tb19

I have 10 fishes in a 15 Gallon tank. 6 Tiger Barbs and 4 Skirt Tetras. ammonia before addition of 3 new barbs today was 0 and nitrite 0. pH is about 7.8.
Is this fine? How many water changes should I do weekly to keep the nitrate down?

dazzler

hi TB with all tanks there is a general rule of one gallon per inch of ADULT FISH so check the final size of these fish and then you will know. also some are bigger waste producers than others too this may also come to effect. the more room you can give them the easier it is for you in the long run. by this i mean the fish will be happier and healthier thus causing you less problems over all i have a 67g (250 litres) and only have 45inches of fish in there and they are insanely active!!!

regards Dazzler

bbfeckawitts

Well the tiger barbs get 3 inches each, 3x6=18, so with JUST the barbs you are overstocked. Now, add the tetras at 2 inches each. 2x4=8, 18+8=26, so you are very overstocked.
Brianna

starshine

Sounds like a good reason to get a new tank! I'm always trying to find a reason to justify a new tank to my husband! You are overstocked, so you could either upgrade to a bigger tank as your fish grow, or take a few back to your fishstore. In the meantime, monitor your water quality very carefully, keep a vigilant eye out for signs of stress in your fishies, and do water changes as your water quality indicates. It's so easy to overstock...so many fish to choose from, yet never enough room, it seems...how unfair!

COBettaCouple

Yea, MTS strikes again! You could get a 20g for the Barbs and maybe add a couple tetras to your 15g OR return 1 Barb and put the Tetras in a 10g.. or even just put the Tetras in a 10g and keep up on the slight overload in the 15g.

tb19

well i dont have much cash for a tank ...plus i have no idea of putting another tank around my house

JMatt1983

the biggest thing is keeping on top of water changes, being overstocked a you are, you'll probably have to do 2-3 water changes per week instead of once

COBettaCouple

Yea, that's why we don't have a new rescue tank now, low on money. I'd also say just do the additional water changes and maybe test your water parameters a little more often to be sure things are ok. probably more frequent gravel cleaning to keep food & poop from boosting the ammonia and they'll be happy fish.

tb19

yeah i really want to keep them all Well i always do the water changes every week. I vacuum the gravel everytime i do the water change as well. Plus I use amquel to treat the ammonia,nitrite and nitrate. But im not sure if that enough to keep them happy

COBettaCouple

It probably will be, just have to do it more often is all. I'd only use Amquel if the parameters are kind of bad. It messes with the nitrogen cycle from what i hear and costs a bit, I can't believe how fast the bottle seems to get empty. They have you caring for them & their well-being so they'll do good and be good pets for you.

tb19

yeah it is a bit pricy...i'll probably switch to Prime. thanx for the advice

COBettaCouple

I've heard a lot of good about Prime. We can't get it locally, but will order some with our next order at DFS.

tan.b

hi tb19. as your ammonia is zero, why are you using amquel? i'm a little puzzled!! also you havent posted your nitrate. what are your nitrates like? they need to be kept below 20. if they get near or over 20, do water changes (20-50%) as often as it takes to keep the nitrates down. live plants can help with nitrates as they use them as food. when overstocked it may mean you doing water changes a few times a week to keep on top of the nitrates but worth it to keep your fishes happy!
tan

tb19

well i use amquel just incase the amonia goes up. and i belive my nitrates are at .5

tb19

sorry... i meant 5.0

COBettaCouple

.5 is great .. 5.0 is pretty good too. our tanks are 5-10.

tan.b

5 is perfect. keeo doing what you;re doing and it'll be fine!!!

tb19

yeah alls good so far hope it stays that way

tan.b

keep us posted! any questions let us know.
good luck

tb19

Sure Thanx!!

andiuk

I've often wondered this... I have a 15/16 Gallon tank too - approx.: 30Width x 60Length x35Height, and according to a few of the books I've read, I can have upto 24" of fish...

In that tank I have (I've done the inches to the approx. max size):

4 Mollies (2")
1 Male Dwarf Gourami (2.5")
2 Female Dwarf Gourami (2")
3 Skunk Loaches (3")

Which gives me a total of: 23.5" of fish... which gives me approx. 0.5" of fish "allowance".

In MY OWN experience, fish don't ever actually grow larger than the tank allows them to anyway, which does seem to be a bit of a misconception from things I read online... (for instance: Clown Loaches - yes they can get to about 12" maximum, however, that process can take about 15 years to happen, as they tend to only grown on average about half an inch a year...)

Dunno if any of this helps, just remember to keep the water at its best quality, and watch the nitrates etc etc - and again in MY experience, just keep an eye on the tank and monitor it that way, as long as the fish don't seem unhappy, and there's good water - you'll probably be okay!

Andy

tb19

well i have a total of about 23 inches occupied already. So that leaves me about an inch left.

andiuk

well, then I'd suggest stopping! but like i said, just keep an eye on the tank to make sure it's not going horribly wrong!

you'll soon know if it does...

Neville

hi andiuk, u r new i think, welcome to fishlore, i like your qoute about money .

andiuk

thankyou... thou, it's Joan Rivers' quote, not mine... she's funny!

i like that you call your fighting fish Mr Blue - that's exactly what my neon dwarf gourami is called...

tan.b

i have read that having a fish that is destined to get big in a small tank will stunt its growth, for example a common pleco in a 15 gal, the pleco may not get to its full size, but that doesnt mean all is well. what happens is the organs grow to full size, but the body doesnt, thus inhibiting organ function. the fish will eventually die a premature death of organ failure. so if you want your fish to reach their expected life expectancy and be healthy, they need a tank big enough to be able to reach their full size. i wish i had the article i read this from, but as my computer died and had to be wiped, i lost all my favourites!!! :P anyway, it suggests an inch per gallon, but this is also dependant on mass. "chunky" fish need more than skinny fish. mollys would need more than a neon tetra for example. and waste production needs to be accounted for too. plecos for instance are big waste producers (they poo continually!!) therefore more ammonia/bioload on the system. overcrowded tanks not only leads to stunting, but can lead to stress and disease for the fish. disease will spread more in overcrowded tanks too. think of humans. when crammed into offices, bugs pass round all the time. those working in sparser populated work areas (outdoors for example) dont pick up and spread as many bugs.
tb19, your tank is fully stocked with what you've got, so i wouldnt add any more. do 20% water change every week, and check the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate then too. the ammonia and nitrite need to be zero and nitrate below 20. if any of these is elevated do 50% every day until the levels are back under control. hope this helps?
tan

tb19

yeah im doing 50% water changes a week and i vacuum the gravel every week i do the water change so all ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are down to zero everytime I do my weekly test

mommyof2bettas

Yes,I think tan.b has it all summed up :P. I think you should keep doing all the water changes and such, but try to find homes for the tiger barbs meanwhile. Stunting does make the fish die earlier than they're supposed to, and the fish will also get stressed. So if you can try to rehome the tiger barbs, and get some more fish that fit in the tank, I believe your fish will be much happier

vin