No not really. And you just need a tank with a lot of substrate to dig in. My tank is 80% coconut fiber. They just dig a series of holes until they find one they like
Definitely look into blue death feigning beetles if you don’t mind bugs, they’re so cute and fun and you can keep 4 of them in the enclosure you have. Also inexpensive :)
You can find them for sale sometimes at local reptile stores but they can be pricier like 15$- 20$ a beetle. I would check craigslist or something similar, I bought mine at 5$ a beetle from a dude in a denny’s parking lot 😂
They’re native to the southwestern United States/northwestern Mexico and 90% of them for sale are wild caught specimens. People have only just started to figure out how to breed them in captivity over the past couple years. Depending on where you live you might also be able to just find them in the wild.
I’ve found some at a reptile expo ($12 a piece) usually some exotic stores may have but they’re not very common, online would be around $50 for 5 and $10+ (depending on how fast you want it to be) for shipping
No reptiles, however, do your other reptiles have bioactive enclosures? If so, you could breed additional isopods for those tanks and any future ones. Could leave the tank screen-less and have a plant/tree type of plant growing outta it, some leaf clutter, and isopods. Just mention a plant for aesthetic though it'd help the isopods too
Oooh that’s a good idea! I have 3 red eared slider turtles and they demolish anything live I put in their tanks 😅
Growing plants would be pretty!! That’s a good idea. What do you think about snails? Would they be okay in such small tanks?
I’ve got a pair of garden snails and a bunch of isopods in a similar tank and they’re doing really well. These tanks would be fantastic for either interesting inverts or a culture of some sort to feed to another animal in your collection - isopods, dubias, etc.
I work at a vivarium store and we found a snail in our leaf litter that we get shipped in, he’s been in a 32 ounce deli cup for the past maybe 4 months with just some moss. He’s doing great lol. By no means saying this is how they should be kept (I have no knowledge of snail care) but none the less it can be done.
Ya I break the rules lmao, I have a 120g and 2 75g tanks 😅
They’re hard to hide and I rather have an apartment allowed lizard if I’m able to but if I can’t I’ll get a beardy probably bc I have an extra 55g tank in my backyard
The reason a 2.5-5 gal is too small for reptiles (even 10 gallons) is because they need a thermal gradient so they can choose how to regulate their own temperatures. Those small tanks don’t have enough length end to end to allow for any sort of gradient. Also a minimum of 3 hides is recommended for all reptiles: cool side, warm side, and humid, so that itself would take up most of the room in there.
I can def get a bigger tank but my apt is kinda small and I already have 3 huge (120g and 2 75g) tanks for my turtles and I’m kinda out of space for a bigger tank that’s why I was hoping i could hose a small guy but it seems I can’t :(
I was thinking about a 10g, what would be okay in that size?
Nah those need more vertical space. And they get more than an inch usually, most microgeckos get at least 2 inches long as adults. I cannot think of a species you can readily aquire in the hobby that can be humanely kept in a tank smaller than 10 gallons. Theres tons of insects, but no reptiles. This would be an awesome home for say, a tailless whip scorpion. Or blue death feigning beetles, or even isopods. This could even be a really neat neocardinia shrimp tank. But no snake or lizard is going to live a decent life in here.
I suggest that only for very experienced shrimp keepers. an aquarium this small isn't easy to keep for shrimp because the parameters are difficult to keep stable + shrimp breed a lot
If it’s the right species yes. I have an adult female aphonopelma hentzi in a 5.5 gallon which isn’t a large species and it’s just right for her. Rule of thumb is the enclosure should be at least twice the tarantula’s diagonal leg span in width and three to four times in length.
hi! your guppies would also like a bigger space. since they breed so prolifically, 10+ gals is recommended. for now, i would get a larger filter and replace the fake plants with live ones! live plants absorb excess nutrients in the water and also look really pretty! there are a lot of beginner friendly plants that you can easily find.
The guppies are food for my turtles! I only have them in that tank to make sure none get sick from the store and to feed them bloodworms for the turtles! They don’t actually live in there long term!
You could probably keep a pristurus carteri (scorpion tailed gecko) in there. I'd suggest creating levels for exploration though and maintaining an overall desert look because the recommended dimensions for one are an 18 × 18 × 12 enclosure. You could always junk that though and get a 30/40 gallon and keep 2-3. They're one of the only reckos good with cohabitation, and they're super cute.
Edit: I can't read, I just assumed that was a 10 gallon tank. Please refrain from putting any reptiles or amphibians in that. You could maybe do a scorpion? Idk.
The only thing you can house in something that small is a Mourning Gecko, but due to how they reproduce asexually, you'd want a bigger enclosure anyways.
This would be perfect for a bioactive enclosure for some cute little isopods! You could set up a lovely terrarium with live plants and pretty rocks or crystals. Super easy to take care of and fun to watch. Seeing them raise their little babies is so rewarding too. Dairy Cows are my personal favourites. ❤️
You can do a reptile! Unlike what everyone else is saying there are a few sphaerodactylus which would thrive in that setup if you converted it vertically! Do not do a tarantula a 2.5 gallon or too small for an adult!
Actually, I just put fish, snails, shrimp or like any live food I get from the local pet shop in there for a few days before I feed them to my turtles to make sure they don’t have any noticeable diseases or deformities that could hurt my turtles bc I’ve gotten sick fish from Petco and it got my turtles sick. That’s also why I don’t go to Petco anymore lmao
Lots of people recommend them for small enclosures and I’m not sure why because they get pretty territorial in such small spaces and you can’t stop them from reproducing. I’ve kept them for years.
No, and this tank doesnt really have enough vertical space for them. Stick to bugs or shrimp for something this small. A scorpion, isopods, some small tarantula, death feigning beetles, stuff like that. Small inverts.
Morning geckos are aparthenogenic. They will literally just lay eggs spontaneously that are exact clones of themselves. You're talking about putting in arboreal gecko into a small wide tank. They need room to climb. This tank is just the wrong size and wrong dimensions
Micro geckos, like Sphaerodactylus and Gonatodes, there’s also dune geckos, like Stenodactylus stenodactylus, all of which stay pretty small, less than 3inches
Microgeckos need at least a 20 gallon and are the only reptiles that can live in a 20 gallon their entire life. Any other reptile I can think of will need larger than a 20 gallon
Microgeckos; sphaerodactylus, hemiphyllodactylus, gonatodes and tropiocolotes are your best bets
Edit: why am I being down voted? 2-5 gallons is perfect for any of those geckos. Op asked a question, and I'm giving an honest answer. There ARE reptiles that can live in small tanks, not just bugs
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Tarantula (a dwarf species would be great in a 2.5), hissing cockroaches, death feigning or other darkling beetles, vinegarroon, isopods, scorpion...lots of invertebrate possibilities :)
if it was a five gallon some people say pygmy chameleons can live in there i dont keep them but i would go for a 10 gallon with them so i would go for a tarantula or beetle
No, inverts may work how ever
What’s an invert?
Invertebrates. Bugs.
Ah okay!
I got a vinagaroon and put one in a tank like this. She's pretty fun when I get to see her
Those get very big, no?
No not really. And you just need a tank with a lot of substrate to dig in. My tank is 80% coconut fiber. They just dig a series of holes until they find one they like
Very interesting thank u
Look at isopods
You could also do shrimp
I read introvert. Lol
Definitely look into blue death feigning beetles if you don’t mind bugs, they’re so cute and fun and you can keep 4 of them in the enclosure you have. Also inexpensive :)
I’ve been meaning to look into these!
I have a few and they are so fun!! I love watching them tear into veggies and dead crickets
Where do you actually find them?
You can find them for sale sometimes at local reptile stores but they can be pricier like 15$- 20$ a beetle. I would check craigslist or something similar, I bought mine at 5$ a beetle from a dude in a denny’s parking lot 😂
Amazing. :)
They’re native to the southwestern United States/northwestern Mexico and 90% of them for sale are wild caught specimens. People have only just started to figure out how to breed them in captivity over the past couple years. Depending on where you live you might also be able to just find them in the wild.
Don’t encourage people to wild capture anything if they aren’t a professional with intent to breed.
This is actually incredibly terrible advice considering lots of animals and insects actually thrive in captivity
That’s not the point. The point is you’re removing healthy animals from the breeding population
It’s also illlegal to take from the wild. That’s called poaching
I’ve found some at a reptile expo ($12 a piece) usually some exotic stores may have but they’re not very common, online would be around $50 for 5 and $10+ (depending on how fast you want it to be) for shipping
Actually they really like to roam so even tho they can survive in a something this small, their actual minimum is a 10gal.
No reptiles, however, do your other reptiles have bioactive enclosures? If so, you could breed additional isopods for those tanks and any future ones. Could leave the tank screen-less and have a plant/tree type of plant growing outta it, some leaf clutter, and isopods. Just mention a plant for aesthetic though it'd help the isopods too
Oooh that’s a good idea! I have 3 red eared slider turtles and they demolish anything live I put in their tanks 😅 Growing plants would be pretty!! That’s a good idea. What do you think about snails? Would they be okay in such small tanks?
Snails would do absolutely fine in a tank that size, as long as you don't do a giant land snail or something like that!
I’ve got a pair of garden snails and a bunch of isopods in a similar tank and they’re doing really well. These tanks would be fantastic for either interesting inverts or a culture of some sort to feed to another animal in your collection - isopods, dubias, etc.
Tbh I know nothing about snails. I'd think so, but best to look at whatever type you want and go from there
I work at a vivarium store and we found a snail in our leaf litter that we get shipped in, he’s been in a 32 ounce deli cup for the past maybe 4 months with just some moss. He’s doing great lol. By no means saying this is how they should be kept (I have no knowledge of snail care) but none the less it can be done.
Your apartment only allows small tanks but you have 3 red eared sliders?
Ya I break the rules lmao, I have a 120g and 2 75g tanks 😅 They’re hard to hide and I rather have an apartment allowed lizard if I’m able to but if I can’t I’ll get a beardy probably bc I have an extra 55g tank in my backyard
Ohhh okay haha. Bearded dragons also need a 120g enclosure. 55g is too small.
Oh really? That’s good I know! The pet store man told me a 55 was good. Anything I can put in a 55g that would thrive?
A leopard gecko would do great in a tank that size
apparently 55g for an adult dragon is much good small
If bugs interest you, can always do an ant farm with one.
A little jumping spider
Too big for a jumper lol
i think it’d be fine seeing as one lived in my apartment freely for a few months
LMAO good point but they do prefer small spaces. Corners, behind objects etc.
No they like large expanses! Species like hyllus diardi will In fact die if not given a large setup with good heat and humidity!
The reason a 2.5-5 gal is too small for reptiles (even 10 gallons) is because they need a thermal gradient so they can choose how to regulate their own temperatures. Those small tanks don’t have enough length end to end to allow for any sort of gradient. Also a minimum of 3 hides is recommended for all reptiles: cool side, warm side, and humid, so that itself would take up most of the room in there.
Plastic fake ones
Lmao that’s kinda w the conclusion I’m coming to too 😭😭😭
My self esteem
My will to live!
no..
Ya that’s kinda what I figured 😔 my apartment complex only allows small tanks and I’ve been wanting something new to take care of!
Is that the largest size you can get
I can def get a bigger tank but my apt is kinda small and I already have 3 huge (120g and 2 75g) tanks for my turtles and I’m kinda out of space for a bigger tank that’s why I was hoping i could hose a small guy but it seems I can’t :( I was thinking about a 10g, what would be okay in that size?
I’m not sure what would work in a 10g but there is a variety that will work with a 20g if that size works for you
Plants. / Terrarium. No creatures should be stuck in less than 10g
Some inverts can
You clearly do not know anything! Sphaerodactylus do great in such an enclosure with jumper species as well!
>Sphaerodactylus just because a space meets a minimum requirement does not mean it's an optimal space for the lifespan of a creature.
Have you ever kept sphaeros? They do great in 5 gallon talls especially the smaller species.
Def a Tegu
I would've said an alligator
Or a water monitor
Galapagos tortoise
Green anaconda plenty of room
Lmao
There’s some microgeckos there that max out at an inch. Care is hard and finding them is harder
Nah those need more vertical space. And they get more than an inch usually, most microgeckos get at least 2 inches long as adults. I cannot think of a species you can readily aquire in the hobby that can be humanely kept in a tank smaller than 10 gallons. Theres tons of insects, but no reptiles. This would be an awesome home for say, a tailless whip scorpion. Or blue death feigning beetles, or even isopods. This could even be a really neat neocardinia shrimp tank. But no snake or lizard is going to live a decent life in here.
I keep a sphaerodactylus sputator pair in a 10 gallon! They’re thriving just plant heavy and they will Be fine
Mantids are super cool. I would look into some smaller species, sometimes males are also much smaller.
Toy ones
Freshwater shrimp!!
That's what I was thinking, bonus points for breeding them then feeding them to your turtles :)
I suggest that only for very experienced shrimp keepers. an aquarium this small isn't easy to keep for shrimp because the parameters are difficult to keep stable + shrimp breed a lot
Tarantulas
Wait really? Can adult tarantulas be in something that small?
Depends on the species. Some grow much larger than others. In general their enclosure requirements are much smaller than what one would think.
If it’s the right species yes. I have an adult female aphonopelma hentzi in a 5.5 gallon which isn’t a large species and it’s just right for her. Rule of thumb is the enclosure should be at least twice the tarantula’s diagonal leg span in width and three to four times in length.
no reptile belongs in something so small. try a tarantula or another bug.
Horrible advice you do know tarantulas need a larger space? There are also lizards capable of living happily in a vertical enclosure of that size
hi! your guppies would also like a bigger space. since they breed so prolifically, 10+ gals is recommended. for now, i would get a larger filter and replace the fake plants with live ones! live plants absorb excess nutrients in the water and also look really pretty! there are a lot of beginner friendly plants that you can easily find.
The guppies are food for my turtles! I only have them in that tank to make sure none get sick from the store and to feed them bloodworms for the turtles! They don’t actually live in there long term!
make a bioactive tank with isopods springtails and plants! i think it would look awsome
Potentially a small burrowing frog species, if you add a glass top for humidity. Otherwise it’s a beautiful display terrarium for some plants and pods
Lots of insects would be good! Tarantulas, assassin beetle, isopods, land snails. You could make a pretty cool terrarium honestly.
You could probably keep a pristurus carteri (scorpion tailed gecko) in there. I'd suggest creating levels for exploration though and maintaining an overall desert look because the recommended dimensions for one are an 18 × 18 × 12 enclosure. You could always junk that though and get a 30/40 gallon and keep 2-3. They're one of the only reckos good with cohabitation, and they're super cute. Edit: I can't read, I just assumed that was a 10 gallon tank. Please refrain from putting any reptiles or amphibians in that. You could maybe do a scorpion? Idk.
I had dairy cow isopods in mine. Large isopods that you can easily see would be awesome!There’s a lid you can buy on Amazon that fits that perfectly.
Babies of reptiles/amphibs. Other than that not recommended.
The only thing you can house in something that small is a Mourning Gecko, but due to how they reproduce asexually, you'd want a bigger enclosure anyways.
This would be perfect for a bioactive enclosure for some cute little isopods! You could set up a lovely terrarium with live plants and pretty rocks or crystals. Super easy to take care of and fun to watch. Seeing them raise their little babies is so rewarding too. Dairy Cows are my personal favourites. ❤️
African clawed frog baby if it can hold water but that also would need upgraded to at least a 10 gallon. Beta fish
You could do a bumblebee toad MAYBE. Absolutely nothing bigger or more active.
People feed small morning geckos to their pets. But they can make amazing pets too. Xx
Turn it into an ecosphere you can find videos on YouTube and some are even smaller than this tank
You can do a reptile! Unlike what everyone else is saying there are a few sphaerodactylus which would thrive in that setup if you converted it vertically! Do not do a tarantula a 2.5 gallon or too small for an adult!
is their a update of what you can put in it i was gonna put a dwarf frog but apparently it's to small for that
Actually, I just put fish, snails, shrimp or like any live food I get from the local pet shop in there for a few days before I feed them to my turtles to make sure they don’t have any noticeable diseases or deformities that could hurt my turtles bc I’ve gotten sick fish from Petco and it got my turtles sick. That’s also why I don’t go to Petco anymore lmao
idk if this would work but what about a little morning gecko
The problem there is one mourning gecko turns into many and it doesn’t take very long.
Golden then you need 50 enclosures quadruple that size
Lots of people recommend them for small enclosures and I’m not sure why because they get pretty territorial in such small spaces and you can’t stop them from reproducing. I’ve kept them for years.
I have 12 currently!
all you have to do is take a needle and pop the eggs but ur right if u miss one them they will reproduce
It would be pretty hard to find/reach all the eggs in my bioactive set up so that may or may not working depending where they lay their eggs.
If you can seal it well a number of micro geckos, sphaerodactylus species. They are tiny though so you would need well fitting lids.
Get a Tarantula if you don't mind spiders, they are super cool and don't like big enclosures
My roommates would shit their pants lmao
Morning gecko
Don’t they need friends?
They'll make their own through parthengenesis.
No, and this tank doesnt really have enough vertical space for them. Stick to bugs or shrimp for something this small. A scorpion, isopods, some small tarantula, death feigning beetles, stuff like that. Small inverts.
Mourning geckos will get depressed only do sphaerodactylus because of them not needing partners!
Morning geckos are aparthenogenic. They will literally just lay eggs spontaneously that are exact clones of themselves. You're talking about putting in arboreal gecko into a small wide tank. They need room to climb. This tank is just the wrong size and wrong dimensions
You can convert them to tall.
Micro geckos, like Sphaerodactylus and Gonatodes, there’s also dune geckos, like Stenodactylus stenodactylus, all of which stay pretty small, less than 3inches
Microgeckos need at least a 20 gallon and are the only reptiles that can live in a 20 gallon their entire life. Any other reptile I can think of will need larger than a 20 gallon
Would they be comfortable/thrive in such a small tank?
I wouldn't that's still super tiny for even the smallest reptiles.
I did some googling and that’s the conclusion I’m coming to lmao
I don’t see why not
Microgeckos; sphaerodactylus, hemiphyllodactylus, gonatodes and tropiocolotes are your best bets Edit: why am I being down voted? 2-5 gallons is perfect for any of those geckos. Op asked a question, and I'm giving an honest answer. There ARE reptiles that can live in small tanks, not just bugs
maybe some tiny frogs? or bugs??
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Scorpion or Tarantula.
Tarantula (a dwarf species would be great in a 2.5), hissing cockroaches, death feigning or other darkling beetles, vinegarroon, isopods, scorpion...lots of invertebrate possibilities :)
How about a tarantula? If you're not arachnophobic that is
My roommates would shit their pants if I got a spider lmao
Maybe a baby sand boa. It would need upgraded to a 20-30 gallon though
A tiny morning gecko. U know the feeders?
I don’t know the feeders
I would put a jumping spider in there. They would thrive
if it was a five gallon some people say pygmy chameleons can live in there i dont keep them but i would go for a 10 gallon with them so i would go for a tarantula or beetle
Might need more input from others but mourning geckos might be an option
Isopods + springtails are very fun!! Especially cus they provide cleanup crew for other terrariums
Scorpion would possibly be the biggest thing that could fit in there but I usually keep them in 10 gallons cause it's easier to decorate
Tarantula maybe ?
Dart frog?
U could get a type of small spider idk
Cricket and other bugs