Any advice choosing fishmates?

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new2fishes

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Nov 20, 2009
Messages
13
Location
Northern California
Hi there, I have had my 10 gallon tank for three months now, it's fully cycled and has a ph thats suitable for fish growth (what the fish store told me), 0 nitrites, 0 ammonia, and 30 or less nitrates. ( last time I checked) and I maintain a temp. of 76-78 degrees F.
Currently there are:
3 neon tetras
1 jumbo neon tetra
1 glass catfish
1 clown placostamus ( sp?)
1 corycat ( about 3 years old )
1 headlight tail light
2 guppies
4 ghost shrimp

I'm not well versed in aquarium things, so I was wondering if anyone would suggest booting any fish from the tank, or if there's any fish that they think would make a nice addition.

Thanks
 

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really? no suggestions?
I've tried using the search function on this forum, unfortunately it doesn't seem to be working. ( I get no matches when I search "crab", "tetra", "fish" anything )
 
That seems like enough for a 10 gal tank, but you could try adding another few cories (they like to be in groups) or maybe a dwarf gourami. Flames and powder blues stay relatively smaller, at least not too much bigger than the tetras.
 
1 glass catfish
1 clown placostamus ( sp?)
1 corycat ( about 3 years old )
1 headlight tail light
take out or get another bigger tank. plecos high bio load... cories and tetras are schooling fish and should be kept in groups 6+.

that means add more neons once you play musical fish.
 
Some people may disagree with me here.. but a lot of the bio-load depends on how much you feed. Extra food that ends up at the bottom add a lot of extra bio load to get rid of the rotting waste. Your Fish will always act like they want more although they dont need it. The 1" to 1 gal rule is always a good rule to follow, but can be bypassed. I agree that the pleco is a high bio load fish, but any algae eating fish will be more than others, they are always finding something to eat. Fish such as a neon or zebra that only really eat what you put in depend on what you feed.

Where i have been able to get away with more than the rule is fish such as the neon or zebra. If you do it slowly you can introduce more to your tank , but should something go wrong with your tank, its going to wipe the whole thing out. nitrogen cycle with an overload depends on stability constantly.

Most will agree with this here. 80% stock is a great number to follow by to give yourself leeway if something happens.

Also do not forget. Watching what your fish do is the most important. The gills should be a bright pink. If they turn a blood color , the ammonia is too high and showing signs on ammonia poisoning. If your fish are tending to stay at the top , they are looking for oxygen. This is a tell tell sign of a PWC (partial water change).

Now if only one of your fish are hanging around the top , then there is something wrong with it. The fish can not process the oxygen through the gills. This could be a sign of many things. But if it is solitaire, and all the other fish are fine , its something that can be starting. It could effect everyone, or it could be that it got into a fight and is hurt.

Another thing to keep in mind. The higher the temp is in your tank , the less the oxygen saturation is going to be in your tank. Lowering your temp about 2 degrees over a day and adding an air stone can help. But do not let the temp drop anything more than 2 degrees over a day , it can shock the fish.

Fish can be easy , but they can be hard. Taking time to see what your fish do on a regular basis and knowing that they are not normal is the key.. Also google is the other key. You can find anything on google, and as i found out , there are so many people on here that can pinpoint something fast. Dont be shy, ask.
 
This isn't even my post and I'm learning!! Thanks jgeezer!!! Yeah honestly I'd say play the musical fish thing but DO NOT flush the fish simply because you want different ones....give them to me :) but I've heard it from many people. I'm bored so I'm gonna flush and get some new ones. Fish are no different than having puppies or hamsters. They are living and need to be treated as such. Check with the local fish store and see if they'll buy back or allow a trade or like I said give them away to a friend.
 
Don't know if it was actually being considered but would have to agree with CA_BroncoFan, don't flush a live fish! Friend had a gold gourami that was terrorizing his cories so "as punishment", he flushed a perfectly healthy fish that probably just needed to be a bigger tank - he claimed that the fish ought to have known not behave that way. Thankfully we've agreed that any future aquatic psychopaths will be given to me, then donated to PetCo.

Sorry, may have been off-topic but needed to vent a bit as I couldn't get it through to him that fish have no concept of 'behavior'.
 
What is that standing in the middle of your tank... Kinda looks like an ape playing a guitar?
 
The bioload associated with feeding only goes for fish you feed flakes. pellets and frozen food to. Plecos usually eat algae and some will rasp driftwood so their bioload will be more than other fish even if you only feed once a week.

I disagree with stocking a tank to the limit for the simple reason stress brings on disease and unwanted behavior. I like to think of it this way take 6 adults put them in a camper that sleeps 6 with all the food and drinks they want, within a week chances are there is going to be a few blow ups.
 
Most will agree with this here. 80% stock is a great number to follow by to give yourself leeway if something happens.


The bioload associated with feeding only goes for fish you feed flakes. pellets and frozen food to. Plecos usually eat algae and some will rasp driftwood so their bioload will be more than other fish even if you only feed once a week.

I disagree with stocking a tank to the limit for the simple reason stress brings on disease and unwanted behavior. I like to think of it this way take 6 adults put them in a camper that sleeps 6 with all the food and drinks they want, within a week chances are there is going to be a few blow ups.

joy13, you defined in better words, what i was trying to get out there about ovestocking

No where would i ever suggest overstocking. But when faced with a situation where you already overstocked your tank, flushing is not the idea. Trying to handle what you already have is where i was going with that.

Sorry if I made my post look like its OK to overstock your tank. I would hate for someone to lose their tank over something that i posted that i honestly did not intend.
 
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