Advice on my 10g tank >beginner

[kathleen55]

so i have a 10g tank heres a list of my fishies:
- 1 chinese algae eater (do i need a larger tank for him?)
- 2 mickey mouse platy
- 1 rainbow threadfin
- 1 beta
- 1 neon tetra
how much more fish can i add? dont want to overcrowd
i would like:
- 1 more platy
- 1 or 2 guppies
- a cory (would it cause conflict with my algae eater?)
advice very appreciated

 

[pantherspawn]

the cae will def need to go.. gets way to big, would need a 30 gallon minimum to keep him, and they have been known to be aggressive towards other fish as they get older. if you got rid of him, you could potentially keep a guppy or two, but i would add a few more neons, they are a schooling fish and should be kept with a minimum of 6. If the beta is a male, i would be careful with the threadfin or having guppies. The betas are known to fight an other fish that look similar with long fins

 

[Rosenweiss]

Welcome to AA! The only fish you have now that's unsuitable for your tank size is the chinese algae eater. I'd actually recommend taking him back unless you want to upgrade, since those guys (I'm pretty sure) get pretty huge and aggressive, and are a real pain in the you-know-where.

As for your stocking future, I'd maybe focus on filling our your neon tetra school before you go buying different fish. They're most comfortable in groups of 6 or more. If your betta is peaceful with the one, it'd likely do okay with a full school. And you could probably get the platty too. If you're going with cories, you'd need to get 3-4 (they're social) and make SURE you got the dwarf kind that didn't get over an inch long.

The guppies are probably pushing it a little, adn the betta is likely to nip at their long fins.

If your stocking list looks like

1 rainbow
3 platties
1 betta
6 neon tetras
3-4 dwarf cories

You'd probably be okay. Just be advised that you'll need to keep up on your water changes since that's a large bioload.

 

[pantherspawn]

Welcome to AA! The only fish you have now that's unsuitable for your tank size is the chinese algae eater. I'd actually recommend taking him back unless you want to upgrade, since those guys (I'm pretty sure) get pretty huge and aggressive, and are a real pain in the you-know-where.

As for your stocking future, I'd maybe focus on filling our your neon tetra school before you go buying different fish. They're most comfortable in groups of 6 or more. If your betta is peaceful with the one, it'd likely do okay with a full school. And you could probably get the platty too. If you're going with cories, you'd need to get 3-4 (they're social) and make SURE you got the dwarf kind that didn't get over an inch long.

The guppies are probably pushing it a little, adn the betta is likely to nip at their long fins.

If your stocking list looks like

1 rainbow
3 platties
1 betta
6 neon tetras
3-4 dwarf cories

You'd probably be okay. Just be advised that you'll need to keep up on your water changes since that's a large bioload.

are you copying me? haha

 

[Rosenweiss]

No, I posted at the same time as you. ._.

 

[pantherspawn]

No, I posted at the same time as you. ._.

i know, i was being sarcastic lol

 

[Rosenweiss]

Lol, oh. XD Well, in that case, yep, I get all my ideas from you.

 

[kathleen55]

okay thanks for the advice on my cae only want whats best for him if i cant upgrade (which ill try to earn some extra money was just my bday so i still have some cash) ill return him. and my beta is female and she isnt aggressive. made sure of that

 

[Rosenweiss]

Great news. =] Keep us updated! If it was a 20g I'd say, fill out the neon school and the threadfin school, but since it's not, I'd say pick one. Or, upgrade to a 20 and do both! Hehe!

 

[pantherspawn]

No worries, we all want whats best for the fish. Hope things work out for you, and be sure to post any further questions you may have. The people here on AA are the best on the net and between them all have lifetimes of knowledge.

 

[arangarajan93]

Since your betta is female, you can add the fish you have listed. But i would add more neon tetras to make them school of atleast 6.

 

[kathleen55]

okay i will. and the store only had 1 threadfin left so i couldnt add to her school.. any heap places to get bigger tanks? could i just add my stuff in 10 gallon over to bigger tank if i got one like filter and heater?

 

[kathleen55]

oh and good news (keep in mind im only 14 haha) my mom said i can get a larger tank for my cae because we have already got attached to him

 

[pantherspawn]

okay i will. and the store only had 1 threadfin left so i couldnt add to her school.. any heap places to get bigger tanks? could i just add my stuff in 10 gallon over to bigger tank if i got one like filter and heater?

Yes, you can just move over to a bigger tank, make sure even of you get a different filter, to put your old filter media (sponge) in the new filter. That way you're not losing any of the beneficial bacteria that's built up.

 

[kathleen55]

okay

 

[pantherspawn]

As for cheap tanks, depends on the idea of cheap I guess.. if in a hurry, the marineland led tank is a good starter tank and runs about $60 and has a nice night light in it as well.. or you can most likely find something in Craigslist for evten cheaper, just make sure your parents are the ones doing the contacting. Depending on your heater size, you might not need a new heater unless your house gets very cold.

 

[Rosenweiss]

The best deals are on Craigslist. If you're moving all your fish over and want to keep the CAE, I'd look for at least a 30-40 gallon.

 

[George9]

I agree with everyone else! I got a cheap 10 gallon tank for 20 bucks with everything. But there's a lot of freaks on craigslist, be careful!

 

[Shark_Bait]

First of congrats on running your first tank. And especially at age 14. Thats great. I'm guessing you already know that owning a tank is not easy. You must constantly watch over it and pay attention to the well being of your fish. You sound very enthusiastic and caring which is a great quality. The people here are always more than happy to help with any problems you face along the way!! Good luck on the search for the new tank and BE CAREFUL!!!