How many fish can I put in a 10 gal?

[Jaken]

I currently have 7 zebras, a pepper cory, an algae eater, a dwarf gourami, an a glo lite tetra.

I know the tetras are supposed to be in groups, but when I first set it up I got Ick in my tank. Him and my betta were the only ones to survive. The local Wal Mart isn't selling the glo lites anymore. My betta died a few months after, and replaced him the the gourami.

Anyways I was wondering if Iwould be able to but a few neons in there if I find a new home for my algae eater?

 

[Zagz]

Definately get rid of the algae eater. You are still stocked IMO with the stocking you have. Cories also should be in groups. What kind of filtration do you have? You might be able to add some cories providing you keep up on water changes and you have decent filtration.

 

[theotheragentm]

Overstocked I believe Zagz meant. I agree. I would give the Cory, Algae Eater, and Tetra. The Cory and Tetra should be kept in a school, which you don't have room for unfortunately.

 

[bra_van_drakh]

anyhow. . . .do u know about the rough calculation to 1 tank ??? it's supposed to be 1 galon for 1 inch of a fish, that means that u can keep up to 10 1" tetras [roughly counting] or 5 2" fish, and so on

 

[mattrox]

I really would not want to put 1 10" fish in a ten gallon tank though......

 

[bra_van_drakh]

yeah, that's a different story^^ha4. . . it's only a rough easy guidance though. ..

 

[Jaken]

I don't know much about filters. I just use the one the tank came with.

I don't know anyone that wants my algae eater and I really don't want to off him. I'll think of something.

Come to think of it I do have a problem with algae growth. Any tips on how I can get that off of the plants?

Thanks for the help.

 

[theotheragentm]

The default filters generally aren't great, because they don't provide a lot of room for filter media. Filter media is a general term for the stuff in a filter that provides some surface area for the bacteria to grow on as well as filters out larger particles. AquaClear is a well liked brand of HOB filter, because it has good space for filter media and lasts pretty long.

Someone will take the CAE. Where are you located? Maybe someone in these forums can take him off your hands.

As far as algae goes, it's going to be due to a high bioload and lighting. If you have light hitting a tank with excess nutrients (fish waste), you're going to get algae. Without cutting back on your current stock the bioload will be high, leading to algae. Get the tank out of direct sunlight if you can as well.

 

[Jaken]

It is an AquaClear filter. I buy the little bags of stuff, not the sheets you buy at wallmart.
Is having a over stocked aquarium bad due to stress caused to the fish, or lack of oxygen in the tank. Would an air pump help?
The tank is never in direct sunlight.
I live in Manitoba, Canada.

 

[theotheragentm]

It's bad for a number of reasons.

1. Possible lack of sufficient oxygen. An air pump would most likely not help as the surface agitation from the filter return should be more than adequate for a normal stock.
2. Stress definitely as fish may "fit" into an aquarium, but they need swimming room.
3. Bioload. Fish waste is always a given. The more fish you have, the more waste they make. Imagine swimming in a swimming pool that everyone pees in normally. Now imagine that you have to breathe that water, not just be in it.

Getting yourself stocked at a proper level has to be done.

 

[bra_van_drakh]

yeph. . .couldnt agree more with theothergentm, plus, if ur over stocked, u'll have to get more work on doing PVCs; the more the bioload, the bigger of the percentage of the water u should change in a PVC, and more often u should do it.. . .
i did over stocked my former tank in indonesia with 26 tetras with assorted types [now i'm in sydney] despite the cheap prices, but i dont think they were happy, and after i reduce the amount[only 13 cardinals + 2 hengeli rasboras in a 20 gal], they looked healthier and happier. ..and still do till now^^

 

[Jaken]

They all seem happy too me. They are usually very active and have a healthy appetite, except my cory. But aren't they less active fish anyways?

I change about half the water once a week.

Thanks for all the input.

 

[bra_van_drakh]

corries are a bit 'lazy', but if u put some more same species companions to him[around 5 more], they wont stop swimming up and down. .. ..

 

[tkos]

What exactly is the type of algae eater? CAE, SAE, pleco, oto? If you can find out, or actually knwo that can be a big help. Some of those fish just get far too big for small tanks and produce an insane amount of waste.

 

[Jaken]

The tag just said algae eater. I'm pretty sure its a siamese based on google search. Its got a light bottom, a black stripe in the middle, and a copperish colored top.

 

[theotheragentm]

Do the fins have much coloring or are they mostly clear? Is the middle stripe a smooth line or is it jagged on the edges? It could still be a Flying Fox based on the description you gave. Either way, all these fish would be too large for the tank you have.

Bioload is something you can keep up with when doing water changes, but as the fish grow larger, it gets harder. Swimming room for a fish can't be reduced unfortunately. You're going to want to give your fish more room.

 

[Jaken]

The stripe is rather smooth and the fins are clear.

When I got him I figured he'd grow a lot more slowly than he is. I figured I'd have at least 6 months before I had to get rid of him.

 

[JessieVB]

Hi. I agree with what everyone has been saying. I had a pleco (not sure what type, just one we got from Petsmart), but in the 4 or 5 years that we had him he grew from only a few inches to well over a foot long.

You said you had algae problems, so I thought a viable solution could be an apple snail (or mystery snail is what Wal-mart sells them as). I had one for a while with my Betta in a 1-gal. and it didn't seem to affect the bioload too much (someone please correct me if a snail would be too much for Jaken's tank).

I've also seen a couple posts about people taking fish to LFS, so maybe that is an option?

Hope everything works out!

 

[bra_van_drakh]

yeah. . .most aquarist here would pick apple snails to clean up the area, but I'd prefer some RCS or CRS to do the job. . .it's satisfying to see them breed like ants. . hahahha. ..

 

[Jaken]

A friend of mine with a 55 gal took my algae eater.
The Wal mart around here doesn't sell snails anymore. That was what I was going to get initialy. Nearest pet shop that I know of is a least 1:30 hours away.