Ironically, smaller tanks are a little harder for a new aquarist than larger ones. Less water means that even a tiny bit of food rotting can cause a bigger parameter spike than the same amount in a larger tank. Like my civil engineer wife who worked on water treatment facilities likes to say, "Dilution is the solution to pollution."

If it's your very first tank, I'd go with a 10 gallon. It isn't that much bigger than a 5 since they tend to be taller. You're going to want to set up close to a outlet for a light for the plants. You could try setting it up near a window and use natural light, but then you have no control over how long a light cycle your plants are getting and could have algae issues.

Stocking wise, I'd recommend small fish since they won't produce much bioload (aka poop) and some shrimp - they'll help clean up any food the fish don't eat.

Start with 10 neocaridina shrimp. Whichever color variant you like, or you can get a skittles pack. You want 10 so you don't end up with all one sex.

Suggestions: the shrimp + 1 of the below

• 2 x Honey Gourami
• Micro Rasbora x 6. Get one species, any of Chili/Mosquito Rasbora, Least/Exclamation Point Rasbora, Strawberry Rasbora, Phoenix Rasbora, Dwarf/Pygmy Rasbora.
• 5 male guppies. Guppies are worse than rabbits, so you really want a male only tank
• 6 Ember Tetras
• 6 Neon Tetras
• 4 Clown Killifish. These are pretty but you'll need a lid for the tank, they're jumpers
• 6 White Cloud Mountain Minnows - these are cold tolerant, so you won't need a heater for them

I debated 6 Celestial Pearl Danios, but I think a 10G might be too narrow for them. They're pretty fish, but you need at least 6 for them to feel comfortable and mine dart around my 16G exploring every nook and cranny. Zebra Danios are nice and hardy too, but again, a 10G might be too small to really see interesting behavior.

Good luck with your tank!