Top 10 Fish For 5 Gallon Aquarium (Besides Bettas!)

[@AquariumCoop]

*What are your favorite fish to keep in a 5-gallon tank?* For more ideas of peaceful nano fish, check out our top 12 tank mates for cherry shrimp: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnmWXoWkn6ibe8U

[@nekitalia]

Hey Cory ! Could you make a video about your toughts on discus stendker closing in germany? Thanks

[@jillricci3989]

I got six white cloud minnows in a planted 5 gallon tank. The minnows seem happy and fat and eggy. But I never see eggs, ever. Maybe they won't breed in this ridiculously hard water (Northern Arizona) and maybe the water is too warm. No heater but . . . Arizona (78/80 degrees indoors, 95/110 outdoors). I feed them frozen brine shrimp for breakfast and Betta flakes at bedtime. The don't eat fallen food so I looked for pygmy corydoras. Couldn't find them. Got the last two albino corys at PetSmart (I know, need more and a 20 gallon tank). Still hoping to find pygmys and then transfer albinos to a bigger tank. Corys also get a bottom pellet at bedtime. I am really enjoying the little planted tank. Repens doing awesome!

[@Oscar11060]

Sparkling gouramis and ember tetras, I've had success with both

[@THandP_org]

00:07 chili rasboras 00:43 Celestial Pearl Danios 01:22 Kuhli Loach 02:25 Green Neon Tetra 03:17 Amano Shrimp 04:03 Honey Gourami 04:33 Pygmy Corydora 05:12 Endlers Livebearer 06:08 Dwarf Frogs 06:55 Clown Killi Fish (Rocket Killi Fish)

[@toriless]

I have the Kuhli in the 50 along with Danios and (now) 5 inch SAEs

[@wynja77]

Love these tips, but I also think it would be helpful to get ideas for like a full "setup" for X-sized tanks, so you don't like get ALL of these fish... ;) Like "you can have one honey gourami and six Pygmy corydoras", for example. Like a few different "full" stocking ideas per video, maybe ranging from beginner to advance or divided in some other ways...?

[@kiki-drawer2669]

Agree! Been looking for something like this!

[@anuradivergent]

yess absolutely!1

[@ThatoneAnomaly]

I have a betta and some dward frogs together in a 10 gallon, and it is so much fun to watch them! the frogs are definitely a bit of a challange as I found it best to feed them one at a time with tweezers, but it has been fun watching them get more social. I try to feed them during the mid-day because it seems to let them know that the light isnt that scarry, but I really recommend them!

[@SilverDemon456]

I work at a chain petstore, and I never would have thought to put kuhli loaches or honey gouramis in a 5 gallon. The corporate line is not to put any fish besides bettas in anything smaller than a 10 gallon, but lots of people want the smallest tank possible, so this is a very useful list (we actually have more than half of these!). Thank you!

[@shanes-aquatic]

Corporate has to make sure they play it super safe because they don't have the ability to maintain a staff with the dedicated aquarium knowledge as opposed to a small shop that likely has employees that have been there a long time so they have the practical experience to know things similar to what Cory teaches here. I can certainly tell you that from personal experience there is a massive difference in my area between the small individually owned shops and the big chain stores.

[@SilverDemon456]

@@shanes-aquatic Yes, I agree with you 100%. There's a smaller fish store about two miles away that has super knowledgeable staff, but in my store only me and my general manager have any knowledge about fish. It can be frustrating, but my store doesn't pay enough to retain knowledgeable employees. Everybody leaves us ;_;

[@jahnawhite7738]

That’s a good store. Our local stores will sell you a Bala shark, a clown loach and one Molly for a 5 gallon tank…..frustrating.

[@bananafloat27]

I've bought a lot of the fish on this list in the past based on aquarium co op recommendations and I have never once been disappointed. Each of them is a winner! We are so blessed to enjoy a hobby with so much beauty and excitement!

[@rustyshackleford6092]

Very cool list, Cory. I enjoyed the confirmation it gives (from someone with your knowledge base) to see I have many of them already (chilis, danios, amanos, endlers, horned nerites), but in my 32 gallon. I guess I am weird in really loving a lot of the little fish in a big-ish tank.

[@chipsnfishnl]

Don't think it's weird. I did the same thing. Scape it, add small fish, makes it look even bigger and you can also get them shoaling/schooling that way. I came to check this vid for some extra ideas. I already have the CPD, Chilis, Amano, Cherry Shrimp, Nerites and Tucan Tetra's. Seems it'll be the green Neons :)

[@benvarley2927]

@@chipsnfishnl forget the name of them, but a 5 gallon with chilli rasbora, and the green rasbora( Kabuto?) Would look really good in a planted tank

[@Lazy_Fish_Keeper]

I like large numbers of nano NANF in big tanks. Offers the opportunity to see more natural behaviors 🤷‍♂️

[@garthantash]

in my 150 gallon, I have ~100 ember tetras, ~60 corys, ~1000 cherry shrimp and a few dwarf rainbowfish. I never liked the idea of a few big fish in a big tank but rather an ecosystem of lots of smaller animals all living in a relatively large space so I get where you are coming from.

[@InternacionalBoxing]

Amano shrimp will leave your tank in the living room and wind up in your bathroom, sealed lid recommended

[@Kaaarlotta]

Hey Cory, I found that the Kuhli Loaches do better in a larger group (at least 6). But just my own observation :) Thank you for your always great advice and videos. Greetings from Germany

[@lynnbonica4342]

Perfect video. I'm getting ready to set up a 5 gallon, and you have just opened up my options a lot. Knew about a few, but now.... 😀👍thanks!

[@lizziesmusicmaking]

Galaxy rasboras/Celestial Pearl Danio are a shoaling species where the males tend to pick fights with each other. You can see a couple of them having a spat in their section of your video. They tend to stress each other out if kept in very small groups - my 8 initially did very well, but once I lost a few, everything went downhill. So yes, you can keep them in a 5 gallon, but make sure you buy enough of them - if I keep them again I want 10 so they don't stress each other if a fish or two dies. It's a good they're so very tiny.

[@TonyChronicles]

Nano Tank 3-5 gallon videos are the Best!

[@Anthony69420]

I come to these nano tank fish just to hear chili rasboras. Theyre my absolute favorites. Their shy little guys and when they color up and warm up to their tanks theyre so cute. Also a good indicator fish, theyll lose their color when something is wrong in the water parameters kinda like rummy noses. If you turn the lights on in the middle of the night theyre gonna be pale-ish

[@unseen370]

My favorite 5g fish so far has been Sparkling Gourami. I have a Honey as well, but I wouldn't go under a 10g for him.

[@Mockthenerd]

How many Sparklings do you keep in a 5g?

[@unseen370]

@@Mockthenerd I’ve tried 3, but if you wanted 3 in a 5gal you’d want a male and 2 females. I had 3 males and it was alright until one of them became a bully and I removed him. I think 2 fish is ideal. They’re shy fish so having one other will let you see them more. A single sparkling Gourami will hide all the time. No matter how many you put, it’s gotta be pretty heavily planted. They want cover and the ability to break sight lines.

[@shanes-aquatic]

I totally agree on the Chili Rasboras. I finally got to see some of them in the local-ish aquarium store and they were awesome. They even had some colored up. I've been a fan of Cory Cats for years so the Corydoras have my vote as well along with Amano shrimp.

[@mars7357]

Great vid, my friend wants to start an aquarium but lives in a studio apartment so the tank is going to be small. This video is a must for him thanks 😊

[@tedrock-tedk]

Thank you for the refresh on the five gallon stock.

[@Tristan-mr3pk]

Great little video!!! The music and that extra bit of effort into polish really showed and made a big difference!!! I really enjoyed that!

[@V1kte]

In my recent experience, Amano shrimp also 100% need a lid, at least in the tank as small as this. I got 4 for my open 10 gallon, 3 of them crawled out on the 3 first consecutive night, one shrimp each night (unlike cherry shrimp - I have 10 of those and none jumped out). The last one is still in place over a month later. I also had an Endler jump out of that same tank after a few days since buying, although that might be partially because it was a single male (I read they're fine alone, but he didn't look happy at all).

[@Brackish_Babe]

Black khuli loaches are super active during the day! Love them

[@alsfishtails]

I love these kind of videos. Learn so much from you. The discussions are good but these videos are very concise!!

[@kageakuma3009]

very good advice, I'll definitely take your advice. Though I admit until recently I viewed fish and invertebrates as decorations you care about. Not real pets, but as I've grown older I've seen they can show affection their own way.

[@GenesisAQUA]

I have just set up my 5.5 gallon river scape tank. I really appreciate the video! I now have way more ideas for stocking! Cheers!

[@markcummings3146]

I'm keeping Endler Guppys and cherry shrimp in my nano tank, feels like a good mix that works well. Only issue I have is that I can only find male Endlers in my local fish shops so I am unable to breed them.

[@TedH71]

You can order them online and have it shipped to you. Both male/female.

[@jawjagrrl]

Have three 5gal tanks and can confirm most of these in my tanks: - 2 kuhlis with a bunch of Male endlers and their fry (females now spitting out babies elsewhere). Neocaradinas breed just fine in this tank which also has a dwarf crayfish. - a betta with chili rasboras. Want to add green kubotai rasboras to this and possibly move the betta to a big community tank. - rocket killies with neocaradina shrimp (will split so both can breed better) - green neons in a 3gal QT are very shy unless I throw in a couple of endlers as dithers.

[@sortius_]

I'd add any dwarf gourami male. They're quite personable, and will really show off their nest building skills if you give them the right space.

[@justabettafish3127]

“Kuhli loaches are nocturnal” I hear as I glance at my 20 gallon long with all 3 of my loaches doing donuts on the glass for months on end and are out all the time. Great suggestions!! Been looking for this!

[@claywise43]

Great video and list. But where’s Dean been? I miss seeing you all working on things together.

[@blackhagalaz]

I have some chili rasbora and galaxy rasbora in my 23 gal, as well as some shrimp and snails. I have to say my galaxies haven't been shy... At all 😂. Maybe that's my setup talking but they have always been pretty lively. I had a nice school but at some point their breeding behavior (which is cool to watch BTW.) was just so much that they kinda scared my chillies away all the time. The males concurred little patches of moss as their love nests and tried to lure some females in. But they also chased everything else away. Now I have less galaxies (especially less males) and more chillies and this seems to work fine (the chillies are way more... chill lol). I have been also wanting kuhli loaches for a very long time, though I am not sure If I'd add them to the main tank with the others or just get a third tank for them to have more space. My 5 gal is doing fine with just some blue dream shirmp tbh. I wouldn't necessarily put fish in there.

[@julesbossaert7641]

Omg this just made my day even if it's almost over . This is awesome

[@kenjiro2676]

1:28, I’ve read everywhere that 20 gallons is the minimum tank size for a small group of kuhli loaches.

[@gremlon111]

That's because a lot of those websites just copy the same information. Other times they can't agree on anything. Try looking up the minimum size for a Bolivian Ram. You'll find 10, 15, 20, even 30 gallons. Also, Kuhli's on videos look longer and thicker than they really are.

[@kenjiro2676]

@@gremlon111 this goes for Facebook groups too, this seems to be the general consensus that I am getting at.

[@gremlon111]

@@kenjiro2676 Facebook is probably the last place you want to rely on.

[@felipeabreusabino9911]

yeah i was wondering the same thing, even on the aquarium coop website they say is 20 gallon the adequate size. I love kuhlis wanted to get some on my 8 gallon but I am afraid they would feel cramped

[@stephaniehofert2854]

I have 3 khulis in a heavily planted 5 gal and they do just fine. They have happy normal behavior in the 5.

[@amazingaquaticsandexotics3030]

would love to keep green neons again. recently had my entire group wiped out by an illness but loved them while they lasted. ignored my adult shrimp and schooled with my dwarf cories

[@remhk6672]

Scarlet badis, sparkling gourami, pea puffers, great 5 gallon centerpiece. Yes they're as small as the dither fish but they have more personality.

[@sebsebg9403]

But puffers are shoaling fish?

[@haroonibrahim2620]

Was waiting for such a video. Well done Cory. 🙂

[@BODenKai]

CPDs arent shy if you raised them. my orignals are scared but all the babies come up to the glass for food when i come in the room

[@GlassSurfing]

Love your sense of humor, Cory!

[@Freedom_Fighter72]

Would love to know how many to put in a 5g, so I can make adjustments to my bigger nano tanks

[@marivonne16]

I’m a betta lover so wouldn’t want to have anything else in my 5-gal tanks 😂 but just stopped by to say that I just heard the best news yet: Aquarium Co-op products are now in stock at 360 Aquatic in the Houston, TX area! 🎉🥳🎉🥳 YEAH!!!!!!!

[@jackoghost]

great fish for bigger aquariums as well, imagine Cory's 800 gallon with 100/200 chili rasboras

[@kaptinkitten4911]

intro was fire

[@InternacionalBoxing]

I made the mistake of putting Rocket Killy's with a Peacock Gudgeon, they were gone the next morning

[@Cheesefiddlehorn]

Also I have a tall tank (8 uk gallons around 10 us gallons) what here could live in there I know I could have shrimp I am considering shrimp but is there any fish?

[@philhare7851]

just noticed my local fish store in alabama will be selling some of your products next week....looking forward to buying some of the green sponges....

[@SquirrilahFish]

I love ADF's. But they trample plants, and they're hard to feed if you have faster bottom feeding fish. I feed mine with a piece of tubing, I stick it right down to their nose, and then drop pellets through the tube one at a time.

[@andrewspeedyatkinson]

Thanks Cory have a grate week

[@marchean83]

My kuhlis are pretty active all day. I love them.

[@candioverhuls1003]

Love the blooperish part at the end!

[@johnjwedrall4290]

Thanks for this video. It came at a perfect time for me Amy 5 gallon and also my 3 gallon 👍😎👍

[@kenjiro2676]

The best option here for most people with harder water would be celestial Pearl danios and the emerald rasboras.

[@anything399]

My hard water killed 2 shipments of celestial pearl danios. Very very unfortunate.

[@kenjiro2676]

@@anything399 galaxy rasboras: the native pH range is 6.6-7.5, this gives them plenty of leeway in terms of pH. How hard is your water?

[@sovrappensiero1]

I think the emeralds are a weird one - they need high pH too!

[@northwestlife2794]

So how much would you put in a 5 gallon tank out of the fish you suggested

[@karlmitchell7609]

Thanks for making these Cory, I'm in the process of research my first tank and this is really helpful

[@tuskennn6516]

Dont heard this guy, under 10 gallon you can only put shrimp or betta or killi, no other Fish can live in 10gallons

[@vinemon]

Would it be possible to have a combination of these fish? For example Pearl Danios and Kuhli Loches? Or would that be to much of a bioload for the tank?

[@SilverDemon456]

I would say 5 pearl danios, 3 kuhli loaches and a honey gourami would be okay. (Especially if you have plants)

[@newmexicoaquatics282]

Love the colors on those Rockets! - Little Bobby

[@thewalters694]

loved the outtakes

[@bohemianharpsicord4294]

Kubotai Rasboras! I love mine they stay super small and stay in the upper water column so they never both my shrimp

[@ryuwuguu]

I'm thinking about getting some pygmy corrys for my 5 gal but I'm nervous about having them with my betta. He's pretty laid back but I'm still nervous. I'll definitely think about it.

[@jeremyfrost2636]

Corys are one of the most compatible species with bettas, but it's not foolproof. Still, your chances are better than they would be if you chose pretty much any other tankmate.

[@Cichlid_4_ever]

Anyone got a good idea on how to store and save sponge filters after they’ve been used ? I’ve had some sponges just not look safe to use after being stored away after rinsing and storing. Main sponges I have are the corse ones from Cory.

[@TifLynn837]

"Go ahead and call it a Roomba" 😂🤣😂🤣 I'm 💀

[@peterowen1442]

Hello, im interested in small rainbows for 38l tank. Live in Australia too so varietys might be more available to me. What do you recommend?

[@DanielNelson]

What about White Cloud?

[@genyosha16]

Green neon tetras are my favourite fish for a planted tank

[@BenOchart]

Great list.

[@jimmyreese4740]

Great video!!!

[@snookfisher44]

Hey I have a quick question nothing to do with this video but do you know anything about a fluval fx6 blowing micro bubbles out of the output nozzle? Could it be from the poly fill pads I use after one week?

[@cheesepuff1373]

So I’m planning on making a long rimless self sustaining shrimp/snail tank but I’m stuck on what substrate I want to do. I definitely want dirt but I don’t know if I can just use dirt and not top it off with sand/grav will it be safe?

[@InternacionalBoxing]

Pygmy cory's last 2 months tops, they die very easily and are often prey.

[@Philip_smith88]

Great info

[@1asset]

i thought kuhlis needed more room. could u mix them w rasboras or tetras in 1 five gallon? (portrait tank here)

[@audrameyer9558]

Great list! I currently have or have kept all of these fish. I really love the Rocket Killis 🥰

[@animegod1714]

Do you have chilis?

[@audrameyer9558]

@@animegod1714 Not at this time. They are amazing though!

[@WIVRreal]

Can I put a Kuhli loach with some Cory cats?

[@user-iw2vf9ut5c]

Yes

[@WIVRreal]

@@user-iw2vf9ut5c ok

[@amazingaquaticsandexotics3030]

awesome video

[@backshotsbowfishin9052]

Can I do the loach with a male betta

[@braussie596]

so could I have 3 Amano shrimp 6 pygmy corys and a honey gourami or would the be overstocked in a 5 gallon

[@petergriffin8677]

Hey Cory quick question have you ever made a strain of fish or invertebrate it can be accidental of purposely

[@DonnaDiane74]

I personally would not recommend Green Neon Tetras for 5 gallon tank. I had eight of them in a 5.5-gallon and they hid all the time. I moved them into a 20 long and doubled the size of the school and now they are active all day long, out and about, using the entire length of the tank to swim around. I also can't imagine my very active Honey Gourami being in a 5 gallon.

[@_VANDAL_-]

had 3 neons in a ten gallon and they never hid

[@tuckman315]

It’s not on the list but honestly sparkling garahmis are amazing for a five gallon tank we’ve got four of them in a five gallon tank with some pigmy Cory’s and they have so much character really fun to watch

[@Wulfenite295]

I find it hard to find Chile rasboras in Colorado

[@animegod1714]

Hey Cory, the light in which chilis were in the b roll, was it RGB? Do they look that red in white light?

[@sufiyansheikh131]

Make another video for 10 gallon tank (besides crustaceans and bottom dwellers)

[@0Turbox]

I recommend holding p. annulatus (Clown Killifish) in a bigger tank than 5 gal. with a low hight of 30-35 cm but more space overall and in small groups of around 10 pieces. If you add another fish species, they won't leave the top, otherwise they show their full range of movement and move even to the bottom, and they love fruit flies.

[@ayoutubeuser6765]

I used to keep an wild small gourami but i failed to breed it it was blue and undiscovered.

[@gigi3242]

amano shrimp are incredibly entertaining, so are cories

[@lacrosseguy108]

i bought a small school of pygmy cories but they all died off 1 at a time. they were in a tank with an otto and a peppered cory so i dont know what happened

[@SoTypicallyMeh]

I have a 10g with just 4 male guppies, plus some neocaridinas and snails. If I add some female guppies, can I add another single fish that'll hoover up most of the babies without overloading my small tank?

[@Jeanfairy]

Can you have the loach with African dwarf frogs

[@SquirrilahFish]

I'm surprised Sparkling gourami's didn't make the list.

[@toriless]

I use Hikari micropellets

[@ohitsyang]

CPD are super amazing looking fish, but IME, they don’t ship well, at least the small ones. I can keep any fish alive, even saltwater fish, but the only ones that frustrates me is the CPD… 😂😂

[@Yonnie2436]

I think I want some now..

[@SpeikobraRote]

The Kuhlii Loach part isnt correct tho. You need a big school of them. Otherwise you will have even less to see of them. They are group fish and the females also need a bunch of males around them. Otherwise they end up eggbound and die.

[@amazingaquaticsandexotics3030]

some additional good nano fish blue axelrodi rasbora indostomus solo pea puffer hara jerdoni catfish florida least killifish native mosquitofish tank licorice gourami

[@plantedlife]

I love blue axelrodi rasboras but my research made me decide against getting them because they are sensitive T=T

[@jace-barton]

I got a curved glass 5.5 gallon landscape style tank recently that’s about 14 inches long, it’s almost done cycling (it’s planted). I have a very chill betta fish and am really wanting tank mates for him because he seems so unstimulated, even by a mirror. I can’t gets snails or shrimp because I have hard scape coming out of the water for my Bettas’s bubble nest, he usually likes to make it on things/attach it so I figured I’d create a natural anchor for him. I really want 2 maybe 3 loaches in the smallest size adult species that exist, would this work? I have done some searching and websites say I need more room, so do some internet people in forums, but it all seems like quick google search regurgitation. What would you recommend? I’d really love to have a tank mate so he’s not so bored that also helps clean the tank. I wanted to ask someone experienced because I truly feel like it can work but I’ve never done it. I’ve had a friend do a tank with a pleco, snails, and betta all in one five gallon and said they did fine, pleco outlived the betta and everything. So I’m just not sure what to think!

[@lizziesmusicmaking]

Hi, longtime fishkeeper and former aquarium store employee here. The loaches commonly seen in the pet trade do really get too big for a 5.5 gal. Kuhli loach and black kuhli loach are probably the smallest commonly seen. Adults get to about 3.5-4 inches. Two of them plus a betta is quite a heavy bioload for a 5.5 gallon tank, and they do prefer to have company of their own kind. They need a sandy substrate - they dig. They'll often bury themselves and then you don't see them much. They can be a bit sensitive to disease and the medications to treat it, which is a pain. The other common loach species are bigger. I would be reluctant to put kuhli loaches in a tank that small, and it would be a terrible idea for things like zebra loaches or clown loaches. Clown loaches often get 6 or 8 inches long in aquaria but get bigger in the wild, and like to be kept in groups. There are some really rare loaches I've read about in books and seen once or never that stay about 2.5 inches or less but they need to be kept in schools and will be terribly difficult to find or unobtainable. Pygmy chain loaches are like this. The smaller loaches like to be in schools, which undoes the advantage of the small size when it comes to small tanks. Loaches are not really good nanotank fish.

[@Orion-ih5xl]

Are you sure these can do well in 5 gallon tanks? Online sources say that a minimum of 10 gallons is better..

[@fatneek5307]

Does anyone have any recommendations for salt water fish in 5 gallon tanks.

[@sircompy5386]

Wait, kuhli loaches can live in five gallons?? That’s awesome!!!!!

[@jeremyfrost2636]

I actually wouldn't recommend it. They're happiest in groups of at least 6 and can get 4 inches long, which is a lot of space to take up for a single species. They'd probably be uncomfortable, and it'd be inadvisable to put anything else in the tank with them. Sorry.

[@Cheesefiddlehorn]

How many clown killifish in an 8 gallon

[@Tinger-42x]

White cloud minnows

[@STORIEDAMAAN]

Make a video on vieja Mac and other big fish. 1st btw lol

[@thewalters694]

I feel like most of these fish need more space

[@wyattmiller9539]

That's why I'm watching this for 10 gallon fish

[@Tinman964]

What’s some fish ideas for a 125 gallon

[@amazingaquaticsandexotics3030]

a pair of green terrors is always cool

[@alecgerhardt2963]

native north american sunfish with bullhead catfish

[@kiri23234]

A group of around 9 pearl gouramis (3 males, 6 females) would look great. They look stunning and are very entertaining to watch, just be a bit carefull with sharp decoration because they might crash into it if spooked. They also need a lid because they jump (keep that in mind when catching them)