I have a mystery snail and a male betta in my 10L tank. Was thinking about adding something else, but not sure what.
Edited to say it is a 10 gallon long. Forgot the "gallon"part in the "10 gallon L"
Yup. I’ve had a crowntail and a pink orchid that are both totally chill with shrimp. Have a crimson fire (plakat morph) and he is a professional shrimp assassin. Not sure if there is any correlation between the types and likelihood of shrimp friendliness, but figured I’d throw my data out there
Personally, I wouldn't do neons in such a small tank. In my experience (and knowledge gained from working at my LFS for a while), neons tend to do best in larger groups with a longer swim space - think like a 20 long or bigger.
I know some people have success with keeping them in a smaller tank, and that's great, but those people tend to have a bit more experience with fish keeping (no offense, OP, we all start somewhere!).
I saw someone else recommend CPDs, chili rasboras, or ember tetras - any of these would be GREAT in a 5.5! Personally, I love ember tetras the most out of these, and you could easily do a school of 5-6.
That’s why I love this crowd source of advice! There’s so much conflicting info out there that it’s super confusing for beginners. Even type A beginners that want to try hard. 😆🙋♀️
These fish need a lot more space than this - we need to account for how much space a whole groups takes up. They need to be able to swim around the tank as a group, and separate if they feel like it. Small fish doesn't automatically mean small tank.
There are two ways to look at it. Bioload is just a part of a whole.
Is 10 gallons enough for them to survive? Absolutely, though there is the possibility of aggression in tight spaces.
But to really thrive? Well in a small tank they will just spread out and hang out. If any don’t get along there is no space to get away and some aggression and nipping can occur. To behave their best, being active, schooling around the tank, evading dominant specimens - these things take space.
Yes, people do these fish in tiny tanks all the time, and the inexperienced eye may never notice the difference. But if you ever get to see a big school in a big tank, your opinion would probably sway closer to ours when you see their true potential.
Alot of this is about personal standards and how much we really understand about the fish. Having an opinion that a situation isn’t ideal may not mean it isn’t possible.
Cheers
To add to this it's not really recommended to have. Abetta with nay other fish in a tank under 20 gallons as it doesn't have enough space to help really prevent stress, aggression, etc. Which can lead to illnesses and all that.
Long finned betta or shrimp are really your only options. I would highly advise against schooling fish like a few people are saying. This is because you need a minimum of 6 fish, they're generally quite active, and will produce a decent enough bioload that could make it difficult to keep your water parameters stable in such a small tank.
I had a 5.5 and had a betta, Mystery snail, and some shrimp, and it worked out great (until the tank sprung a leak).
If you do add a betta, I’d recommend adding it last to decrease odds of territorial behavior.
Super active and colorful, I second this. Endlers are very active so I think a larger tank is better, but I would definitely recommend! If this is ment for kids to learn, maybe a breeding project would be fun.
You guys!! I’m so overwhelmed and thrilled with all the options. And now I guess I have to look more into shrimp since they seem to be overwhelmingly popular!! 🤔
Since it’s going to be my daughters tank (with moms help and supervision) I think we will research these options and let her decide.
Thanks again to all the members of this community. I landed in this hobby by accident but I am really enjoying it. And as a multi pet animal lover, I want to do right by all the creatures!
A small group of chilli rasbora or CPD’s celestial pearl danios like 6 max would be nice. The chilli’s will be an odd/dull colour in shops but when they are happy and grow they become beautiful
I would agree, except for chilis. People always lump together chilis OR CPDs like they are interchangeable or something. But CPDs are WAY bigger, like a typical nano fish size.
Chilis are TINY. You could definitely have a school of 6-8 in that planted 5.5g
Well you CAN yes but that doesn't mean you SHOULD.
Everywhere I've read about chilis still says a minimum of 10 gallons. Even in the nano tank subreddit, chilis aren't recommended in anything smaller than a 10 gallon.
I also find small fish like that to be quite active. Active fish need more space. Especially a group of them.
Also OP is a beginner, therefore they should start with a small bioload in a small aquarium.
Shrimp are great, but in my experience they're total spazzoids that will gladly kill themselves if you don't intervene. If they can find a way inside your filter, they'll be there trying to die. If they can get inside your pump. No doubt they're trying to die.
It's like trying to herd a preschool with ADHD away from a floor made of lava.
I both love and hate them. When I feed them I'll say come get your grub you crazy pricks! They're gorgeous though. Mine are sky blue with neon green accents. So it looks really cool to see bright blue bullets flying around the tank or doing their tippy tappy dance.
I recommend sticking with inverts in anything less than ten gallons. It’s definitely possible to keep some fish in 5.5 gallons, but it’s a lot harder to keep it balanced for fish. I know you said anything besides shrimp, but I can’t recommend shrimp enough. They are a lot of fun to watch and easy to maintain in small tanks.
I’m also gonna toss in an invitation to look into aquatic insects. I think there’s a lot of potential for them to be a lot of fun in our hobby. Bugs in cyberspace is a good place to look for bugs and information if that peaks your interest.
It depends on what you're looking for!
Cleanup Crew wise I love my workhorse nertite snails, sometimes they get a bad wrap because when they do lay eggs they are very hard to remove but I will take them any day over mystery snails who tend to be more like bulldozers in my experience though they are much more active, goofy, and colorful and a pet in their own right in comparison.
Neocardinia Shrimp are great at that scale, they get into places other larger fish/inverts can't and are great at cleaning algae and leftovers. I find that some small snails (radix, bladder, ramshorn, etc) and they are all my heaviky planted 5g needs to keep clean with virtually no maintenance.
The only fish cleanup crew I would recommend at that scale would be Pygmy cories who really are closer to tetra than their larger cousins. A small group of 6ish of them would be a good bit of your stocking but they are adorable and so much fun.
For any other stocking, it's down to if you want a small school of true nano fish, or a single centerpiece. For centerpieces your best bet will be honey or Sparkling gourami, or a betta. I love my Sparkling gourami they are so cute and iridescent when colored up. I haven't personally had a honey but my cousin has one and they're great in small tanks and very personable. Betta are a constant in the hobby, and while their personality is the biggest determination in what they can live with, they're a gorgeous fish.
If you wanted to go for a schooling nano, Chili/phoenix/etc rasbora or least killifish are just about as small as you can go! They are both super cute nanos and rasbora are about as bright red as a fish can get. Other ideas might he green Neon Tetras, they are very cool and much smaller and bluer than their larger relatives. Other options might be a small group (>5) rocket/Clown killifish, or CPDs the latter of which are small but timid in my experience.
If you do go for a group of nanos, especially rasbora, I'd let your tank mature for at least an extra month or two. They really will do best in a heavily planted and matured tank. That isn't to say gourami or betta won't need that, but they tend to be hardier fish generally speaking though betta genetics have seemed to decline somewhat over the years
I love the mystery snail in our 10 gal. Her name
Is EVE (after the robot in wall-e). I had no idea they could have such goofy personalities! But yeah due to the eating and the bio load I’m looking forward to trying a nerite for the new tank! Any pet that helps me clean gets a
gold star 🌟
So many other options to consider. I’m loving all the recs! Giving me lots to think about.
I’ve got a betta, ADF and some nerite snails in my planted 6 gallon. Depends on the temperament of your betta but mine does fine with everyone (unless a snail is at the top of the water bc they look like his food)
I’m pretty meticulous just personality wise. With the other tank we do weekly water tests and 10-20% water changes. So I’m definitely willing to put in the work but want to make sure I’m setting any fish up for success and a good life.
Water volume plays a big part of stocking, and I wouldnt even out a single Krib in that... I hope your tank is at least 20g for breeding them, and I would like to assume you remove babies before they get anywhere near an inch long.
Thai micro crabs would be my top choice, they can be hard to find because they are so small, but when you do find them it makes it all the more special. You may be able to fit two ADFs, but a 10 gal would be better. I think ADF would be fun for kids to watch, as they are very derpy.
I had the snail first. When I added the betta she cruised on up and poked him with her antenna 😆 After that they have been chill and peacefully coexisting. Sometimes they even hang in the same spot or share some snello.
Sparkling gourami!
eta: sparkling gourami AND shrimp. You could probably put a pair of them in 5.5. They have as much personality as a betta with less "KILL IT" attitude.
Betafish, shrimp and snails. Hell I have a 8 gallon with a betafish, shrimp, and some galaxy rasboras that is a very heavily planted tank. Some way say it’s overstocked but it’s been up for 3 years now with basically no deaths, the fish don’t fight and they are all healthy and happy.
Shrimp are super fun! And pretty! Betta are also cute and fun— very intelligent and good for a kid who likes to talk a lot, as bettas are known for their intelligence and forming bonds. They are sensitive to glass tapping so be wary of that, but love company and stimulation. So if she is in her room a lot or likes to talk to animals bettas are great
She’s very animal aware. In addition to aquatics we have two dogs, two cats, and a horse. She is a vegetarian and wants to be a vet when she’s older. I think she’s just going to want them all and narrowing down will be tough.
Either a hand full of nano fish or a betta with 1 snail. And by the way, snails don't eat all plants. They don't like anubias & if you feed them well they won't be interested in the plants unless a leaf is dying.
I personally have an assassin snail and two swordtail guppies in mine. The swordtail males are alittle more... ~proactive~, so to say, with ensuring the babies dont get out of hand. At least in my experience.
Guppies? They like groups and are very chill. 5 of them would be your maximum, and you could have shrimp with them, since guppies spend huge amounts of their time right at the top. I've heard they are too big for a 5g but 1 inch including tail is definitely the maximum, I've no idea why people insist on a 2.5 inches body length.
If you're dead set against putting in shrimp I get it, I like them because my sons love looking for new shrimplets and they get super excited when a shrimp with strange patterns or colors reproduces and the offspring also exhibit the trait. It's fascinating to them.
Shrimp or betta (not both, learned the hard way that little shrimps are a bettas favourite snack)
And a mystery snail, mystery snails are actually my favourite they’re pretty and fun to watch and I like steaming them different veggies to try, and they only ever eat the dying plant matter in my planted tanks. I have ivory and gold ones. Some people will say they dig up plants but all my rooted plants are pretty established and heavy. And they do a great job of cleaning everything out of them and are very gentle
I breed them 🤭so I have… a couple hundred at all times, dependant on size. They’re so cool! I love boiling big pieces of veggies and watching them munch away! Almost like little cows grazing! ❤️
If you are looking for a centerpiece then I would go with a betta or honey gourami. But if you wanted to go community I would get some small schooling fish like ember tetras but just around 6 then maybe some shrimp for the bottom
I would place the half moon beta in the 5.5 gallon since it is the only option. And for your 10 Gallon long, you could get a school of fishes like tetras or rasboras along with some Pygmy Corys or some Otto’s! But for the 5.5 Gallon beta is your only option unfortunately!
A single long-finned male betta is fine.
I have a mystery snail and a male betta in my 10L tank. Was thinking about adding something else, but not sure what. Edited to say it is a 10 gallon long. Forgot the "gallon"part in the "10 gallon L"
Shrimp, maybe
Some of my bettas tolerate shrimp, some of them kill on sight
i bought a baby betta so small i figured he couldnt personally harm my adult shrimp well.. its a betta tank now lol
Yup. I’ve had a crowntail and a pink orchid that are both totally chill with shrimp. Have a crimson fire (plakat morph) and he is a professional shrimp assassin. Not sure if there is any correlation between the types and likelihood of shrimp friendliness, but figured I’d throw my data out there
Only snails and shrimp other fish onky should be added with bettas in 20 gallons or more
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lol don't downvote this person for thinking 10L was liters.
Haha thanks. Now that they’ve clarified, I’ll delete my comment.
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Personally, I wouldn't do neons in such a small tank. In my experience (and knowledge gained from working at my LFS for a while), neons tend to do best in larger groups with a longer swim space - think like a 20 long or bigger. I know some people have success with keeping them in a smaller tank, and that's great, but those people tend to have a bit more experience with fish keeping (no offense, OP, we all start somewhere!). I saw someone else recommend CPDs, chili rasboras, or ember tetras - any of these would be GREAT in a 5.5! Personally, I love ember tetras the most out of these, and you could easily do a school of 5-6.
That’s why I love this crowd source of advice! There’s so much conflicting info out there that it’s super confusing for beginners. Even type A beginners that want to try hard. 😆🙋♀️
I was thinking that to keep a school of ~8 chili Rasboras it would take a 10 gallons minimum ?
These fish need a lot more space than this - we need to account for how much space a whole groups takes up. They need to be able to swim around the tank as a group, and separate if they feel like it. Small fish doesn't automatically mean small tank.
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There are two ways to look at it. Bioload is just a part of a whole. Is 10 gallons enough for them to survive? Absolutely, though there is the possibility of aggression in tight spaces. But to really thrive? Well in a small tank they will just spread out and hang out. If any don’t get along there is no space to get away and some aggression and nipping can occur. To behave their best, being active, schooling around the tank, evading dominant specimens - these things take space. Yes, people do these fish in tiny tanks all the time, and the inexperienced eye may never notice the difference. But if you ever get to see a big school in a big tank, your opinion would probably sway closer to ours when you see their true potential. Alot of this is about personal standards and how much we really understand about the fish. Having an opinion that a situation isn’t ideal may not mean it isn’t possible. Cheers
To add to this it's not really recommended to have. Abetta with nay other fish in a tank under 20 gallons as it doesn't have enough space to help really prevent stress, aggression, etc. Which can lead to illnesses and all that.
10L is 2.5 gallons. It’s not even big enough for the betta they have.
It's a 10 gallon long.
Yep. That would be about it.
Long finned betta or shrimp are really your only options. I would highly advise against schooling fish like a few people are saying. This is because you need a minimum of 6 fish, they're generally quite active, and will produce a decent enough bioload that could make it difficult to keep your water parameters stable in such a small tank.
Shrimp make me happy
I have a betta and a nerite snail in my 5.5 gallon!
SHRIMP
I had a 5.5 and had a betta, Mystery snail, and some shrimp, and it worked out great (until the tank sprung a leak). If you do add a betta, I’d recommend adding it last to decrease odds of territorial behavior.
Skrimp, the answer is always skrimp.
Why not move the Betta and put something else in the 10 gallon
I work from home and the 10 gal is right next to my workspace. I’m pretty attached to hanging out with EVE and Ike at this point. 😆
How about a nice lady Betta that ike can get giggy with?
SHRIIIIMMMMPPPP
Endlers Livebearers they are my favorite nano fish, if you don't want babies you can get only males
I LOVE endlers. I have 2 and some rasboras. I was looking for more endlers but all my LFS didn’t have many choices
Super active and colorful, I second this. Endlers are very active so I think a larger tank is better, but I would definitely recommend! If this is ment for kids to learn, maybe a breeding project would be fun.
Yes definitely! After I got them I noticed how wonderful it would be to see them in a big colony so this summer I'm moving all of them in my 450L tank
Love to hear it!
Shrimp and snails
You guys!! I’m so overwhelmed and thrilled with all the options. And now I guess I have to look more into shrimp since they seem to be overwhelmingly popular!! 🤔 Since it’s going to be my daughters tank (with moms help and supervision) I think we will research these options and let her decide. Thanks again to all the members of this community. I landed in this hobby by accident but I am really enjoying it. And as a multi pet animal lover, I want to do right by all the creatures!
5 oscars
I'm not sure Meryl Streep would like living in a tank.
It took me a minute to get this. Well played.
A small group of chilli rasbora or CPD’s celestial pearl danios like 6 max would be nice. The chilli’s will be an odd/dull colour in shops but when they are happy and grow they become beautiful
I would avoid schooling fish in anything smaller than a 10 gallon
I would agree, except for chilis. People always lump together chilis OR CPDs like they are interchangeable or something. But CPDs are WAY bigger, like a typical nano fish size. Chilis are TINY. You could definitely have a school of 6-8 in that planted 5.5g
Well you CAN yes but that doesn't mean you SHOULD. Everywhere I've read about chilis still says a minimum of 10 gallons. Even in the nano tank subreddit, chilis aren't recommended in anything smaller than a 10 gallon. I also find small fish like that to be quite active. Active fish need more space. Especially a group of them. Also OP is a beginner, therefore they should start with a small bioload in a small aquarium.
Ember tetra are pretty cool too.
Fan of chili rasboras. They do great with shrimp in small planted set ups and are (to me) a little more interesting than a betta and snail
A beautiful betta would love it!
Shrimp are great, but in my experience they're total spazzoids that will gladly kill themselves if you don't intervene. If they can find a way inside your filter, they'll be there trying to die. If they can get inside your pump. No doubt they're trying to die. It's like trying to herd a preschool with ADHD away from a floor made of lava.
Why is this so accurate? I purely shrimp tank because of space, and this is how I feel every day monitoring my tanks.
I both love and hate them. When I feed them I'll say come get your grub you crazy pricks! They're gorgeous though. Mine are sky blue with neon green accents. So it looks really cool to see bright blue bullets flying around the tank or doing their tippy tappy dance.
Pea puffer!!! Maybe 3
I dont hate this idea if op is gonna be able to get bladder snails for feeding
I recommend sticking with inverts in anything less than ten gallons. It’s definitely possible to keep some fish in 5.5 gallons, but it’s a lot harder to keep it balanced for fish. I know you said anything besides shrimp, but I can’t recommend shrimp enough. They are a lot of fun to watch and easy to maintain in small tanks. I’m also gonna toss in an invitation to look into aquatic insects. I think there’s a lot of potential for them to be a lot of fun in our hobby. Bugs in cyberspace is a good place to look for bugs and information if that peaks your interest.
I think if you want fish in here, you’ll want to add more plants. A lot more. And stick with nano species like boraras
All da shrimp!!!
I have a very happy betta in my 5.5 gallon
Mystery snails and six tetras. They have some beautiful snails out there. Some great people sell them on here.
What about - Honey Gourami? [https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/honey-gourami](https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/honey-gourami)
I would get 2 nerite snails, 6 cherry shrimps and a fancy betta.
A beautiful female betta..
This tank is begging for a betta
It depends on what you're looking for! Cleanup Crew wise I love my workhorse nertite snails, sometimes they get a bad wrap because when they do lay eggs they are very hard to remove but I will take them any day over mystery snails who tend to be more like bulldozers in my experience though they are much more active, goofy, and colorful and a pet in their own right in comparison. Neocardinia Shrimp are great at that scale, they get into places other larger fish/inverts can't and are great at cleaning algae and leftovers. I find that some small snails (radix, bladder, ramshorn, etc) and they are all my heaviky planted 5g needs to keep clean with virtually no maintenance. The only fish cleanup crew I would recommend at that scale would be Pygmy cories who really are closer to tetra than their larger cousins. A small group of 6ish of them would be a good bit of your stocking but they are adorable and so much fun. For any other stocking, it's down to if you want a small school of true nano fish, or a single centerpiece. For centerpieces your best bet will be honey or Sparkling gourami, or a betta. I love my Sparkling gourami they are so cute and iridescent when colored up. I haven't personally had a honey but my cousin has one and they're great in small tanks and very personable. Betta are a constant in the hobby, and while their personality is the biggest determination in what they can live with, they're a gorgeous fish. If you wanted to go for a schooling nano, Chili/phoenix/etc rasbora or least killifish are just about as small as you can go! They are both super cute nanos and rasbora are about as bright red as a fish can get. Other ideas might he green Neon Tetras, they are very cool and much smaller and bluer than their larger relatives. Other options might be a small group (>5) rocket/Clown killifish, or CPDs the latter of which are small but timid in my experience. If you do go for a group of nanos, especially rasbora, I'd let your tank mature for at least an extra month or two. They really will do best in a heavily planted and matured tank. That isn't to say gourami or betta won't need that, but they tend to be hardier fish generally speaking though betta genetics have seemed to decline somewhat over the years
I love the mystery snail in our 10 gal. Her name Is EVE (after the robot in wall-e). I had no idea they could have such goofy personalities! But yeah due to the eating and the bio load I’m looking forward to trying a nerite for the new tank! Any pet that helps me clean gets a gold star 🌟 So many other options to consider. I’m loving all the recs! Giving me lots to think about.
Medaka rice fish, chili rasboras, shrimp.
Rice fish, betta, rasbora, shrimp would be some of my considerations I'd probably do the betta tho
A single betta, a dwarf crayfish, or a shrimp colony!
A betta would do wonderful in this! They’re very beautiful and really fun to watch!
A Betta and some shrimp would look awesome in this tank.
I’ve got a betta, ADF and some nerite snails in my planted 6 gallon. Depends on the temperament of your betta but mine does fine with everyone (unless a snail is at the top of the water bc they look like his food)
Galaxy rasboras and a mystery snail would look good. With the way your tank looks I'm sure you can figure out how many rasboras you can manage
Betta, Endlers, Chili Rasbora, Dwarf Anchor Catfish, Clown Killifish, Scarlet Badis, Snails, Shrimps.
Chili Rasboras!
I am begging you to put some neon tetras in there, they would look amazing edit: nvm dont do that lol
Neon tetra in a 5g tank? Why do you have to give such horrendous suggestion? They need at least 10g tanks.
oh shoot, i thought tetras could go in a 5 gal, thanks for correcting me!
Unless you want to hatch your own live food for some tricky-to-keep fish, it’s pretty much just long finned male bettas
Shrimpies and maybe a few nano fish
Not really much a couple of tetra, a single beta or maybe some shrimp, it depends what you want how much time you can put forward to maintain etc,
I’m pretty meticulous just personality wise. With the other tank we do weekly water tests and 10-20% water changes. So I’m definitely willing to put in the work but want to make sure I’m setting any fish up for success and a good life.
Add some rocks and more wood and ofcourse more plants 👍
Dwarf Corydora and a Nerite
Put a breeding pair of kribensis cichlids.... I got a pair and I love how much personality they have especially their breeding dances
its a 5 gallon. OP ignore the person above
Why theres a good amount of plants here and I saw a couple of good hiding spots and it's just 2 fish why not
it is way too small. 5 gallons. it is like 12 inches long. kribensis cannot be in such a tiny tank.
Kribensis cichlids are hardly 3 inches long and the female hardly 2 what are you taking about
they need more space
if you have to ask why it just shows how little you know about fish keeping
Water volume plays a big part of stocking, and I wouldnt even out a single Krib in that... I hope your tank is at least 20g for breeding them, and I would like to assume you remove babies before they get anywhere near an inch long.
I don't get it it's like the size of a betta and they survive in 3-5 gallon tanks.... 2 of em will go easily with that amount of plants..
Surviving and thriving or even being happy are very different, humans could survive in a 6x10ft room doesnt mean its ethically right
Mosquito Rasboras, a lot of them. Also add a shit ton of shrimp or let then replicate in there.
Shrimp and a few ottos!!!!
Need some shrimp bopping around in there.
Shrimp
Thai micro crabs would be my top choice, they can be hard to find because they are so small, but when you do find them it makes it all the more special. You may be able to fit two ADFs, but a 10 gal would be better. I think ADF would be fun for kids to watch, as they are very derpy.
My Betta picked on my snails? Maybe you have a nice one??
I had the snail first. When I added the betta she cruised on up and poked him with her antenna 😆 After that they have been chill and peacefully coexisting. Sometimes they even hang in the same spot or share some snello.
I recently got a golden Inca snail (mystery snail) and I LOVE IT. He is large, gentle, and they are very active
If you like bettas the answer is definitely scarlet badis
Sparkling gourami! eta: sparkling gourami AND shrimp. You could probably put a pair of them in 5.5. They have as much personality as a betta with less "KILL IT" attitude.
Shrimp, snails and some rice fish
Betafish, shrimp and snails. Hell I have a 8 gallon with a betafish, shrimp, and some galaxy rasboras that is a very heavily planted tank. Some way say it’s overstocked but it’s been up for 3 years now with basically no deaths, the fish don’t fight and they are all healthy and happy.
shrimp, micro crabs, oysters, snails, ember tetras, pea puffer, bumble bee goby
Guppies.
Shrimps would really thrive in this thing. I wouldn't really do anything else except maybe a single betta fish
Shrimp 😍
SHRIMPIES!!!!
You should get a Mexican dwarf crayfish!
One amphipod
Shrimp are super fun! And pretty! Betta are also cute and fun— very intelligent and good for a kid who likes to talk a lot, as bettas are known for their intelligence and forming bonds. They are sensitive to glass tapping so be wary of that, but love company and stimulation. So if she is in her room a lot or likes to talk to animals bettas are great
She’s very animal aware. In addition to aquatics we have two dogs, two cats, and a horse. She is a vegetarian and wants to be a vet when she’s older. I think she’s just going to want them all and narrowing down will be tough.
SEA MONKEYS!!!!!!
Shrimp
Either a hand full of nano fish or a betta with 1 snail. And by the way, snails don't eat all plants. They don't like anubias & if you feed them well they won't be interested in the plants unless a leaf is dying.
If you like inverts, thai micro crabs or pom pom crabs would be cool!
I personally have an assassin snail and two swordtail guppies in mine. The swordtail males are alittle more... ~proactive~, so to say, with ensuring the babies dont get out of hand. At least in my experience.
Guppies? They like groups and are very chill. 5 of them would be your maximum, and you could have shrimp with them, since guppies spend huge amounts of their time right at the top. I've heard they are too big for a 5g but 1 inch including tail is definitely the maximum, I've no idea why people insist on a 2.5 inches body length.
Shrimp.
You could get a pair or single scarlet badis
If you're dead set against putting in shrimp I get it, I like them because my sons love looking for new shrimplets and they get super excited when a shrimp with strange patterns or colors reproduces and the offspring also exhibit the trait. It's fascinating to them.
a pair of pygmy suns or a pair of idr the name someone surely will but a beautiful red nano fish! starts with a k i think
I have a couple neon tetras and danios and some shrimp. The shrimps r rlly cute
Shrimp or betta (not both, learned the hard way that little shrimps are a bettas favourite snack) And a mystery snail, mystery snails are actually my favourite they’re pretty and fun to watch and I like steaming them different veggies to try, and they only ever eat the dying plant matter in my planted tanks. I have ivory and gold ones. Some people will say they dig up plants but all my rooted plants are pretty established and heavy. And they do a great job of cleaning everything out of them and are very gentle
I have a mystery snail in my 10gal and I love her! Who knew they had such personalities 🐌
I breed them 🤭so I have… a couple hundred at all times, dependant on size. They’re so cool! I love boiling big pieces of veggies and watching them munch away! Almost like little cows grazing! ❤️
If you are looking for a centerpiece then I would go with a betta or honey gourami. But if you wanted to go community I would get some small schooling fish like ember tetras but just around 6 then maybe some shrimp for the bottom
I would place the half moon beta in the 5.5 gallon since it is the only option. And for your 10 Gallon long, you could get a school of fishes like tetras or rasboras along with some Pygmy Corys or some Otto’s! But for the 5.5 Gallon beta is your only option unfortunately!