What can I put in a 5 gallon tank?

[fluffycat6]

I have a 5 gallon tank that’s cracked so I can’t put fish in it. Is there some kind of insect/reptile/amphibian/small animal that can live in it? It’s 16” long, 8.5” wide and 10” tall.

[Salamandaa]

If it can't hold water there's not too many options to be honest. Many animals require a 10 gallon tank at minimum.

A 5 gallon tank would be fine if you like invertebrates. Even a tarantula could live in a 5 gallon tank, although a 10 gallon tank is ideal. So if you're comfortable handling insects or arachnids, it may be cool idea. When I was younger I used to keep wild-caught boxelder bugs and now I have a colony of dubia roaches I use as feeders for my geckos.

If you get them from outside just make sure they're not small enough that they'll escape. Some good ideas would be caterpillars that you release outside once they turn into butterflies, a spider, praying mantises, stick insects, etc.
As I said you can also buy all sorts of inverts. Praying mantises, millipedes, etc.

A plant ecosystem thing would be pretty cool.

[Beans0fjelly99]

There aren't many pets that should be put in a five gallon tank, so you're kind of out of luck for reptiles/amphibians/rodents. A lot of people don't like them, but if you were up for it you could do something like a tarantula or a scorpion, which are pretty popular in pet stores, or, you could do something like millipedes or cockroaches (though those would probably have to be ordered online). If you're someone who finds those types of pets creepy, you could make a carnivorous plant terrarium instead!

Edit: Oops, sorry Lizardian, I was writing out my comment and didn't see the you had said pretty much exactly what I was going to until I posted it lol. Looks like we agree though

[Salamandaa]

Edit: Oops, sorry Lizardian, I was writing out my comment and didn't see the you had said pretty much exactly what I was going to until I posted it lol. Looks like we agree though

You're all good Great minds think alike! I edited my post to include a little bit more info too.
Unfortunately with scorpions I know a lot of species like the emperor scorpion require a 10 gallon tank minimum. If its a small scorpion species it might be fine.

[fluffycat6]

Yeah, I wasn’t really expecting to be able to put much in it. I’ve been looking online and found a snake called a dekay’s snake that only gets around 10”, but I can’t find anywhere to buy one . Those invertebrates sound pretty cool, thanks for the ideas.

[hapalopus]

Cool invertebrates that are easy to care for and can live in a small tank:
- Stick insects
- Hercules beetles
- Pillbugs (amazing pets in a heck of a lot of colors!)
- Smaller tarantulas like redknee or greenbottle blue
- Hellgrammites
- Assassin bugs
- Blue death feigning beetles
- Smaller millipede or centipede species
- Mealworms (probably the best beginner pet imaginable!)
- Small snails
- Small slugs
- Cockroaches
- Crickets

You could also keep one or two tiny frogs like Ranitomeya, or perhaps one Caecilian (though I've heard they're fairly boring pets and difficult to keep healthy).

Remember to always do a lot of research before you decide to buy a pet and to check up on the laws of your state/country in case you want to catch one

[fluffycat6]

I actually ended up finding a bee with a broken wing, and now she lives in the 5 gallon.

[:3c]

.

[Comrade]

Most bugs fit great!
I have multiple Tarantulas (which are amazing, super low maintence pets) but I always reccomend at least 10 gallons. I have a five gallon which I now have my betta in however I had 2 roaches in before. Bugs typically arent everyones first go to, but bugs are low maintenance and amazing little critters!
I dont recommend putting fish in a five gallon. 1 inch of fish = 1 gallon of water. 5 gallons is never enough for tiny school fish either.

If you dont like any of the (limited) pet options, many unique plants can also fit in a 5 gallon! You can put water in it and have moss balls, or snails!


EDIT:
NVM just read that its cracked lol
10 gallons can house so much more, and theyre not expensive at all

[eff]

I don't think I'd risk putting any animal into a cracked tank, even if it's just a small one.