Me and my roommate are starting college. We talked and looked at the school rules and they say we can have a fish/fishes as long as it is in a 5 gallon tank. Now we don’t know what fish to get. Anyone know what fish are good in that amount of space?
I would suggest that you wait until you get to college. See how much space you really have in your room. See how much time you really have…yes, even fish need care.
Then go to a local place that sells fish. Explain what you want…and get it there.
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I agree it makes sense to wait. I also note that smaller tanks are more, not less, work in terms of maintaining proper water quality.
But I would also note a Betta can make a nice solo fish in a five-gallon tank. Most people will recommend including some live plants and it can make a nice setup. Another cool solo fish to consider would be a Dwarf Puffer.
Or you can go with something beside fish. I suspect you could get away with some shrimp, which are actually really cool to watch doing their thing, and they help keep your tank clean.
Another cool option would be one, maybe two, dwarf frogs.
I note we once tried frogs and shrimp together, and caught one of the frogs gulping down a shrimp. They were not supposed to be good at hunting them but things happen . . . .
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Agree it makes sense to wait and see what space you have in the room (not just for the fish tank but for any supplies you might need). Also it would be helpful to live together in the dorm for a bit to feel more confident that you will get along as roommates.
Also before you get a fish (or any living creature) be sure you have firm plans in place for its care during school vacations, semester break, summers etc. as well as an agreement as to who would take over the fish/tank/etc. if you and your roommate do not live together in subsequent years. You also need to secure a way to obtain any supplies, food, etc. you need for the fish throughout the school year.
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Unless you are within commuting distance of your school, I would not recommend it – and even if you are, driving to and from campus for school breaks will stress the fish out and shorten its life span. If school is far away, what happens to the fish on school breaks? Yes, people do keep fish in their dorms, but this often doesn’t work out so well for the fish.
My daughter, who loves taking care of her animals – she’s got fish, reptiles, and amphibians (we have a cold-blooded zoo!) – did a lot of research to figure out whether she could keep an animal in her dorm, including a fish. She just couldn’t figure out how to make it work. So she ended up with a lot of plants instead. One of her professors, who happens to be a family friend of ours, keeps the plants in his office during breaks. It would have been a lot to ask him to take care of a fish, and it would have stressed the fish too much to transport it back and forth to our friend’s office a few times a semester.
So – do you have a realistic plan for taking care of a fish? Have you done your research? If you are absolutely determined to do this, I suggest asking a reputable pet store what kind of fish would thrive in a five-gallon tank. It will be a small one.
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My middle kid lived in a house with some other girls, one who had acquired a goldfish. The girl was just going to leave the fish there over winter break, with no one to feed it.
My kid was concerned, so she used Arduino and rigged a very basic fish feeder to feed the fish daily. The fish survived winter break.
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My daughter got a fish, probably not the smartest idea being 12 hours from home (long drive for a fish). It lasted 2 years.
I liked @NiceUnparticularMan 's suggestion of a betta. Bettas are surprisingly personable, prefer to live alone and can survive (although maybe not prosper) living in a small tank. On the other hand, I think I would generally vote “no” on the idea of trying to keep a fish in a dorm room. Fish can break your heart - they are fragile, not very portable, and they require careful, consistent care and maintenance. A 5-gallon tank without heat and filtration is not really a good set-up.
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As a long time Betta owner, this is a personal pet peeve of mine. Yes, they CAN live in small tanks. No, they should NOT live in those tiny tanks that pet shops sell for them. It actually causes them quite a bit of stress and Bettas that live in those tiny tanks have a decreased life expectancy than Bettas given more space (often by a few years). They like larger tanks with swimming room. They are also not as “easy” as many people assume - they are quite fussy about water temperature (and generally need a good heater), the water quality needs to be monitored, and their diet can also be a bit tricky (they are prone to swim bladder and other similar disorders).
They are wonderful fish, but they are not the “easy fish that only need a tiny tank and minimal care” fish that some pet stores make them out to be. At least not if you want them to live to their full life expectancy potential.
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Yeah, we had reasonably good luck with Betta lifespan (still heartbreakingly short for the kids), but it was not easy. We used heaters, filters, live plants, cycled the tank properly, all that stuff.
I guess I am also voting against this whole idea, at least as to fish. Maybe the shrimp, though.
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I’m wary of any kind of animal for the reasons mentioned above: who cares for it during school breaks, what happens over summer (how do you transport it safely to someone’s home, if no one is local), what happens next year (who gets custody), etc. Any kind of animal is a commitment, even if it’s “just” a fish. It’s a life you are responsible for. If you need something living with less moral responsibility, plants are great. And easier to unload when you move.
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My daughter knew I did not approve of her fish. I don’t think college students should have pets at school.
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Shrimp are generally a lot less delicate than fish and so potentially some of those issues have practical solutions in the right circumstances–but I am definitely not implying it will necessarily work for these particular kids.
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Frogs need to be fed live prey, which means that the OP would also need to keep crickets and other such critters in the room as well. Fish just need fish food.
African dwarf frogs can eat pellets, freeze dried brine shrimp and other non-live-cricket food. They are very fun little pets, but still raise all the above questions about ongoing care during academic breaks…
Didn’t know that it was possible to raise frogs on non-live food!
OMG yes, do NOT get amphibians for a dorm room.
Signed,
The person who takes care of her daughter’s toads during the school year.
PS: Tarantulas and snakes would be easier – arguably easier than fish – but you would still have the school-break problem, and you might freak out the roommate.
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African dwarf frogs are popular aquarium pets and usually live well with small fish - we have a few in one of our aquariums. Supposedly they can even live peaceably with Betta fish, but I haven’t tried that. I have mine in with guppies and tetras and such. They are fun to watch and not super hard to care for.
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The OP has not indicated that pets other than fish are allowed. Perhaps we should see if the OP comes back and says there are other allowable pets before making these suggestions.
Interesting thread, though - never knew we had this particular area of expertise on CC!
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