10 Gallon Help

[Mizgo]

Hello all,

This is my first time posting outside of the welcome area and would welcome your advice!

I have had a 10g for the past few years and the fish are still the originals! I have 2 Black finned tetras and a small "cory"? I recently had my pleco die but it almost seems like wasn't eating anything much less the algae, was he just lazy?

I think these guys are in need of more fish friends, surely something to help clean the tank, maybe another pleco or snails? what is the best option at this point for cleaning. I would also like to get a couple more tetra's because they are great fish. What and how many could I get away with in the tank without overcrowding the fish?

Thanks in advance for your advice!

 

[Ziggy953]

the pleco can get rather large...I had one in my 55g community and had to take him to an LFS in trade becuase he got to 12" and that was just toooooooo big for me anyway. Of course this depends on the type of pleco, and I am not versed in plecos. A freshie will have to help you out there.....

The general rule for FW is 1" per gallon (that is 1" of adult fish per gallon). I would go less then that with a 10g just to be safe. Don't want to overload things.


Now that your post is in the correct forum....

 

[rich311k]

A ten gallon is too small for any type of pleco. I would suggest adding a couple of more cories for the bottom. You could add 2 or 3 more blackskirts and call the tank stocked. I think that would make a nice active tank.

 

[Mizgo]

Should I get anthing to control the algae on the glass and other objects in the tank?

 

[rich311k]

No animal will control algae. Keep your lights on for no more than 8 hours a day and keep the tank out of direct sunlight. Most algae eating fish will get too large for a ten gallon tank.

 

[Mizgo]

That is great advice, thanks for your help! Hate to buy another pleco and have it die.. Should I use any algae chemicals to reduce the algae growth?

 

[neilanh]

Most algae eating fish will get too large for a ten gallon tank.

What about otos? they only get to about 2" I believe.

 

[rich311k]

Ottos like to be in groups and they can be sensative. I would not try them in a new tank.

I would suggest cleaning as much of the algae as you can and then try to reduce the amount of light. Hopefully it will not come back. You can scrape it off the glass and you can pull out the decorations and give them a good cleaning.