Small tank suggestions...

[Cat(fish)lady]

My mom really wants fish, but we've already determined she has very minimal space for them.
I plan on re-establishing a 5 gallon tank for her this week.
She wants guppies (yeah, we all know what happens there!! And of course, I'll be taking care of it!)

Any suggestions.. Cichlids or otherwise.. As to something else I can set her up with?? Maybe just a pair of something small, cute, and active.

[danielratti]

Go with guppies. I have people come in all the time looking for guppies for there mothers. Its not a bad idea to be honest. Ive had people come in looking for certain kinds of guppies for there 90+ year old parents because it is what brings back memories of there childhood. Do what is going to make her happy because those are going to be the the memories you get to have when they are no longer around.

[linuxrulesusa]

I'd go for a pair of paradise fish, often sold as paradise gouramis.

Add some floating plants and a sponge filter only, set temp around 78-80, and in a couple months you might have fry.

Chocolate gouramis would also work.

  I'd do either of those instead of guppies personally.

[djlamonica]

Oscar, you see how cute they are at meijers?

[Steve]

Beta with a couple cory cats. Makes for a nice little tank with activity at both the top and bottome levels of the tank.

[Ron]

Nothing wrong with guppies IMO. I've got a couple 10s with them just because it's fun to see what genetics emerge from the group.

[danielratti]

Nothing wrong with guppies IMO. I've got a couple 10s with them just because it's fun to see what genetics emerge from the group.

Like a box of chocolates... You never know what you are going to get!

[Cat(fish)lady]

Sparkling gourami would be a good choice! I didn't think of that.

I wouldn't do corys. A couple would be lonely, they need friends and space!

I'll keep looking. And any other suggestions would be great! Thanks for the input!

[linuxrulesusa]

Sparkling gourami would be a good choice! I didn't think of that.

I wouldn't do corys. A couple would be lonely, they need friends and space!

I'll keep looking. And any other suggestions would be great! Thanks for the input!

Pygmy cories could work in a 5g.  With them you could consider Celestial Pearl Danios (also called Galaxy Rasboras), mosquito rasboras, or similar small fish.  One thing to watch is to get some that are trained to pellets/flake instead of live foods...I can only imagine explaining that.  "Here, feed the fish these worms". 

I wasn't saying guppies are bad - just that they don't interest me.  But as Dan said, if they make her happy, go for it.  Plus they're not expensive (except for IFGA-class guppies), so any initial hiccups with the tank won't make as big a dent in your wallet.

[Steve]

I wouldn't do corys. A couple would be lonely, they need friends and space!

Depends what kind of corys you are talking about. I have 4 corys in my 10g beta tank and they do great in there, just stick with the smaller species of them that only get to 2" and they are perfect for small tanks.

[Cat(fish)lady]

Sparkling gourami would be a good choice! I didn't think of that.

I wouldn't do corys. A couple would be lonely, they need friends and space!

I'll keep looking. And any other suggestions would be great! Thanks for the input!

Pygmy cories could work in a 5g.  With them you could consider Celestial Pearl Danios (also called Galaxy Rasboras), mosquito rasboras, or similar small fish.  One thing to watch is to get some that are trained to pellets/flake instead of live foods...I can only imagine explaining that.  "Here, feed the fish these worms". 

I wasn't saying guppies are bad - just that they don't interest me.  But as Dan said, if they make her happy, go for it.  Plus they're not expensive (except for IFGA-class guppies), so any initial hiccups with the tank won't make as big a dent in your wallet.

Thankfully I shouldn't have any hiccups. I have a couple of established tanks that won't miss a chunk of dirty media or 5 gallons of water! Lol

Now to just find her guppies that aren't $5/each! Haha

[Cat(fish)lady]

Anyone with guppies going to MCAS willing to donate to the cause?? 

[linuxrulesusa]

Anyone with guppies going to MCAS willing to donate to the cause?? 

I'm sure any you'd get from members on here would be higher quality but an option is to watch for Petsmart's dollar/fish sale on livebearers which happens several times a year.  Although hopefully their tanks look healthier by that point - two of the three by me were not looking so great when I stopped in to pick up some equipment.

You could also check the feeder fish tanks (might need to QT for a bit at your place so the sick ones die off before moving the rest to your mom's tank.  Sometimes you get quite pretty guppies from the feeder tank.

A couple of ideas for you.

[Cat(fish)lady]

Anyone with guppies going to MCAS willing to donate to the cause?? 

I'm sure any you'd get from members on here would be higher quality but an option is to watch for Petsmart's dollar/fish sale on livebearers which happens several times a year.  Although hopefully their tanks look healthier by that point - two of the three by me were not looking so great when I stopped in to pick up some equipment.

You could also check the feeder fish tanks (might need to QT for a bit at your place so the sick ones die off before moving the rest to your mom's tank.  Sometimes you get quite pretty guppies from the feeder tank.

A couple of ideas for you.

Yeah I don't buy much from PetSmart often and the selection of pet stores is skim.. Have a Pet Supplies Plus, way overpriced! One real LFS left and I won't take anything out of that place without extensive QT, it's just poorly run and even more poorly operated! Then there's Meijer. Occasionally you get a great deal on something, but not often enough.

I enjoy road trips, but sadly for a few $$ in fish (any fish) I can't afford to check out all the cool places down state that have a much better selection and better cared for fish.

[danielratti]

You must not know of pier 701 in Midland.