Recently I purchased a new 10 gallon tank. I added my fish from my smaller tank and have plenty of room for new ones. I currently have one male guppy, two small tiger barbs, and two small corys. I would like to get another guppy, another barb(or two), and hopefully a pictus catfish (or two). any other suggestions?
(yes, if you remember, I'm the guy with the fish that died but then came back to life....update...he died again..for good.)
2007-02-03 06:40:20 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Fish
2 extra tiger barbs would be a good addition. Tiger barbs do like to be in a group. A few small tetras would be a nice addition as well. The only problem you might have with adding more guppies is that tiger barbs are big time fin nippers and guppies fancy tails make great targets for the barbs. One pictus cat would be ok, but no more than that or you will over load your new tank.
2007-02-03 06:51:14 · answer #1 · answered by magicman116 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Your tiger barbs aren't good choices for a 10 gallon tank and you certainly shouldn't get more. Can you return them? They are very active, aggressive fish and will very likely end up harassing your guppies and maybe even your cories to death. The only way to keep their aggressiveness in check is to keep them in groups of 6 or more with enough space for them to swim around fast and bicker amongst themselves. And that's way more space than you have.
Pictus catfish also get too big for a 10 gallon tank.
You should stick with your guppies and cories. The cories will be happier if you add one or two more of them, as they are extremely sociable schooling fish. I think your final stocking plan should be 3 cories and 4 guppies (if the cories are the standard bronze or albinos or any other variety that should reach about a 2" adult size) or 4 cories and 6 guppies (if you can find pygmy cories.)
The trouble you're going to run into though is that you didn't cycle the tank which means there is no good bacteria in it to process the ammonia waste those fish are producing, and the ammonia buildup is not only very painful and stressful to them, it will injure and eventually kill them. You can help the bacteria build faster if you'll take a handful of gravel out of your older tank and, without washing it or letting it dry out, put it in the new one. Also, do about 30% water changes every couple of days.
Do your current and future fish a favor and get rid of the tigers and don't add any more fish until the tank is cycled. Test kits aren't cheap but they last a really long time and you can't be a responsible, successful fishkeeper without them. Your tank is cycled when the ammonia and nitrites are zero, and you're seeing nitrates readings appearing. Your tank needs a routine water change anytime after that that you have any reading at all of ammonia or nitrites, or any nitrates reading of more than 40ppm or 25g/ml.
Good luck! Keep asking questions and learning and you'll get better at keeping those fish alive. :) It's more work at the beginning but less work in the long run if you do it right.
2007-02-04 03:01:06 · answer #2 · answered by ceci9293 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, you can get some more fish but i wouldn't recommend it. Keep in mind the rule of 1 inch of fish per gallon. It's a good rule to use on most fish except cichlids. Also, your tiger barbs will grow larger and most likely begin to attack your guppy. Your corys are fine considering they are lightly armored catfish. You can get a pictus, but remove your guppy because it will be attacked by the barbs and pictus (especially if it is a fancy guppy due to the attractive color and size of it's tail). That will have to do for your ten gallon tank. The pictus catfish is also quite aggressive and do get bigger.
2007-02-03 14:52:31 · answer #3 · answered by Sam 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I would not add any fish until the 10 gallon tank has been running for about 6 weeks. It will take that long for it to cycle. If you get the fish you are suggesting, your tank will be pretty full. You may want to stick with the corycats. The pictus catfish can get to be 5 inches and will require a larger tank.
2007-02-03 14:47:36 · answer #4 · answered by Fish Lover 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
You should have 1 inch of (full grown) fish per gallon of water. I would say you are at the limit of what the tank can sensibly hold.
2007-02-03 15:39:14 · answer #5 · answered by huggz 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
get alot of gubbys and put them in there and it will look cool and stuff put stuff in there like rocks and stuff and it will look nice ok that is my apinon have a nice day bye
2007-02-03 14:44:12 · answer #6 · answered by Player hater 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋