5 gallon tank

[Eugene09]

I am considering getting a scarlet badis, and I know, it’s not a cichlid but it’s similar. I have a 5 gallon tank that is planted with a good amount of plants and pothos as well. I have kept fish for 2 years so I’m not unfamiliar to fish keeping. my concern is that i don’t know what to do if I leave for vacation. These fish eat live food so it would be hard to feed them when I’m not there. Would it be bad if I leave for about 2 weeks?

 

[Eugene09]

If not Im considering a chocolate gourami with green neon tetras and Pygmy corys

 

[MacZ]

These fish eat live food so it would be hard to feed them when I’m not there. Would it be bad if I leave for about 2 weeks?

If the tank is WELL seasoned and has sufficient infusoria, biofilms and microorganisms that grow on botanicals and leaf litter, and a well established big amount of plants AND you only have one or to Dario sp. in the tank it would be possible. Care to post a picture?

If not Im considering a chocolate gourami with green neon tetras and Pygmy corys

In a 80 liter / 20 gallon tank perhaps, but in a 20 liter / 5 gallon that's 2 species too many. Also the requirements of chocolate gourami are not that easy to achieve.

 

[Eugene09]

Is there a way to tell if you have micro organisms or are they just everywhere?

 

[Eugene09]

 

[Eugene09]

What other centerpeice fish would you recommend other than a gourami, Dario or killifish since I have a hob filter and can’t make a lid with 100% closes the top. For a 20 liter

 

[MacZ]

Is there a way to tell if you have micro organisms or are they just everywhere?

You can see biofilms and the like. The more surfaces to settle on the better. And seeing the tank: Add about triple the amount of plants (easy stuff like hornwort or pennywort) and a lot more leaf litter (also leave the leaves in until completely disintegrated). It would take a tank that size at least 3 months without fish to get to a stage where I'd say it will work.
What makes it really problematic is the fact that you have soil and most of it unused due to too few plants. You'd have to densely plant the tank and only few open areas and those covered with leaves. Also this only works with Dario or Trichopsis, all other possibilities listed below would need at least one or two feedings in a timeframe of 2 weeks of your absence.

What other centerpeice fish would you recommend other than a gourami, Dario or killifish since I have a hob filter and can’t make a lid with 100% closes the top. For a 20 liter

That tank size is unsuitable for more than one species. It's either a single or a pair of sparkling gourami, a single or a pair of darios, a single Betta, a few small killifish OR a handful of Boraras brigittae. That's it.
And when I say OR I mean it is really a 1 species maximum.

 

[Mike Wise]

You might take comfort in knowing that fish and other coldblooded animals do not require nearly as much food to survive; anywhere from 80 - 90% less than warmblooded animals.

 

[Eugene09]

I can get more stems in the back and get some carpet plants in the foreground. Also the pothos roots can grow into the substrate. Also I’m expirementing with water lily bulbs again, last time they grew like crazy and covered the entire tank but the rams horn snails ate the leaves because there were millions of those pests.

 

[Eugene09]

If I get two darios, male and male, will they get territorial because I only have one good hiding place which is a cave behind the wood and rocks.

 

[Eugene09]

Could I keep one male dario and one male Pygmy sunfish

 

[Ben Rhau]

If you’re adding a male dario, for a 5g I would personally not add any other fish as permanent residents. You could add shrimp, however.

For your feeding question, well fed fish can go without added food for 2-3 weeks no problem. If you keep shrimps, they can periodically feed on shrimplets also.

 

[Eddy. E.]

The smaller the tank, the more dedicated the feeding.