I don't want to overload our tank, but...

[BernadetteNeal]

Hi Everyone,

My husband and I are new aquarists (is that a word). We just started a freshwater aquarium and eventually will be getting a saltwater too.

But, my question is about our new freshwater aquarium. It's 25 gallons. We currently have 6 fish:
1 albino pleco
1 black skirt tetra
1 fancy guppie
1 marigold platy
1 cherry barb
1 zebra danio

We also have one live plant and plan to get 2-3 more plants.

But, my concern is about the danio, tetra, and barb. I know they are schooling fish and would like to get more of them to prevent them from stressing out. But, I don't want to overload the tank.

So, should I get more of each of the three I mentioned and if so, how many?

Thanks,
Bernadette

 

[Gibberwatt]

I'm not sure what your pleco species is, but most plecos get to be quite large, first off.

second off, I think your best bet would be to pick your favorite of the three, return the other two, and get five/six of the favorite. Just my opinion.

 

[BBradbury]

Have You Heard of the Nitrogen Cycle

Hello Bern...

You don't say anything in your post about cycling the tank. If your fish are going to survive, the tank needs to be prepared. You might want to research the nitrogen cycle procedure and soon, so you don't lose your fish.

B

 

[Luv4dan]

A lot of plecos get big and they poop a lot so I would return it especially if you just got it to eat algae. You could look into shrimp to help you with the algae and they're fun to watch. Or snails too I suppose.

 

[Fraser]

There are some plecos that remain manageable size for that tank like the clown pleco or bristle nose. The bristle nose are excellent algae eaters as well, at least when young.


Fish are fun!! ???

 

[Caliban07]

Hi Everyone,

My husband and I are new aquarists (is that a word). We just started a freshwater aquarium and eventually will be getting a saltwater too.

But, my question is about our new freshwater aquarium. It's 25 gallons. We currently have 6 fish:
1 albino pleco
1 black skirt tetra
1 fancy guppie
1 marigold platy
1 cherry barb
1 zebra danio

We also have one live plant and plan to get 2-3 more plants.

But, my concern is about the danio, tetra, and barb. I know they are schooling fish and would like to get more of them to prevent them from stressing out. But, I don't want to overload the tank.

So, should I get more of each of the three I mentioned and if so, how many?

Thanks,
Bernadette

Hi Bernadette! Welcome to AA!

You are quite right. The fish you mentioned do prefer to be in schools and we can definitely help with that question but first:

Cycling the tank is a process that every fish keeper has to go through whether they know about it or not. Unfortunately, it's common for new fish keepers to overlook the nitrogen cycle and it through no fault of their own so don't worry. A lot of Fish stores tend to leave this part out when giving out advice. If you have cycled your tank already then that's great and we can move on with your query but if you haven't you are now going through what is called a fish on cycle.

Unfortunately the fish you have chosen for your tank will make this process very difficult as someone quite rightly mentioned they produce a lot of waste. Fish waste is broken down in to toxins that harm the fish. They are broken down further until the waste Is in it's least toxic form and can be diluted by changing out water. The toxins are broken down by bacteria that are not present on high enough levels to do this at the start of a cycle and so toxins build up and poison the fish.

Don't worry we can help you make this process safe for you fish and the first thing you need to do this is a buy a liquid test kit such as the API master test kit.

The pleco will definitely make the process harder and on the whole, most if not all Pleco's will outgrow your tank fairly quickly so you may want to return that.

Depending on which schooling fish you like the most I would personally return all of them now and get 6 of the school you want to keep and cycle the tank using those. You can also do a fishless cycle if you prefer that doesn't use fish in this potentially harmful stage of the tank.

Any other questions feel free to ask.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[BernadetteNeal]

Thanks Everyone!

Sorry it took so long to respond.

First, we didn't cycle the tank because we had already had couple Paranha in there. Unfortunately, they had died because the heater malfunctioned and the water got too hot. But, we left the tank alone for a while and took a sample of the water to get tested at our local fish store. They said all was good and that's when we started adding new fish.

I think we we will end up doing is getting a second tank and put the schooling fish in there.

On a related note, I just got my first betta. It's a nice calm fish to keep in my home office.

Thanks!
B

 

[FWFishTanks]

To be safe, I would ask your lfs for established filter media (bio balls, foam, ceramic, etc.) Usually they will give you this for free but you may have to buy from them or trade for it. Once you get this, your tank will hold bacteria to convert fish waste into nitrates. I think this would be a good idea because it sounds like the bacteria may have starved if you left the tank empty for a while, and with enough established media, you could "instantly cycle" you tank. Keep the media in conditioned water at all times, or it will dry out and die. Hope I helped!

 

[BernadetteNeal]

Thanks for the advice. This site is a great resource for newbies like myself. I'll be coming back again!