in a 5 gallon tank

Question
Hello, I'm thinking of getting 3 platies (mickey mouse, sunset and wagtail) and 2 zebra danios in a 5 gallon tank. Which fish is best to cycle the tank first - 2 zebra danios or add 1 platy at a time or just add all 3 at a time? Thanks

Answer
Hi Maria;

You are definitely on the right track as far as the break-in period. You only want one fish in there at first. I would use a danio. They are pretty hardy little guys. Don't add any more fish at all for at least 4 weeks and monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels. Once they have each come up and then drop to zero in the coming weeks you can add another fish, wait a week and then add another, etc. I know there are many experts that say "add more fish every week when you first get it started", but in my experience it isn't safe to add more fish that soon. New tanks have to finish getting through the break-in before the second fish is added. This can take 6 to 8 weeks.

Here is my page about the break-in period to tell you more about it;

http://www.xanga.com/Expert_Fish_Help

You can also do what's called a "fishless cycle". Here is information about it;

http://www.fishprofiles.com/articles/article.aspx?id=31

The rule of thumb for population in small community tanks is "One inch of fish per gallon". Not all fish and not all tanks can go by this rule, it's just a generality. Your choices of fish do fit it because they don't get bigger than about 3 inches. Platies grow to be over two inches long so three of them would be the most your five gallon tank could hold safely. There really isn't enough room for any other fish. Zebra Danios get to be about the same size as platies so three of them all alone is plenty for your little tank too.

Platies are also livebearers and can be pretty prolific so unless you only want males, you will need a larger tank or extra tanks as the babies grow. Platies really should be in a 10 gallon or larger anyway so they can get enough exercise.

There are other options too. Ghost glass shrimp, cory cats, neon tetras, a male betta, dwarf african frogs, or a pair of dwarf gouramis are nice too. If your tank doesn't have a heater, it would be good to have one in there for all those guys.

Whatever you decide, be diligent with weekly maintenance. All tanks need a 25% water change and gravel vacuuming every week. In small tanks it's even more important because we often overstock them. ;-)

Let me know if you have more questions...

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins