New 15 Gallon Tank Advice

[BrianK1]

Hello All,
Need advice here. My daughter received a 15 gallon aquarium for Christmas. So, the tank is set up right now with a mix of live and fake plants, stones and such. The fish are 3 striped danios, two dwarf guoramis and a pleco. The paper that came with it suggested adding 2 angelfish and 3 tetras. That doesn't seem correct to me. Any suggestions for additional fish? Thanks.
Brian

 

[corinne118s]

What paper? I wouldn't mix too many especially in a 15g. I recommend 6danios. If you get tetras you need atleast 3-4 IMO because they school just like danios. I think 2 Gouramis 6 danio are good. 3 danios is not enough you might experience bullying since there is not enough to school properly. No to angel fish I don't think it would mix well but that's my opinion

Goodluck!

 

[NYgiantsRP]

What kind of pleco? If it's a common pleco you deffenitly have to re-home it, they need a 55g minimum. you can't get angels, they need a 30g minimum. You could get a school of pygmy Cory cats, maybe 4. That's about it. If I were you this is what I would do. I would get rid of the danios, they should have a 30g because they like a lot of swimming room. Then also get 5 Pygmy corys, and then a school of 4-6 small tetras, neons, Rummy nose, glolight, or serpae. Or if not tetras a school of rosbaras. Those with the dwarf gourami should be a great mix.

Make sure you keep up on your weekly water changes!

 

[BrianK1]

Thanks for the response. It was a kit from petco and a stocking suggestion came with it. I think the tetras were 3 head and tail glow. Something like that. Lol. Anyway, I already have the pleco in the tank. I am feeding him/her algae disks.

 

[corinne118s]

Not sure if just giving up most of his fish is the answer.. Pleco will be fine for years until it needs a new home (at least I think from my experiences). Danios are ok in a 15g as long as it's not tall and not too many plants in the way. I think what he has is a decent set up. Maybe not the best option but I doubt a better option would be putting those fish throug even more stress of rehoming

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Definitely rehome the pleco. Commons grow to 2 feet in length and require 125g tanks to allow enough room for the fish to turn around. IMO the pleco will be ok in the 15 for 6 months tops then it will start to stunt. The danios need a larger school of 6+. Watch out for their health. They really do require more swimming room. Angels are a no go. A full grown angel can reach a foot from top to bottom.

 

[NYgiantsRP]

Not sure if just giving up most of his fish is the answer.. Pleco will be fine for years until it needs a new home (at least I think from my experiences). Danios are ok in a 15g as long as it's not tall and not too many plants in the way. I think what he has is a decent set up. Maybe not the best option but I doubt a better option would be putting those fish throug even more stress of rehoming

There's nothing wrong with re-homing fish if you do it correctly, the stress will be minimal. The pleco might not get to big for around a year, but you will stunt its growth and could cause permanent damage also, the bio-load of it will be like keep three fish from one. The danios could be ok, but you should get around 5 of them, and with that many, 15g is not enough.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Here is some info on tank care and cycling.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium-186089.html

 

[BrianK1]

No. Not too many plants. They seem to be doing fine. The gouramis are getting along. Well, one is on each side of the tank. Another question. Is it ok to use tap water that is softened? When I do the water change it is just siphoned when I clean the bottom?