Jonny_Maelstrom

Hey all,
I recently bought a small tank, only about 5 gallons - I have the perfect space for a larger tank but no plug sockets - and the lady in the pet shop encouraged me to buy a couple of Serpae Tetras and an Otocinclus catfish. I asked if they were the kind of fish that needed to be in a school (I am a beginner, I should have come here first) and she said 'no but the serpaes will be less aggressive if you have at least two'. One of the tetras died the first night for reasons unknown, and the remaining two fish seem to be doing okay. The Oto spends much of his time hiding but his fins seem intact. My question is: If I buy another two or three Serpae, will that make them [i]more[i] likely to nip the Oto's fins (or each others') or is that already too much for the tank to support? I'm sure it probably couldn't support a school of six. I don't really trust the pet store people's judgement.

Peterpiper

Hi Jonny and welcome to FishLore!
The tank is only a small tank, and in my opinion, is to small for what was sold to you.
Did you cycle the tank before adding the fish?
A tip for you.. dont buy anything from a pet shop that you have not researched, and dont let them talk you into buying things.

Butterfly

Here is a great place for you to start reading before you do anything else
http://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/fr...beginners.html
This tells you how to cycle your tank and what that means .
Your tank needs to be cycled before fish are put into it, but since you already have fish don't despair there is help for that there also .
The tank is kind of small but I think it could handle about three serpae tetras and the oto. although otos need to be in groups if possible but the tank isn't big enough.
Please read about cycling the tank before adding more fish,thats probably why the one died right away.
welcome to FishLore!
Carol

Lucy

Hi Jonny
Welcome to Fishlore.
I agree about the cycling.
I have serpae also. I found when I had two, one hid behind the plants most of the time. The other would occasionally chase the neons.
I recently added 2 more....the change in them is huge....now they are very active and fun to watch. They've never been aggressive, although I've read that they can be.
Good luck with your tank.

Jonny_Maelstrom

Thanks for the advice folks,
Sadly, I live in a smallish town in Australia where there are only two pet shops - not a lot of choice. The tank has been cycled. I've been checking ammonia levels since I got the fish and did daily partial changes for a couple of days just to be on the safe/paranoid side. It all seems to be okay, though in fairness, for them to get inland where I am, they probably have a fairly stressful journey, so I'm not too surprised if a few don't survive the extra stress of a move to a new tank.
I may get another couple of serpae, though would welcome any suggestions as to other fish that might be safe to join these two?

Lucy

In a 5g tank.......not much more.
2 serpae is about 3", plus the otto. I don't know how big they get.
1 more small fish, maybe.

Fish Addict

I am not sure exactly about the size of the fish, but the sound of even 4 fish in a 5 gallon tank seems a little iffy.. You'll have to be very careful... I suggest buying a bigger tank, even just a 10-gallon...