~4gal Fish Stock?

[NanotankBank]

Howdy, 

so in my 5gal low tech shrimp aquarium, I wanted to add a single nano fish to sort of take up the empty swim space. I have a 5gal, but after everything in it it’s probably about 3.5-4gal of swimming space. I will be growing a colony of cherry shrimp, so like I said I’m looking for a lone fish who can handle it. Any ideas?

Temp sits between 70-72, pH fluctuates between 7.0-7.8 depending on water changes. Thanks!

[FLFishChik]

The only nano fish I can think of for that small of a tank would be a Betta, but you’d have to keep a close eye on your shrimp. A lot of other nano fish need to be in groups. Dwarf Gourami need a bit bigger tank. And tiny fish like Chili Rasbora, Ember Tetra and so on need to be in groups. I’m not sure there would be anything else that could live happily in a 4 gallon tank by itself other than a Betta. 

[anitstuk]

I think for a Lone fish in a 5 gal, a Betta is the best option but like mentioned earlier, you will need to keep a close eye on the shrimp. You could also put in a snail if you would like. 

[Jackaroni]

Maybe a fancy male guppy? They prefer the water to be a little warmer, but should do OK.  Do you have a heater on this tank?  If not and you are willing to add one, you might want to consider a Betta, but it may snack on the baby shrimp.  Also consider nano fish such as Endlers, although most are happiest in groups, maybe you could get 3?  If the only other thing you have are shrimp, that should work.

[NanotankBank]

On 1/22/2023 at 6:33 PM, Jackaroni said:

Maybe a fancy male guppy? They prefer the water to be a little warmer, but should do OK.  Do you have a heater on this tank?  If not and you are willing to add one, you might want to consider a Betta, but it may snack on the baby shrimp.  Also consider nano fish such as Endlers, although most are happiest in groups, maybe you could get 3?  If the only other thing you have are shrimp, that should work.

I do not currently have a heater as I’m attempting no tech apart from the light. I do like endlers, but I do not want them breeding and don’t want a massive bio load. I’ll have to think about getting a heater or not I suppose

[Scapexghost]

Unless the tank is a cube i think you can get away with a few chili rasboras

[Jackaroni]

Just get male Endlers, although I got only male fancy guppies for my large tank and now I have babies.  Perhaps one of the "males" was man-ish looking female. Ha!