[FuzzyMuffin]

Hello,

I’m trying to narrow down what to stock a 5g Marineland portrait tank with and I’m having a hard time what critter I would like in there. I have a couple of factors at play that may make one candidate better than the other, but I was hoping someone with more experience in these guys could weigh in.

So, about the tank.
I plan on having it medium/heavily planted, but my water is quite hard.
pH: 8.2
gH: 21 degrees
kH: 15 degrees
I’ve narrowed down what I want to either a pea puffer or a Mexican dwarf crayfish, but I have concerns with both.

Will this water be too hard for a dwarf crayfish? I’ve kept a blue crayfish before and she did lovely in the hard water, no issues shedding whatsoever, and passed away from old age. Does anyone know if it would be similar with a dwarf crayfish or do I have to do what I do with my shrimp and remineralize distilled/RO water? Will a CPO mess with/eat my plants? I know my blue crayfish would’ve.

Is this tank large enough for a pea puffer? I’ve seen mixed opinions on minimum tank size for them, and being that this is a portrait tank, it’s taller than it is wide. Would a pea puffer utilize the entire space? Or is it simply not a good fit?

I’m also open to other options, but I do want to stay away from bettas. I absolutely love them, but I don’t personally think this tank is large enough.
Thank you!

 

[somewhatshocked]

Will this water be too hard for a dwarf crayfish?

Probably not too hard but definitely on the edge of the upper range.

or do I have to do what I do with my shrimp and remineralize distilled/RO water?

If you have an RO/DI filter, why not remineralize so you have complete control? Or at least do a 50/50 split to reduce hardness? That would open up a ton of opportunities.

Will a CPO mess with/eat my plants?

They can but they're also smaller and less strong than the cray you've kept in the past. As long as you plan a tank well for them, they'll be fine with most plants in the hobby.

Is this tank large enough for a pea puffer?

A standard 5.5gal tank with lots of vertical space could be okay for a Pea Puffer if it's planted well.

being that this is a portrait tank, it’s taller than it is wide. Would a pea puffer utilize the entire space? Or is it simply not a good fit?

Since it's less horizontal, I don't think it would be a great fit for a Pea Puffer necessarily. More horizontal space would be ideal. Crays also need a lot of horizontal space but it could potentially be easier to take advantage of vertical space with creative hardscape.

What are the specific dimensions of the tank? Could you post photos?

 

[FuzzyMuffin]

If you have an RO/DI filter, why not remineralize so you have complete control? Or at least do a 50/50 split to reduce hardness? That would open up a ton of opportunities.

This tank is actually being set up at my work. I’m sure I could arrange it but honestly that’s a bit more work than I’m looking for with this tank. The simplest way for me to do maintenance is to temp match the tap water, which is how I would prefer to keep it. I’m also limited to this tank because of setting it up at my workplace, the footprint fits well within my space.

Crays also need a lot of horizontal space but it could potentially be easier to take advantage of vertical space with creative hardscape.

I completely forgot how much horizontal space crays use. I picked out a really nice piece of spider wood for the tank that I planned on the crayfish crawling all over since it reaches all the way to the top.

What are the specific dimensions of the tank? Could you post photos?

It’s 11.8x11.8x17 (inches). If you google a Marineland portrait you’ll find the exact tank I’m working with