New and made a mistake hope to fix it

[Liketechnicolor]

Hi, I'm Lisette and reside in NYC. I've had a betta fish named Emmett for a little over 2 years and decided I wanted to upgrade. I was given a 10gallon tank it has a filter and heater but I fear it's overstocked after doing some research after the fact.

I followed the advice of from 2 different petlands.

Currently the tank holds
2 baby bala fish
4 male guppies
1 highfin pleco

How long can I keep them in this setting before I have to upgrade.

Who can stay in the 10gallon after the upgrade?

Thanks a million!

 

[venymae]

Bala Sharks and Plecos (common) will get over a foot long. Bala sharks also have a very high activity level. Both will need BIG upgrades. I am of the opinion that bala sharks are not for most aquariums (even the large aquariums) , they are just too big/active. THe guppies should be ok in the 10 gallon as long as no one joins them.

 

[Liketechnicolor]

Thanks for your reply I really appreciate it. Now I'm looking into larger aquariums now, I will have to save up for a little bit. I see you're saying that bala sharks probably shouldn't even be kept as pets if I return them to the pet shop they'll just be sold to someone else. I'm thinking maybe by June I can afford a 200 gallon tank for them.

And the pleco is a common pleco would he be able to room with them or will he also need a huge tank of his own?

 

[venymae]

I'm not sure on that, hopefully someone with more experience will be able to answer that one

 

[jwh0818]

If your opting for a 200g you can have all that in the 200g but I wouldn't temporarily house the balas in the 10g. How big is the pleco?

 

[Liketechnicolor]

I would say about the size of my middle finger. Somewhere between 2.5-3 inches

 

[pollex.jaypee]

You could keep another betta in the 10 gallon tank, or if you prefer, the guppies.(but never together)
If you'll be keeping another betta, you can try some tankmates like ghost shrimp/cory/neon tetra)

If you prefer the guppies,IMO, you can increase their number.I believe they do better in larger groups

 

[jwh0818]

I would re home him as well as the balas unfortunately

 

[twiddlemuffin]

I would re home him as well as the balas unfortunately

+1 I'm gonna have to agree. I think balas need more than a 200g because they belong in groups and need tons of space.

 

[Liketechnicolor]

That is a bummer. Should look into Craigslist or here to rehome? I don't want to go back to petland seeing as how all the information they gave me was false. ("Pleco will be fine in a 10 gallon" "bala shark won't get too big" that was the suggestion after I was looking at the angel fish and told they would get too large for my tank.)

If I rehome the bala sharks ASAP is there a chance I can keep the pleco if I spring for a large tank right away? What would be a minimum size for him & honestly would he even be happy living forever alone?

Sorry for all the questions. You guys have been great.

 

[jwh0818]

Yes, if you re home the balas ASAP then you can keep the pleco but ONLY if your gonna get at least a 125g ASAP

 

[treemanone2003]

Just for the record, any chain store will tell you anything they think you want to here because to them it's all about the $$$$$$. I had kept Bala's (from 2" till 6") in a 75 for about 15 months and then sold them to a buddy to go in his 150. They are currently around 9-9.5". They love the room to swim. +1 on losing the Pleco ASAP !!! It too needs lots of room. Craigslist is a great opportunity for you right now.

 

[venymae]

to be honest I would return them to the fish store. They gave you inaccurate information and really whenever you buy something at a pet store, you are essentially "voting" for that product to be sold in the future. That's the way businesses work. If you return them, you are saying "no, these shouldn't be sold".

 

[jwh0818]

+1 with venymae. That's very sound advice!