New fish, New tank. How long before I can feed?

[youronlysin]

I just set up a very small (ten gallon) freshwater tank and have added fish after a week of running empty. A lone Pleco has inhabited the tank for the last two days and the lfs tested the tank water and said it was in great shape. I've already acclimated and introduced a small school of Tetras, misc. Barbs and a silver veil Angel (we'll see how the tiger barbs act around her).
My question is, how long do I need to wait to start feeding the fish? I've read that your not supposed to feed them a soon as you introduce them to a new tank, but I dont know for how long. Its been about three hours now and they are already acting a little more normal. They do seem to be probing around for food though. Any tips?

 

[youronlysin]

Sorry, Pleco has been in tank for almost 5 days now alone. The tank ran empty for about 4 days before he was added.

 

[RocketSeason]

um...you gotta feed your fish everyday

 

[youronlysin]

I've been feeding the Pleco. I just remember reading somewhere that immediately after you add a fish to a new tank your not supposed to feed it directly afterward. I was only asking how long I should wait.

 

[Menagerie]

[center:3fd0078dae] Welcome to AA, youronlysin! [/center:3fd0078dae]

Your fish will be fine and actually may not want to eat right away. I would start feeding the fish tomorrow. Personally, I feed my fish every other day--except fry, which get fed everyday.

Now, as for the amount of fish in there--how many tetras and how many barbs do you have? Do you know what type of pleco you have? I am afraid the tank you have set up will not provide enough space for all the fish. Barbs and tetras like swimming space and angelfish keepers will tell you 10 gals per angel--minimum.

 

[Menagerie]

I forgot to mention, with the added bioload, you need to be checking ammonia and nitrite levels daily. You are cycling with fish and will see an ammonia spike, followed by a nitrite spike and then an increase in nitrates. Read about the nitrogen cycle in the Article section.

 

[youronlysin]

I have 5 each of the barbs and tetras. The barbs are a mix of smaller more peaceful variety (supposedly) and all of the fish are pretty small. Is it true that the growth of the fish will be according to its surrounding environment? The angel is by far the largest fish in the tank at about 1 inch. There is a small rock with a cave and some plants on it at one end and a larger multi-opening cave at the other with an assortment of plants and a patch of breeding grass. The Tetras seem to have claimed one small portion of the tank (near a series of caves and breeding grass), and the Barbs consume about half of the remaining space. The angel seems to move about freely but tends to spend more time with the barbs.

 

[Menagerie]

Well, I will be the bearer of bad news--that tank is too crowded! Playing it safe with the inch rule, when you take into consideration their adult lengths, you need at least a 20 gal and I still don't know what type of pleco you have. If it is a common pleco, it will get to a foot over time.

Is it true that the growth of the fish will be according to its surrounding environment?

No. Some fish may become stunted, but life expecancy goes way down. Have you ever seen a fish that can't turn around in its aquarium? This happens often to Oscars, plecos and many other fish.
Aside from the fish not having enough room in the tank to swim, aggression levels will rise when fish that are territorial cannot have a territory. Angelfish can get nasty and many barbs are known fin nippers, which leaves your tetras in a bad place since they are probably the most docile fish in there. What type of tetras do you have (if you don't know the species or common name, what is the body shape and coloration)?

 

[Hypostomus]

Welcome to AA. =)

The angel will get to 7" from top to bottom at least. In addition to the 10g minimum per fish, I would like to point out that this assumes in most cases a starting minimum of a 20g hex or "tall" tank for a single angel or mated pair.

It sounds like your tank is overstocked, IMO. I would trade the barbs and angel back in, and if that's a common plecostomus take it back in as well. In all likelihood it will outgrow your tank very quickly.

If you really want to keep your tetras, find out what kind they are. If your research indicates that they will work in your size tank (you can ask here), grab three corydoras to accompany them when you've got a hang of your water parameters.

Alternately, you could trade all your fish back in, do your research, then use the credit you got from trading them in to get some better choices.

 

[youronlysin]

Not sure on the Pleco. Hes a generic Wal-Mart variety, they dont know what they are either, they just call it a pleco. It kind of looks like L233, but Im not sure. I dont have enough time in my day to look at every picture available to try to determine what he is. He was accustomed to living in a pre-made 1 gallon aquarium with not much for cover. I figured the ten gallon tank with lots of hiding places would be a bit better for him, but if he grows too large I'll trade him in for something else like a cory-cat maybe?
I think I'll trade the barbs in for some more Neon Tetras, which is what the rest are. As for the angel, Im not sure yet what I'll do. Id like to keep her, so long as she doesnt suffer. Im interested in having a nice school of small colorful fish, but Id also like to have a larger show fish that works well in the habitat. I made a bad choice with the barbs and the angel together in that small of a tank, but so far, havent had any problems.
Wow, things have sure changed since I was younger. I remember mom just buying whatever looked neat and throwing it in the tank and it seemed to work out ok for the most part. They didnt have fancy "bio" filters and I dont ever remember testing the water specifics or "cycling" a tank. Its amazing anything ever survived back then but I remember having several specific fish for years. I had my water tested professionally and they said it was great, so theres a plus. Now I just have to keep it that way. The barbs have to go though, they just dont seem like the best choice. Id like something with some decent size and color, maybe a bit exotic. any hints?

 

[Hypostomus]

As I said, an angelfish will suffer at full size in that tank.

I wouldn't buy anything else for your tank at this point until you buy your own liquid test kit and are checking the water everyday to examine the parameters. Neon tetras are a poor choice for new tanks, FYI. They tend not to be very accepting of tanks without maturity and stable conditions, and also those without lower pH's and softer water. The stock that comes in from the LFS is also very poor sometimes. You may get lucky, but not usually. Keep a close eye on them.

If they do work out, get yourself some sort of labyrinth (ex. betta) for your show fish. But the tetras should really be in larger, more mature tanks to facilitate a larger school without maxing out your bioload.

When I was little my parents would buy whatever and throw it into our 55g. We lost a lot of fish, but they just kept buying more, and at that point I thought it was fine because I didn't really understand what was happening. The only time I can recall I really got interested in the health of the fish was when they bought a "blue lobster" and it ate my pet angelfish, which was named "Bruce." I don't know how particular your memory is on the subject of your childhood tanks, but looking back on it now I would not consider ours a success despite the fact that we had a number of fish that lived for years.

 

[youronlysin]

Good advice. I do have a water test kit and use it every day, but I wanted to have the shop test it too to make sure I wasnt missing anything. Im not sure what I'd get if I took all the fish back. Most of the small fish that are hardy are just plain boring and ugly. I may as well have gotten a small bowl with a dirty goldfish in it. Maybe I'll start looking into buying my fish online as there seems to be a better selectin than whats available locally.
Oh well, better luck next time. Thanks for the advice all.

 

[flatzboy]

I would just upgrade to a 20-29 gallon tank in a few months. You can by a 29 gal. from walmart for $100 that has everthing but a stand and gravel.

 

[youronlysin]

I deffinitely plan on upgrading. The lfs has a 55 gallon tank for $110 and I can build a stand. I think I have everything I need except for a bigger filter and some new plants. My airpump should be plenty large.

 

[flatzboy]

Sounds like a good deal!