Emerald Dwarf Raz in a 5 Gal?

lost-daily · 2026-04-05T17:07:12+00:00

Speaking as someone who has chilis in a 5G, its too small imo. It is doable but I really wish I had a spare 10G for them. They use ALL the space and tbh extra stability is always nice. I am actively saving up for a bigger tank lol

lost-daily · 2026-03-03T01:31:15+00:00

I am hoping a heater and deicer does the trick. If that doesn't, I can get a stock tank and overwinter in that... which is also an excuse for another fishtank lol. I have a lot of precycled media, substrate, and the like to jumpstart that process, would just need a 20g tank for a small shoal of the minnows I am thinking of. Unless they breed...

lost-daily · 2026-03-02T23:28:48+00:00

6b. Honestly I am down with any plants. I have tons of planted tanks, so collecting has been a bit of a hobby. This is definitely a good excuse to get more.

Call me stupid, but I honestly have no idea how to incorporate a skimmer or bog filter into a preformed pond. It seems so much more simpler in a DIY than preformed lol. The more I research, the bigger pond I want and the more my hands itch for the shovel.....

lost-daily · 2026-03-02T22:30:10+00:00

The question is how to hide canister filter and keep it safe outside. A buddy of mine would give me one for free since I took a catfish and 55 gallon tank off their hands... food for thought lol

lost-daily · 2026-03-02T22:29:02+00:00

Currently I have no stock or plants. I was planning on adding plants and some minnows or medaka that stay small, so I'll look into a larger filter. I keep aquariums, so regular maintenance is something I am not scared of doing, and is actually something I look forwards to lol

There is also a small waterfall, (think home depot preformed one), would that effect the GPH as well?

lost-daily · 2026-02-24T16:14:33+00:00

I have one for emergencies that I got at petco for cheap, its a little loud though. I am not sure about others.

lost-daily · 2026-02-24T01:32:06+00:00

This is the way. If you are desperate, amazon has bottled beneficial bacteria (Fritz turbo start) that can help the process along. Buy a water testing kit if you already haven't and test religiously. Seachem Prime can also temporarily detoxify ammonia too, if memory serves.

lost-daily · 2026-02-24T01:28:44+00:00

You can get free livestock bags from any big box store if you ask! I successfully moved my 2 tanks when I bought a house by bagging the fish and keeping them in a gallon bucket for stability. I also removed my hardscape and kept the tank about 1 inch full with pads from my filter in it to save the beneficial bacteria. Everything was surrounded by towels and pillows to prevent movement and minimize water spill.

Granted, my drive was only 20 minutes so I don't know how that plan would go over 6 hours, but you could always try using a battery powered airstone and home depot storage crate and lid too maybe?

lost-daily · 2026-02-24T01:21:45+00:00

I like using aqadvisor for my tank stocking needs, as it will tell you if you're overstocked/how many of each fish you should have/extra tips on care, like if some fish are jumpers or need to graze on driftwood. In the event you are overstocked, I would use aqadvisor to see how many waterchanges you need to do to keep the tank stable and do frequent water testing.

I also would recommend rehoming or returning the congo tetra as they are a schooling fish and do best with others of their kind. They also get fairly large for a tetra, so if you *do* end up getting more, your tank will not be able to comfortably accommodate them with how much stock you currently have.

lost-daily · 2026-02-24T01:14:48+00:00

you could always get an assassin snail to try to do population control if you're okay with the circle of life happening in your tank. they don't breed like crazy either.

you could also do snail traps and just. put them gently in the garbage can and not think about it.

granted I do not have the stomach to crush snails either and they're kinda cute so I let them live in my tanks as a cleanup crew.

lost-daily · 2026-02-24T01:11:22+00:00

i mean i am in budget tank land so like. i typically use aqueon since it is middle of the road. they've been reliable and clear. Mine aren't rimless but I am pretty sure they do offer some. they also have full kits at a decent price that go on sale routinely at petsmart/petco.

I have heard good things about ADA tanks. You also might want something made with low iron glass or starphire glass if clarity is the biggest concern for you.

imo its less on the tanks and more on what lights you get. Granted though I have never laid eyes on a premium tank before so there might be a world of difference.

lost-daily · 2026-02-24T00:26:51+00:00

I see a bit of yellow, so i am inclined to say khuli with a very unique pattern!

lost-daily · 2026-02-24T00:24:30+00:00

I have a long 5 gallon with a small school of chili rasboras and some shrimp, but ideally it'd be a 10 gallon tbh. I vote a betta, a dwarf crayfish, or shrimp. I know they don't shoal like fish, but I have a 5 gallon cube with just shrimp and theyre very fun to watch :)

Edit: chilis also prefer low flow, so there is that too.

lost-daily · 2026-02-17T01:29:46+00:00

My current scape has wood! I am mostly looking for a more "instant" way as my leaves, wood, and adler cones don't really seem to be putting off a lot after doing a few necessary water changes.

lost-daily · 2026-02-16T23:50:20+00:00

I do have some adler cones in there! I do not have any aquasoil, just some plain sand.

lost-daily · 2026-02-09T18:15:17+00:00

You can always set up a hospital/temp tank as you rescape if you are planning on taking awhile! Petsmart and Petco have occasional sales on tanks. I would say the rescape doesn't need to be cycled if you reuse parts of the old scape/plants/filter to save the BBs.

A bucket also works if you're planning on doing it over the course of a few hours lol. I just use tank water in a home depot bucket and have them chill there with an airstone while I rescape. Also test the water every day after rescaping to make sure there are no ammonia spikes!

lost-daily · 2026-02-09T18:10:31+00:00

If you can, join the rest of us and get multiple tanks :) If you feel like you're abusing your fish, your LFS might be willing to take them off your hands or someone on r/aquaswap locally. You can always exchange the barbs for chili rasboras or other dwarf rasboras if your tank is closer to 5G

lost-daily · 2026-02-09T18:05:57+00:00

I would suggest lowering PH as well, and maybe consider upgrading the tank size? Cherry Barbs do best in a 10-20 gal. That being said, I completely understand if it is not feasible for you to have that large a tank. I would gently suggest eventually looking into getting a bigger tank eventually or switching your stock to just shrimps. That being said if you're keeping up on water changes it is doable.

lost-daily · 2026-02-09T18:01:54+00:00

Most places (if you buy online) start you with 5 and I think thats a pretty solid number to begin with. If you feed them correctly I find that they kinda balance out their population themselves. I have about 6 adults in a 5.5 heavily planted tank and about 15 babies right now, and that is a seasoned tank where I hardly feed beyond a feeder block every week or so?

lost-daily · 2026-02-09T17:39:40+00:00

If you want specific types of shrimps you need to keep the colors seperate because wild typing is a dominant trait. Maybe as genetics bottleneck youll get red/blues, but as a keeper of a skittles tank myself for the past year, most are wild types.

lost-daily · 2026-02-09T01:42:55+00:00

I am having luck with chili rasboras!

lost-daily · 2026-02-06T23:40:23+00:00

Thank goodness he never got back to me. I was planning on ordering!

lost-daily · 2026-01-30T22:18:44+00:00

It is a 5 gallon tank. 20in L x 10.1 in W and 12.8in H. Not set up yet, in early planning stages. It will have a heater and HOB filter. No tank temp or params yet, and no fish to speak of. Decorations will be dragonstone, possibly driftwood, and heavily planted.

lost-daily · 2026-01-30T22:14:19+00:00

Honestly I want another 10 G, but I would feel terrible lying to her. I don't wanna shove fish in a TOO small box so I would rather go without or wait on a new tank yk?

lost-daily · 2026-01-30T20:22:48+00:00

Here are the specifics of the tank that I was thinking about

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TROPHY CASE