What kind of freshwater fish do I put in my new tank

Hello,

I have a 5 gallon poly hex tank. It is my first time having fish. I am doing this as a 4-H project. The tnak has been set up for 3 weeks. I actually put two mollies in a couple weeks ago, but they did not do well. Tank had not cycled correctly and too much nitrogen.

I am going to wait until the tank has been set up a month before I put other fish in the tank.

Anyway, what fish do you suggest?

Thanks,

rrockey

Molly are more sensitive to water quality than many fish. (A friend of mine always includes one for that reason.) They also do a bit better with salt, but no amount of salt can counter too much ammonia, or nitrates. (Salt makes mollies less prone to diease.)

Guppy, or platty are a good starter fish. As are danios, and minnows. Teras, and barbs are a bad fish for the veritcle nature of the tank as they need back and forth room. Goldfish are simply too large, and messy to have more than one in a tank.

A betta would do well but verticle tanks tend to make them more aggressive so it would likely need to be a loner. A single female betta would be fine in this kind of tank with patty, or danois. Multiple female bettas wouldn't be a good idea in this kind of tank. (I use 5 gallon hex tanks for my male betta for shelf space reasons, but they won't put up with fish tank mates in the hex tanks. Unlike wider 5 gallon tanks.) If you are willing to move the betta to a 2-3 gallon bowl after cycling males bettas make great fish for cycling. I cycle all my tanks with a male or female betta. In my larger tanks the betta stays if he/she isn't being picked on by the other fish.