The 5 gallon aquarium tank is usually one of the most common entry level tanks within the fish keeping hobby and with there being so many people new to the hobby, the various 5 gallon tank setups are seeing some solid growth in their sales.
We often see questions about 5 gallon aquarium tank setups and already have articles going over keeping clownfish, honey gourami, and bettas in a 5 gallon tank.
More recently though, we have noticed more and more questions based around the best bottom feeders for a 5 gallon tank so we wanted to publish our own article going over the various options available for your tank.
A bottom feeder is an excellent option for a 5 gallon tank as it allows you to leave the bottom feeder to eat the left over fish food, detritus, and algae in the tank to reduce the amount of tank maintenance required on your part so we would always recommend that you have one.
The Best Bottom Feeders For A 5 Gallon Tank!
The vast majority of 5 gallon tank setups will do well to have a pygmy cory catfish in the tank as their bottom feed or a mixture of snails and shrimp.
There are a number of alternative options available though and we have our list of what we feel are the best bottom feeders for a 5 gallon tank below:-
- Pygmy Cories!
- Gold Spotted Dwarf Pleco!
- Stone Catfish!
- Ottos!
- Snails!
- Shrimp!
Other than snails and shrimp, you should only go with one of most of those bottom feeders if you are trying to set up a 5 gallon entry level community tank due to the limited space available.
Depending on exactly what you are doing with your aquarium, you may find that your only option are snails or shrimp too due to the bioload of your tank.
Unfortunately, without knowing the specifics of your 5 gallon aquarium setup, we can’t offer specific advice but the options below will work very well as bottom feeders for most 5 gallon aquarium setups.
Pygmy Cories!
The pygmy cory catfish is an excellent choice for a bottom feeder in a 5 gallon aquarium and they are one of the most common species found in smaller home aquariums.
They are a very small species of fish that only grow to be around 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm) when fully grown so they are an excellent choice for a smaller aquarium.
Pygmy corys are a very peaceful fish that do well in community tanks and they will often shoal together so we would recommend keeping at least 3-5 of them together.
They are a very active fish that love to swim around the aquarium and they will often play with other fish in the tank but they are also very shy fish so make sure that you provide them with plenty of places to hide.
They are an easy fish to care for and they will eat most types of aquarium food including flakes, pellets, and live/frozen foods.
Finally, the pygmy cory is our recommended cory of choice for a 5 gallon tank in our dedicated article on the topic too.
Gold Spotted Dwarf Pleco!
The gold spotted dwarf pleco is an excellent choice for a 5 gallon aquarium and they are a very popular species of pleco due to their small adult size.
They only grow to be around 2-3 inches (5-7 cm) when fully grown which makes them one of the smallest species of plecos available.
They are a very peaceful fish that does well in community tanks and they are an excellent choice for a 5 gallon aquarium.
The only reason that the gold spotted dwarf pleco is not our primary recommendation for a bottom feeder in a 5 gallon tank is the fact that they can be difficult to find in local pet stores and many online fish sellers overcharge for them pushing the pygmy cory into the top spot as they are easier to find and cheaper.
Stone Catfish!
The stone catfish is an excellent choice for a 5 gallon aquarium as they are a very small species of fish that only grows to be around 2 inches (5 cm) when fully grown.
They are a very peaceful fish that does well in community tanks and they will often shoal together but can do well as a single bottom feeder in your tank too.
The stone catfish is an easy fish to care for making it a beginner friendly fish but like the gold spotted dwarf pleco, the stone catfish can be difficult to find in some areas and even if you are able to find it for sale, they are often more expensive than the other options on our list.
Ottos!
Ottos are a very popular choice for a bottom feeder in a 5 gallon aquarium and although they can be a great option while also being very beginner friendly, they do tend to only focus on algae and even then, their tank conditions have to be perfect.
This does hold them back against other fish on our list as most people who want a bottom feeder for their 5 gallon aquarium tank want something that will help deal with detritus too.
Still, ottos are very popular and their popularity within the fish keeping hobby just keeps on increasing too!
Snails!
If you want a snail for your 5 gallon aquarium, then you have plenty of options available to you and we would recommend either the nerite snail or the mystery snail.
Nerite snails are one of the most popular species of snail in the fish keeping hobby due to their wide range of colors, their small adult size, and they are also very good at eating algae.
Mystery snails are another great option and they are one of the largest species of snail that you can keep in a 5 gallon aquarium but they are also very good at eating algae and detritus too.
Shrimp!
If you want a shrimp for your 5 gallon aquarium, then we would recommend either the cherry shrimp or the amano shrimp.
Cherry shrimp are one of the most popular species of shrimp in the fish keeping hobby due to their wide range of colors but they are also very good at eating algae and detritus too.
Amano shrimp are another great option and they are one of the largest species of shrimp that you can keep in a 5 gallon aquarium but they are also very good at eating algae and detritus too.
The various types of Neocaridina shrimp do tend to be more popular options for a bottom feeder in a 5 gallon tank due to their bright colors but the various types of Caridina shrimp can do the same job well, they just have a plane look to them.
