It's a sickness, really...

I realize that I have this illness. It's called justonemorefishinthetankitis. Does anyone ever get to the point where they are satisfied with what they have in the tank and don't want to keep adding more?? I know that I'm really struggling.

I've had my eye on some more Black Neon Tetras to add to my 4 that I already had. I ended up getting 5 or $5 at (gulp) Petco so I now have 9. But in the same trip, I noticed that they also had 5 for $5 on Black Skirt Tetras. I've never had any of those and they would have a very different body shape than what is currently in my tank, so I got some of those as well.

But now, I'm concerned about my algae, so I'm thinking I need probably 4 more Ottos to add to the 2 that I have now. Oh, and the 3 Albino Corys need at least 3 more so that they feel more secure. And on, and on, and on....

Am I alone here? My tank is clean, I do weekly water changes. My Ammonia and Nitrates are at 0 and Nitrates at 20 PPM. PH is around 7.8 and Temp is 78 degrees. Other than Freckles (my Pleco) tearing up my sad attempts at a planted tank, all is well. Except for my illness...I can't say no to the fish.

Now, I'm scouring Craigslist and Facebook Market for used tanks that I can purchase to satisfy my cravings! Tell me there is a time that this stops! I.NEED.HELP!!!

Soon enough, I'm going to be one of those people saying:

I have a 10 gallon tank with the following:
10 Corys
8 Angels
One 9" Pleco
12 Black Neon Tetras
14 Zebra Danios
8 Ottos
14 Black Skirt Tetras
9 Mollies
32 Guppies (they won't stop having babies!)
12 Honey Gouramis
342 Amano Shrimp

Do you think I'm overstocked? I really want to add an Bala Shark and an Oscar.

Please tell me I'm not alone in my craziness!!

 

It doesn't stop you just run out of room or have build an addition !
Petco dollar per gallon sale starts this month again [third Saturday I think ]..
Stay away from used tanks if possible unless they are a screaming deal even your wife would say buy !

 

Oh, no, not the dollar per gallon!!! I think your advice is very good. If my wife is good with it, it must be fantastic!!

 

10 Gallons with all of that? Wow.

In six months I've gone from 0 tanks to 1 tank and 1 Betta, to... 7 tanks, 5 Bettas, and 16 other fish - I've got more fish on the way, hoping I can bring 2 Honey's home with me tomorrow, and plans to add more fish to the 2 additional tanks I have arriving this week (to replace 2 of the 7 mentioned above and upgrade the fish inside those small temp tanks).

Yeah, I suppose it's an issue for some. Certainly an addiction of sorts for me, and many others. An illness? mneh. There's a lot of other addictions out there that cost more, are harder to quit, and can lead to death or violence so.. yeah I'm not too worried. Though I did have to scale back my large tank plans after realizing that with my regular travel schedule and love of Bettas 2 big tanks wasn't as reasonable as 6 ... smaller tanks.

Welcome to the club! It's not lonely here.

 

Oh, I haven't really had all that with a 10 gallon! HA!! Just some goofy exaggeration for a Sunday night! It seems like I've gone that crazy, but it's not nearly that bad and my main tank is a 55.

But I like you're comment - "Welcome to the club! It's not lonely here." I'm kind of getting that feeling! Love all the support!!

 

Stay away from used tanks if possible unless they are a screaming deal even your wife would say buy !

That's good advice. I'm 1 for 2 with used tanks. I had good luck with the 65, but I paid $10.00 for a 20 gallon long and I finally gave up on getting it clean, gave it away, and bought a new one.

 

That's good advice. I'm 1 for 2 with used tanks. I had good luck with the 65, but I paid $10.00 for a 20 gallon long and I finally gave up on getting it clean, gave it away, and bought a new one.

Used tanks would scare me unless I knew the person very well. Then again, the fish come in with some strange things too..

 

Just DON’T GET THE OSCAR. They get huge and wouldn’t belong in a 10 gallon even if housed alone. Others than that yes, you are over stocked. The only answer I see is to get more tanks to house all the fish you want.