Stocking my tank - need advice (long post)

[sciencegirl]

I've got a 10 gal that needs further stocking - as I posted in a different thread, I've only got 3 glo light tetras and 1 neon. I used to have 4 glo lights and 6 neons...my neons died of NTD (the sole survivor has beat it twice I think). Most of the deaths were shortly after I got them home, and I kept on top of my water parameters - someone here had pointed out that sometimes it's hard to know how old or healthy wee fish like tetras are when you bring them home. Anyways, I developed a bit of algae, so I slowly added 3 otos, and they lived about 3 months or so, but I had a fast die off of them too. I'm ashamed to say that I think one died, and I couldn't find him, and he might have polluted the water before I even knew what was happening.

Based on my post, I sound like some moron who knows nothing about fish and can't take care of them, but I really tried my hardest and if you check my history you'll see that I made every effort to fix the problems. One of the big problems was a crappy heater, which I replaced with one that works...this reduced problems in the remaining fish.

Anyways, the remaining fish are skittish (but eating and looking quite healthy..the neon is actually sort of big), and as someone here wisely suggested, they are probably feeling lonely. I've been really hesitant to add fish to my tank with my past problems, but I want my current fellas to be happy.

What should I add?
Otos? I do have an algae problem and I think they are so very cute.
Neons? I'm scared of neon tetra disease
Glo lights? They seem to be a bit tougher than the neons, but would my lone neon feel left out?

Help!

eta: We just got a petsmart store here...what are your feelings on a big chain like pet smart vs. smaller lfs?

 

[mr funktastic]

like you already know neons really dont like to be by them selves so you really should get some more to add. size is also a big deal because neons will usually only hang out with the same size neons. try as hard as you can to get all the same size neons as well as the same species, dont mix cardinal neons with jumbo neons because they dont all get along the same. if u are worried about the disease then just put them in a small tank by themselves for a few weeks to see if they are sick or not. i will sometimes keep a group of fish i buy in my small tank by themselves to determine if they are healthy before putting them in my community tank. i havent had a single fish death since i started buying fish. except for a little ick problem i had one time but that was because i put someone elses fish in my tank because they had no male sword tales and she wanted babies, big mistake. also on the lfs question i wouldnt advise getting your fish from them unless they are a fish store and not a pet store. i bought a betta from my lfs and it died in a week. the pet smart in my area isnt that great because there tanks seem over crowded and the plants always seem to have snails. i personally like big als fish store because that is where i have been buying my fish from and i have always been successful. hope i helped.

 

[id10t]

A coupel more of each tetra to get them in a group for their own sanity, and a couple of shrimp of some sort for a clean up crew.

If I were to redo my 10's stocking, I'd go with one oto and 5 or 6 different male fantail guppies.

 

[talloulou]

if you don't want more neons maybe you could trade your one remaining neon back to the store. If you get another oto remember that they need fresh veggies. They can quickly eat all the available algae in your tank and then starve if not fed algae wafers and veggies. Other than that there are quite a few stocking options open to you, I'd visit the lfs and see what's available.

As far as petsmart vs a smaller local store it really depends on the local store. Sometimes they are better, but not always... No matter where you buy your fish you need to get in the habit of looking at fish and deciding if they look healthy or not.

Plus there are two questions I always ask no matter where I buy my fish.....

1) Did any dead fish get cleaned out of this tank today? (Surprisingly my local petsmart tells me if they have and they don't seem to mind the question at all)

2) When did these fish come in? (I never buy any fish that the store just got I like to wait at least 3-4 days to see how they are looking)

Also I usually won't buy a fish if it is the last one of its kind left in the tank because you have nothing to compare it to when checking out its health.

Don't be afraid to talk to the people working at the lfs. They usually will tell you if they have been having problems with certain species and they also generally know what species are easily kept in the local tap water.

 

[sciencegirl]

Dear Aquarium Advisors...

Thank you thank you!!! I took your advice and added some more neons and glowlights (for a total of 5 of each). When I first put them in everyone seemed a bit freaked out, so I left the lights off for the day. This morning when I went to visit them, for the first time in ages, they all came to the glass and when I fed them they all went for it!! Everyone is happy now - I'm so glad I came to this forum for advice!
Thanks!