# 5 gallon tank



## Brendan

What can I put in my 5 gallon tank? No arachnids/insects please. Mainly looking for lizards/amphibians/turtles.

EDIT:

Here's another question as well:

Could a green anole and a green tree frog and a hermit crab live together?


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## Goomba

Not enough room for an anole, and I don't agree with mixing species unless it's a properly setup vivarium, etc.

I'd go with an adolescent Ceratophrys ornata, and once it's big enough, move it to a 10 gallon.
But in terms of permanent housing, I'd say your options are limited. Maybe a male pacman or something, but yea, it's your call...


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## bugmankeith

A betta fish!


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## Mushroom Spore

Brendan said:


> What can I put in my 5 gallon tank? No arachnids/insects please. Mainly looking for lizards/amphibians/turtles.


Turtles need, like, 45-100 gallon tanks. You're not going to find many/any herps that can live in a 5, sorry.



Brendan said:


> Could a green anole and a green tree frog and a hermit crab live together?


Not in this or any other universe. Especially not in your 5 gallon tank, I hope you weren't asking that. :?


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## hairmetalspider

Brendan said:


> What can I put in my 5 gallon tank? No arachnids/insects please. Mainly looking for lizards/amphibians/turtles.


Honestly, nothing.

Perhaps a fish of sorts or a tarantula. (But again, you said no arachnids.)

Majority, if not all herps require bigger enclosures and more equipped set-ups.

You could put a pet rock in there.




> Could a green anole and a green tree frog and a hermit crab live together?


No. Completely disregarding any type of behavioral issues, the three have COMPLETELY different enclosure set-ups.


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## Canth

Brendan said:


> What can I put in my 5 gallon tank? No arachnids/insects please. Mainly looking for lizards/amphibians/turtles.
> 
> EDIT:
> 
> Here's another question as well:
> 
> Could a green anole and a green tree frog and a hermit crab live together?


You could get a small tree frog. Maybe a green tree frog or a gray tree frog. Or Maybe something more exotic like a clown tree frog. The tank is too small for anything other than a frog or toad. 

And no, those sp are horrible to put together


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## Mushroom Spore

Canth said:


> Maybe a green tree frog or a gray tree frog. Or Maybe something more exotic like a clown tree frog.


Green tree frogs: 10 gallons.

Gray tree frogs: 10-15 gallons.

Clown tree frogs: I'm also seeing people suggesting ten.


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## spydrhunter1

Hermit crabs demand a lot of maintanence, and they need companions of their own species. In nature they are found in colonies sometimes numbering in the hundreds,


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## rollinkansas

Lots of gecko species stay that small. All the ones I keep can be kept in 5 gallons.. Sphaerodactylus sp, Gonatodes, sp, Saurodactylus sp, Tropiocolotes sp, etc etc


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## JohnEDove

That size enclosure is to small for much at all. A scorp.. opps no bugs.
A Betta fish, barely.
A baby something perhaps but the you need to be planning for a larger enclosure soon.


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## Canth

IMO, green tree frogs will do fine in a 5 gallon. Have you ever kept them? I have and they don't do much. They're only awake at night and usually just stick near their water dish or jump around looking for food. 

There's also toads. Small, native toads will definitely fit in one. Small salamanders will too. Most small amphibians and like John said above, small gecko sp


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## crpy

Oak toad =no problem


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## GartenSpinnen

Um grey tree frog? NO. Tree frogs of any sort are very active creatures, and putting them in anything smaller than a 10 gallon enclosure is just wrong. Even a 10 gallon i would say more than 1 or 2 at the max is over kill. Tree frogs do best in an enclosure such as a 20 gallon high, or larger, with several individuals, IME. Ill put it this way... i had a 20 gallon high, and literally cleaning it was a pain, the waste they put off is unbelievable and cleaning it was a daily routine which took more time than i wanted to pursue.

In a 5 gallon setup, you might be able to house some types of fiddler crab, some types of small newts, perhaps a single firebelly toad? Want something nice? I recommend getting a filter for it, add good substrate, and put some anubias in there, throw on some good lighting, some java moss or java fern, and you got a very beautiful planted aquarium. Add a betta and you got yourself a nice setup . 

Keep in mind when working with small aquaria whatever you decide to put in it, its going to require a lot more maintenance than a larger aquaria. 

Cheers


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## Aschamne

The only thing I can think of off hand would be a viper gecko.  They are small(4") terrestrial desert gecko.

Art


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## froggyman

you could keep crayfish,african dwarf frogs, an nice tank of a few killifish,fiddler or thai red crabs,cherry or japonica amano shrimp.

not all together of course 

and with the dwarf frogs make sure their not african clawed frogs which get much larger(the dwarfs have flatter pointed heads and our leaner)

oh and 1-2 firebellied or eastern newts


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## froggyman

almost forgot a bumblebee gobie would do ok in a five gallon only their brackish and may not be easy for you(they are like an intermediate fish)

good luck


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## Mushroom Spore

Crayfish need like 10-20 gallons.



froggyman said:


> and with the dwarf frogs make sure their not african clawed frogs which get much larger(the dwarfs have flatter pointed heads and our leaner)


Actually, the way you tell for sure is by the hands: http://allaboutfrogs.org/info/species/clawedordwarf.html

Also the people suggesting an aquatic setup - I'm pretty sure there's a difference in tanks made to hold water and tanks made to hold airbreathers, and if you try to fill one of the latter category with water it's going to break eventually.


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## froggyman

alright mushroom thanks for clarifying...there is definatly no way an adult clawed frog could fit in a five gallon...ive seen them as large as 5''!


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## Warren Bautista

You can ge a pair of dart frogs.

Here's a site:

http://blackjungle.com/


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## arachnocat

I was asking people the same thing on a frog forum. I had a few 12" x 12" exo terras and wanted to put something new in them. Basically dart frogs are the only thing you could put in there if you didn't want a T.


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## hairmetalspider

Xx_Reptile_xX said:


> You can ge a pair of dart frogs.
> 
> Here's a site:
> 
> http://blackjungle.com/


A 5 gallon is WAY Too small for dart frogs.


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## dtknow

Agreed.

The only frogs I could see being ok in a 5 gallon would be greenhouse frogs. 

how about morning geckos? A single should be ok. 

Dwarf crayfish(Cambarus shulfedtii)

and various fish.


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## rm90

I'd think crayfish would need more than a 5 gallon tank.

How about a.. uhh.. wait.. nothing.


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## hairmetalspider

Just putting this out there bluntly...

Nothing you want will be able to live, healthily, in a 5 gallon tank.

Ten gallons are ten bucks at Petsmart.


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## crpy

You can use your 5 gal to raise your frog-lets then transfer them.


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## reverendsterlin

an interesting thing to do is add some soil an inch or two from a pond edge or dried up pond. You'll be surprised at what plants and water animals/insects will appear. Fairy shrimp and a few hobby related crabs can also be found that will work in that sized container.
Rev


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## Dillon

i would go with a pac man frog.  then like goomba said move it once it outgrows the cage


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## dtknow

Ryan Maguire said:


> I'd think crayfish would need more than a 5 gallon tank.
> 
> How about a.. uhh.. wait.. nothing.


dwarf crayfish would be fine. They stay less than 2 inches.


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## arachnocat

or those aquatic african dwarf frogs. Those are cool


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## rollinkansas

hairmetalspider said:


> Just putting this out there bluntly...
> 
> Nothing you want will be able to live, healthily, in a 5 gallon tank.



Thats a harsh statement considering all the species I keep are comfortable in a tank the size of a 5 gallon.


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## dtknow

Agreed with rollinkansas.

True, small tanks are unsuitable for the majority of things...but you can have great success with them!


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## ReptileKid

A viper gecko


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## bigdog999

Any one of a number of newt species.  I currently have 3 paddletail newts in a five gallon, but I'm also running a Fluval 205 in the tank.  Firebelly frogs or newts would work


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## hairmetalspider

rollinkansas said:


> Thats a harsh statement considering all the species I keep are comfortable in a tank the size of a 5 gallon.


Then all I have to say is that in my experience, and blatantly the experience of others in here, I, and they have found this to not be true.


We may have to agree to disagree on this.


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## Mushroom Spore

bigdog999 said:


> I currently have 3 paddletail newts in a five gallon, but I'm also running a Fluval 205 in the tank.


I was under the impression that paddletails needed ten gallons each, or five gallons each at the very least.


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## rollinkansas

hairmetalspider said:


> Then all I have to say is that in my experience, and blatantly the experience of others in here, I, and they have found this to not be true.
> 
> 
> We may have to agree to disagree on this.



There is no disagreement here. You just have to understand that people keep animals that arent posted on Kingsnake every day or in pet stores.

For example, these are some adult animals, ALL of which live fine in 5 gallon tanks.

































So maybe next time before you make such a harsh statement "No animals can live comfortably in a 5 gallon etc..." youll do some research before blurting those things out.

Its obvious from this thread that you, and some others in this thread are the ones without much experience.


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## crpy

That one gecko looks like he has a flaming tail huh hrmtl;P


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## hairmetalspider

It has nothing to do with understanding, it has to do with personal preference.

I simply would never use a 5 gallon for anything but a tarantula. I believe herps do better in larger enclosures, and this is based upon not only my experience but others I've spoken to and observed.

You may believe otherwise, and that's your decision. I was giving my opinion based on my experience to the OP who asked for advice.


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## rollinkansas

hairmetalspider said:


> It has nothing to do with understanding, it has to do with personal preference.
> 
> I simply would never use a 5 gallon for anything but a tarantula. I believe herps do better in larger enclosures, and *this is based upon not only my experience* but others I've spoken to and observed.
> 
> You may believe otherwise, and that's your decision. I was giving my opinion based on my experience to the OP who asked for advice.


What experience do you have in herps besides the ones listed in your profile? Im not asking to pick it apart, Im just genuinely curious. 

If an animal is able to live/breed/reproduce in an enclosure, then its needs are being met. 

The gecko I posted (Sphaerodactylus Nicholsi, next to the dime) does not need a tank larger than a 5 gallon. In fact, I breed them in small deli cups.

Point being, dont make your personal preference sound like the end all be all just because you and some other spider keepers think that way.

In all honestly, if this was posted on a reptile specific forum, or gecko forum, it would receive a lot better answers than "No, nothing is fine", or people spouting off things they read on an online care sheet, such as "That animal cant thrive in anything less than a 10 gallon tank!" Lots of animals can live, and breed in a 5 gallon tank, you just dont know about them because they arent found in the reptile section of your local pet store.


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