10 gallon tank. Too many fish? (1 Viewer)

[Greg_S_H]

I've got a ten gallon tank, and I had four tetras (two pink, two blue if that matters) and a scavenger. I inherited two more blue tetras in an emergency tank leak, so now I have seven fish (I'm good at math!). Is that too many fish for a tank of this size? I wouldn't mind ditching the two extra tetras when the replacement tank is ready, but I can't tell the new fish from the old. Maybe it doesn't matter to fish, but I really don't want to break my guys up. So, if there aren't too many here, I'll probably just keep the new ones.

According to the manual, it's recommended you have no more than 1 inch of tropical fish per gallon. Assuming tetras fall under the "tropical" banner, I think I'm okay. I'm guessing these guys are about an inch long.

 

[Jay H]

Neons can be picky and tempermental to water conditions. I would say that is the most amount of fish a 10gal could handle comfortably even though the neons are small. With any fish, do not overfeed and practice routine water changes, especially in a small tank like that.

The 1 inch rule is kind of dated and is really very very generalized.

Have fun with the neons, say hi to them for me...

Jay

 

[Tony Whalen]

Jay, I'm not sure he's talking about NEON tetras.

That being said, Greg...Jay is right on the money...don't overfeed, and do routine water maintenance.

The one-inch rule IS kind of a dated thing, but it's not the worst rule-of-thumb.

Sounds like you are okay to me.

 

[StephenA]

You can probably get away with it due to the fish being tetras. They don't usually get very big and aren't huge or messy eaters. Just be vigilant on the water changes and don't overfeed like the others have said.

 

[Shayne Lebrun]

Throw the little buggers in and do some extra ammonia/nitrite checks for a few weeks. You'll know if your system's keeping up with it or not.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

I don't think you are too bad yet. What kind of filtration do you have? My tanks are all overcrowded, but I make sure I have plenty of filtration going at all times. Two fish shouldn't upset anything majorly.

BTW those are dyed fish (Strawberry and Blueberry tetras). They will become white/cream colored when they are older.

 

[Greg_S_H]

Thanks, guys. I feed them once a day and change the filter regularly. Other than these new guys, I've had these fish for four years now, so I think my maintenance routines have been okay. I feed them once a day. Should I bump that up to twice daily?


I assume this is a perfectly safe process for these fish? I figured the coloration was natural. :b

 

[Shawn C]

I've got 2 neon tetras, 1 betta and 2 little frogs in a 10-gallon aquarium right now. Now problems. I used to have 3 neon tetras but one of them disappeared...no idea where it went. I think it died and the other fish/frogs ate him.

 

[Tony Whalen]

If they are indeed "Strawberry" and "Blueberry" tetras, then yeah...they are dyed. They are actually "White Skirt" tetras, an albino off-shoot of the Black Skirt.

Most serious aquarists frown on these fish being sold, as they are artifically colored. In fact, I know several folks who won't shop at stores where these fish are sold...as the dying process is considered by some to be cruel.

(I don't know how they color these tetras. I think they are either dipped or fed dyed food. However, there are "painted" Indian glass-fish out there that have streaks of vibrant day-glo color in 'em. The color for painted glass-fish isn't so much "painted" as it is "injected". )

Don't feel bad...most folks aren't aware of these artifical coloration practices. Me, I wouldn't buy 'em. But if I didn't know...I probably would because they look nice, and I'm a tetra fan.

Just give your little fishies a good home.

 

[DonRoeber]

I'm thinking about starting a small aquarium at home. I'm leaning towards the Marineland Eclipse 12 . Anyone have anything interesting to say abou it? I'd be using it with freshwater fish, of course. Probably cichlids.

 

[Tony Whalen]

I've always thought the Eclipse products were kinda cool, as everything is self-contained in the hood. Presents a nice clean look, and makes filter maintenance pretty simple.

That being said, I'd be nervous about a plastic tank. Just because it might scratch easily during cleaning, providing a great place for algae to grow. But I've never had a plastic tank before... so I could be totally wrong.

I see that the Eclipse 12 is indeed a 12-gallon tank.

Usually, I suggest that beginners actually start with something a little BIGGER than that. Sounds odd I know. I usually recommend a 20-gallon tank. The reason being that the more water you have, the easier it is for the water to handle changes.

It's a common error that people think a small aquarium will be easier to care for. It isn't. Slight changes to a small aquarium can kill all the fish. The exact same change in a larger amount of water will have less effect.

The ecosystem is more stable, as it takes more violent changes to disturb it...does that make sense?

A 20 may be larger than you'd care for, but just remember that larger is generally better.

 

[Cam McFarland]

The best way to take care of the problem would be to buy an oscar & throw it in. Soon, your tank will get to a fish quantity level that will work just fine....