5 gallon questions

[Jumbotummy]

I have a 5 gallon mini bow tank with Eco-Complete substrate. It has one of those power compact screw in bulbs at 10 watts, so that's like 2 WPG. I have a couple questions:

1)The plants I plan on getting are hornwart, javafern, and java moss. Those are pretty good plants right? I'm wondering what other good plants I could get, This is my first planted tank, so i'm looking for some good beginner plants.

2)Would it be too many fish if I had 1 otto, 3 cories, and 4 white clouds in the 5 gallon? Or is that too many and not get the otto?

3)Would I have to use supplements? I was thinking of getting Flourish Excel, but I'm not sure if I'll need it.

Thank you for your help.

[Mini4x]

1" of fish per gallon..

[Wasserpest]

1. This will be a low light setup. See if you can improve the reflectors if the fixture comes with the typical piece of metal or plastic screwed behind the bulb.
Small Cryptocorynes, like C. parva, would be good too.

2. For a 5 gal, I think that's pushing it. Corys in a 5 gal? Maybe pygmies. There is no question that you CAN keep all of those in a 5 gal tank, but it's hard to keep balanced. Otos can be a little sensitive to bad conditions, and WC minnows need some room to swim. For a 5 gal, maybe a Betta, or some Endlers livebearers and shrimps would work well.

3. When plants are growing, providing CO2 using Excel can make them grow bigger and greener. Not sure if you NEED it, the more light, the more necessary it becomes. I would try first without it, and then dose less then recommended to see if it helps.

[Synapse]

Have you decided on the filter you are going to use?

[Jumbotummy]

the filter I am using is a fluval 1 internal filter.

I guess Ill probably just get a betta.

thanks

[yv1]

i have 2 five gallon tanks and i have to warn you that you will come across a lot of algae issues with high lighting. you can keep th elighting low and have low light plants...

its also takes awhile to get them balanced....but the end result is gorgeous, its like a mini rainforest and smaller fish will give the illusion of the tank being larger than it is.

as for fishes i would recommend maybe a pair of killies and pygmy cories.....i have kept 2 pairs of killies and one regular cory in a 5 gallon with no issues. anything that doesnt require swimming/schooling room would be good for a 5 gallon. or even guppies...you can even keep a trio of dwarf puffers...

the possiblities are endless!

[Jumbotummy]

hmm...

killies and pygmy cories sound really cool!
what kind or killies?

Thanks yv1, Ill go check my LFS tomrrow and see if they have any

[yv1]

http://www.killies.com/ has some good info on them

the orange guy in the pic is Aphyosemion australe Orange and the other yellow/red guy up top is Nothobranchius foerschi ... any of the Notho species are good beginner fish...

its pretty rare to see killies in fish stores...although petsmart had some at one point...

oh i just noticed you are in SF...im in sf too. you want killies...go to Ocean Aquarium on Cedar St...its off Van Ness (little one way alley st hard to find). the owner Justin has lots of rare fishes and he is very very knowledgable regarding aquatic plants and fish, highly highly recommend that store, he will answer any of your questions!

i learned almost everything i know from them

[Ugly Genius]

yv1 is right. Justin is awesome! Go to his store, Jumbotummy! At first glance, Ocean Aqaruim is kind of a dive. (Looks a lot like the store where the father bought Gizmo in the movie Gremlins.) But once you start to look at his tanks—each and every one planted á la Amano—you see where his efforts go.

Also, the PetSmart in Daly City, near Serramonte, has a tank of Killies. Or, at least, they did last week.

But do yourself a favor and go to Ocean Aquarium. Nippon Goldfish on Geary is pretty good too. And 6th Avenue Aquarium on Clement is also worth a trip.

[yv1]

Justin is currently spawning badis badis and some killies last i checked. he also has some pretty rare cichlids, oh and he has pygmy cories too so go get some b4 they're all gone! get ready to spend some $$$ when you go though, there is just so many different plants you wouldn't be able to resist.

[Jumbotummy]

WOW COol!

Well today I went to Nippon and 6th Ave.I go to Nippon a lot.

I don't really like the conditions of 6th Ave, I just buy my eqipment there, I don't know about buying live stuff from them. It's where I got my mini bow 5 though, 35 bucks, pretty good

Nippon was crowded, but they had 25% off all SW & FW fish. but I didn't get any fish cause I'm still setting up. But I got some java ferns and hornwart.
Maybe tomorrow if my mom's up to it, we'll go to Ocean Aquarium tomrrow and petsmart in daly city too.

THanks for the great advice!

[squirrelproductions]

Originally Posted by Wasserpest

1. This will be a low light setup. See if you can improve the reflectors if the fixture comes with the typical piece of metal or plastic screwed behind the bulb.

Check out the following thread to get two bulb sockets out of your stock AGA Mini Bow 5. It's an easy mod!