Little Cherry Barb

Hello!

I have never had a fish tank, and today I bought a tank that I was told was 10 gallons (picture attached). I measured the dimensions and it turned out to be actually about 6.4 gallons. There is a filter in the hood with a bio-wheel.

I'm a little disappointed now as my stocking intentions were a group of 6 cherry barbs (nothing else), and I'm worried that may be too much for my small tank. Should I reduce the number? I want them to be happy in a school, but I don't want to compromise their space or overcrowd my tank. I'm pretty much in love with cherry barbs, but if they won't be happy in my tank, I'm willing to hear other fish suggestions.

I also bought a freshwater master test kit (liquid tests - pH, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates), and tomorrow I am buying clear ammonia to start cycling the tank. Also bought a gravel vacuum. Very excited about testing and maintenance. I love testing, observing, recording, and cleaning!

I put the plants that are seen in the picture, and plan to get several more smaller ones. How many is a good number? How should they be placed for fish happiness? Should I place the majority on one side, and leave the other side for swimming, or put them equally on each side with open water in the middle? Toward the front or back? Is there anything else that should be placed in the tank?

Any other comments/suggestions/criticism appreciated!

Attached Images

Tank-1.jpg (499.6 KB, 10 views)

Alessa

First, welcome to FL
Second, Congrats on your fishless cycle and in researching before buying any fish, that says a lot about you

I am really sorry to dissapoint you, but if the tank really is 6.6 a school of 6 cherry barbs wont fit. you could barely fit 3 cherry barbs in that aquarium but they do best when kept in grups of 6+

at this point, in that tank you could add either 4 neon tetras (also best kept in groups 5+) or what would be the best for the tank size... a betta

regarding the tank decor, maybe a cave or two. also plants should be added so that the fish still have plenty of open space to swim.

you could get the betta now and wait until you can get a bigger tank for your barbs

Lucy

Hi Welcome to Fish Lore You've done your homework, that's great.

The tank looks good, maybe a few more plants and a cave thing for your fish to hide and swim in.

Cherry barbs can get to be 2" so even with a 10g, 6 would over crowd your tank slightly, but manageable I think.

With a 6g, you could only have 3 and from what I've read, they would be shy with less 6.
I don't have personal experience though, so wait for another opinion.

Can you take the tank back and get a larger one?

Take your time and good luck, your off to a great start.

BigJoe

IMO 6 cherries would probably be too much unless you plan on doing water changes on a every other day basis... if i remember right cherry barbs would get somewhere between 2-3 inches (correct me if i'm wrong) counting the lower side your still twice the bioload recomended... i'm not saying you cant have a successful attempt at it just saying probably not... a tank that size is going to be tough to find things for... i would probably suggest loking into real low-light plants and shrimp and maybe some otos or cories... 3 cories = roughly 9 inches but i think you could pull it off if you keep up water changes... especially if you keep up with the water changes... of course you could go with the cliche of betta for that size tank... either way in the end its up to you... i know a guy that has a school of tetras in a 3 gallon and has them alive for last 2 years (starting to die now though) look around to see if there is something you like... i'd suggest some real plants instead of fake ones though.. just got into them... ends up being cheaper if you keep it low light and choose plants that don't need fertilizer...

also for other decor... air stone of some type maybe or driftwood or lava rock (wal-mart sells same stuff in a bag in grill section as aquarium store for less than the price of one rock)

good luck and welcome

Little Cherry Barb

Thanks for the quick responses. I've daydreamed about cherry barbs for too long, so I'm going to return it and look for a bigger tank. I feel that I was overcharged for it anyway (even under the pretense that it was a 10 gallon). I was really looking for a 15 gallon, and I thought 10 might be alright, but it just ended up getting smaller and smaller!

I went to 2 places today, and I bought the tank and the first one. The second place had a bigger selection of tanks, but they were all made of glass, while this one is acrylic. Which is better? I looked online, and I think the tank I have now is an Eclipse 6 gallon. Was that a good filter for the tank? Should I look for a similar one? What should I be looking for in filters?

I'll keep the betta suggestion in mind though. If I don't end up finding a bigger tank I can afford will neon tetras be okay? Will they be happy with only 4-5? Is that enough space for them?

Alessa

you could add 4 neons... although they do best in groups of 5+. its up to you but if you dont want the betta now, return the tank and get a bigger one if you can.

and yes, a 15 gal would house a nice school of barbs.

pepetj

Hi Little Cherry Barb.
Wellcome to fishlore! Congratulations for going fishless-cycle!
I was lucky to find this place, in April 2008, before buying anything, all my tanks have cycled without fish, using ammonia solution without surfactants; it takes way less time and effort (11 to 13 days). Small tanks could be way more unstable than larger tanks, and require more frequent water changes; I would either change that 6.6gal or keep it for quarantine -or get a Betta! you won't regret it! ...and get your 20gal glass!
I go with glass only tanks, due to :
a) better price,
b) not easy to scratch (unless you use diamonds, if you do, take your ring out!).
c) stands and accesories that fit are easier to find due to "standard" dimensions.
They do weight more, and shapes are also limited. But for what you paid for that tank, you could probably get a 20gal glass (I could be exaggerating).
I say go for your School of Cherry Barbs!
Tall plants usually look better placed toward the rear/back end. Why not going with real plants? There are a wide variety of low-light, low-tech, plants that would enhance the quality of life of your fish (e.g. Anacharis, Hornwort), you could also add a couple of (Apple, or Mistery, or Nerite) Snails or (Ghost, or Red-Cherry, or Amano) Shrimps (don't go for whiskers they are a menace to fish, IMO).
I keep eight young Zebra Danios (also schooling fish, with Anubias Afzilli, Anubias Barteri placed toward mid-front, and bundles of Anacharis toward rear and corner, leaving some free space and they enjoy it) in a 10gal. Will move them to a bigger tank and set the 10gal for... (stay tuned, I'll say it when I'm ready -or when I figure it out!)

Pepe
Santo Domingo

PS We love pics here!

Little Cherry Barb

I'm going today back to the store to see if they can exchange my tank for something bigger, and possibly give me a discount on the bigger tank due to selling me a tank that was actually smaller than I was told (or else, I wouldn't have bought it in the first place). Also going to find some ammonia.

I am really considering the beta, but I have such a negative connotation toward beta fish. I really can't stand those flowing tails. I've read that females are less flashy, is it a big difference? I'm also skeptical about buying the beta from the pet store. They are always in these little cups and not in the tanks like the other fish.

Just making some back-up plans and getting future knowledge, but is there any other small fish that can be kept singularly and would be happy in a tank of the size I have currently?

tzqng8

Female Betta's look WAY different:



You can buy them online from places like Aquabid.com for show quaility Betta's, but rescuing them from death cups can be a rewarding experience!

But, if you aren't a fan, don't do that. Do something you'll love and the fish will love you for it. That's deep...

Little Cherry Barb

Wow, pretty! I think if I get a betta, I'll go for a female. Thanks for the insight. I'm sure I'll be commited to any fish I end up with. We'll be buddies.

Barbrella

I love cherry barbs too and have been keeping them for over 15 years.

A 15 or 20 gallon tank would be a great size for them, since they are extremely active and really need lots of room, and a tank with lots of plants in it for them to spawn in. Always get at least 2 females for every male, since the males are quite hard on the females.

I have mine in a 20 gal tank with neon tetras and a dwarf gourami and everyone gets along just great.

Female bettas are awesome too - full of personality and come in so many different colours.

Little Cherry Barb

I'm getting a bigger tank! 15 gallon glass tank, or a 12 gallon acrylic (the Eclipse 12 gallon, similar with the filter and everything to the one I have now). I'm super paranoid about leakage and breaking, so I think I'm going to go for the 12. I'm not quite sure, but I am definitely returning the 6.

Would 6 cherry barbs be fine in the 12 gallon? How about 5 barbs? Will they still feel comfortable with 5 instead of 6?

This next question probably sounds dumb, but I don't completely understand how the filter works. It has a blue pad (Is this the filter media? I've heard that term) that the water passes through, and then it goes through the wheel. Where does the good bacteria build up? In the wheel? When you replace the filter media, does that take away the good bacteria? I also read that you should only replace half of it at a time. Do you just cut it in half and then replace one half with a new one?

Sorry for all of the follow up questions. It's all new.

Oh, and I also bought the ammonia today from Ace Hardware. I'm all ready to start cycling.

Devon

It sounds as if you have a BioWheel. The wheel is what holds the beneficial bacteria and should only ever be replaced if it is damaged. Otherwise, it should be left as it is. I'm not 100% on all the technical mumbo-jumbo when it comes to the other parts. :/

Alessa

they would fit perfectly (12 inch of fish in 12 gal tank).

The bacteria will be everywhere in your tank (filter, gravel, wheel)

the "bio wheel" filter is made so a lot of the bacteria stays on the wheel. but mostly, you dont want to replace anything (not the blue spongee, not the wheel) unless they are basically falling appart, since the biggest concentration of bacteria is located in the filter and gravel.

the replacing of filter media will most likely throw your tank on a mini-cycle, which you dont want of course

Barbrella

A 15 gal tank is no more likely to leak than a 12 gal, and the barbs would appreciate the extra room in the 15.

jdhef

Most people here recommend just swishing your filter media in used tank water to clean it out. They only replace it with new, when it is falling apart. I believe that when it appears that it will be necessary to replace the filter media in a couple of weeks, they take a new piece of filter media and let it sit in the tank to develope bateria colonies.

Little Cherry Barb

Thanks. That makes sense. How long should the filter media sit in the tank to develop bacteria?

Alessa

a very long time lol... I think several weeks in advance because you need enough bacteria, otherwise your tank will go trough a mini-cycle.