Introduction

[Shari44]

Hello. I have a 75 gallon with 1 pink gourami, 5 corys, 1 neon pink tetra, and 1 spotted pleco. They are all “adopted”.. I got the pleco a little under 2 years ago from someone who was going to “set him free” in a pond, in the winter, when he was only 3 inches long. The rest came from a dentist that was going to dump his fish in a parking lot and sell his aquarium. It’s a weird mix for sure and it’s not the fish I would choose but it’s the fish that have. They all have their parts of the tank they hang out in and live pretty harmoniously oddly enough. But I will be moving from an apt to a house next summer and then the pleco will have his own indoor pond so he can have room to grow into the big monster he will certainly become . I’m here to continue learning about proper aquarium and fish care. I’ve been lucky enough to have a stable tank, no injuries, and no illnesses in 6 years but I’m here to be prepared for when something does happen.

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum

Good on you for learning about the bad things before they happen

Virtually all tetras do best in groups of 10 or more. Your tank is big enough for some more tetras if you want to keep it. Otherwise see if the local pet shop wants it. The fish stress when on their own and it's not good for it mentally being alone.

[Shari44]

Absolutely being in a school would be optimal but unfortunately the only “pet store” within an hour is is lacking in cleanliness and education and I’ve tried for years to find someone with a group of his kind. He does not behave stressed in any way.. He oddly enough is a super chill fish and “schools” with the pink gourami. They’ve been buddies for 6 years. Yes, it’s weird but he swims calmly and casually with the pink kisser and will swim casually off on his own to meander about in the neon section of the aquarium on occasion. If the pet store wasn’t such a horrific place or I knew or could find someone with a group, I’d certainly let him go but that has not been the case so far. I’ve had multiple posts for this neon pink flat boy but nobody anywhere near me has ever responded. Id happily rehome him to someone who was responsible but I won’t allow him to go to the fish stores locally. They have young teens working and running the stores that do not care for the fish and the aquariums are always filthy. So for now this is his safe place. Also I’m not confident that my aquarium could handle an additional 9 of these tetras…maybe if they were the tiny tetras but he’s one of the round flat ones. The aquarium has a peaceful co-existence right now so I’d be nervous about adding so many more fish at least until the move when the plexiglass has his own (indoor) pond.