Hello all,
I just recently bought a small 6g Fluval Edge for my little brother.
Its been one week that i am filtering the water and adding chemicals to start the bacterial cycle and remove any harmful chemicals. I believe it is time to put some fish in!

Do to the size of the tank, i dont want to put much in. I had 2 scenarios in my head. 1 - Put in a betta with maybe 2-3 neon fish 2 - Put in a goldfish (not sure which strain

After reading a couple of threads i realized that both option might not be the best. Bettas will have problems accessing the ceiling opening to gulp air and goldfish will need more than 6 gallons to live comfortably.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

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To dive or not to dive?

Goldfish really don't belong in small tanks, so please don't consider them

But since you did your research about bettas, kudos to you. If they can't get to the air, I don't think they would work in that tank. Personally I'd plant that tank as much as can be with live plants, then add maybe 5 or 6 neons. The more densely planted it is, the more relaxed the tetras will be, and it will help keep the water clear.

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Lead me not to temptation...I can make it there myself just fine, thank you

What are your readings for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. Putting fish in your tank is exciting, but unless the water is safe for them to go into. It is better to wait and see live fish than to not and end up with some who can't get through the stress.

As far as what to put in the tank a goldfish would not be suitable. They need a 20 gallon tank for just one and then 10 extra gallons for each one you add after that. So if you want three goldfish you need a 40 gallon tank. This is due to the size that they can get and the waste that they produce.

A single beta would be good for the 6 gallon. You could also possibly put a snail in their with the beta, I wouldn't recommend anything else in that size tank with the beta as they are an aggressive fish.

Another option could be shrimp and snails (I have been playing with this idea myself). Although snails can be a pain and pop up everywhere if you aren't careful. Snails are also large waste producers so I would recommend weekly water changes if there is a snail in the tank. I am not as familiar with shrimp, but I do know that some can and will breed a lot as well.

Another option (I wouldn't recommend it) is like 5 - 6 neon tetras (the small variety that only get up to about 1"). I don't recommend this option because neon tetras are more sensitive than most other starting fish and are more likely to die if you have a spike in ammonia, nitrites, or nitrates.

I say get a heater for the tank, an airstone, and bump the temp up to 84 degrees Fahrenheit, and get a male betta.

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no clue about my ammonium, nitrite and nitrate levels are, i had planned to bring a sample to my lfs where they would analyze it and tell me if i am good to go to add fish.

I could try the betta route but i am not sure it would like the lack of access to the surface. Shrimps might be cool but just like you, i know nothing about them (even less than fish!!) plus i am not even sure the lfs carries any although i never truly looked at anything other than fish

Any other thoughts regarding fish choice?

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To dive or not to dive?

Well I said to put an airstone in there because it would create extra oxygen in the tank which would lessen the need for the fish to go to the top.

I would say go the 5-6 small neon tetra route (Don't get the jumbo ones). I would also invest in a water test kit. Most lfs use test strips which are inaccurate according to most of the members.

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wouldn't the air from the airpump get jammed on the top lens of the aquarium?

but i will follow the tetra plan and first get the some plants in my tank... wht size of gravel bed should i have? i now have approximately 1 inch (to be honest not sure what an inch is exactly but i can tell you its about 3 cm)

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To dive or not to dive?

I am not really sure what you are asking, but I would read this Benefits of Air Stones and A little of its Drawbacks • kris blog

You should never fully fill an aquarium to the top with water. Always leave around 1" (or more depending on fish/setup) of an area by the top of the tank with no water.

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Fluval edge tanks are meant to not have much of an air bubble at the top- they've got a really sweet look, like you just took a chunk of water out of a river or something. Their lid is pretty much right on top of the water.

As for the plants, get a small-sized gravel if you don't have it already. What kind of substrate do you have now? A lot of people will advise layering substrate for plants, but this is not totally necessary, I'm growing plants just fine in about 2.5cm of small gravel with the addition of root tabs. Root tabs are your friends, but bury them deep. If you do that, they'll fertilize your plants for about a month or two.
Something you also need to consider is the lighting, specifically the kelvin rating. I'm not familiar with the kind of lighting that Fluvals have, I just know they look awesome. You'll have plenty of light I believe, just need to make sure it's the right kind of light.
Regardless, there are some plants that will do fine in just about any lighting, like Anubias, java fern, crypts, mosses, and possibly some swords...double check the swords though.

As a last word of warning about the plants though, many pet stores sell non-aquatic plants like mondo grass and ribbon plants (and lucky bamboo) as aquatic plants. These will usually rot in your tank unless they are at least partially exposed to the air. With a fluval, this means they will most likely not work at all, just be aware of that. Other than that, plants are actually fairly easy, if you want them to be. :D If you want them to be ridiculously difficult, they can do that.

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Lead me not to temptation...I can make it there myself just fine, thank you

with that tank i would totally go with a snail/shrimp planted tank

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10g- 2 hi-fin fm platys, 3 koi & red wag sword fry
40g Breeder- 6 danios, 4 female swords, 1 male swords
"I was born with nothin and I still got most of it left."- Seasick Steve

For a gravel bed size, it is roughly 1 - 2 pounds per gallon. This guy goes into a bit more depth How Much Gravel? While the link is old it is still true. Maybe some slight variations.

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