overcrowding problem in a 10 gallon

Hey all

ok here is the problem, my parents thought it would be nice to get me a fully stocked tank with fish and all. it was very nice of them but they got a bit carried away with the fish. as I mentioned its a 10 gallon and in it are 9 fish!

there are 3 neon tetras, 6 guppies, and one betta. they all seem fine as of now, but I know these are not ideal conditions for them. I can't return them either. is there anything I can do to make sure I don't lose all these gorgeous little fish?

 

Could you possibly buy another tank?

Generally bettas do better by themselves anyway, and Neon tetras like to be in groups of 5/6 or more. :-\

I think your best option would be to buy another tank, and until then do some extra water changes to keep the water clean and test your tank regularly too.

Hope this helps a bit.

Gwenz

 

I think the best thing to do is ask your parents for another tank. Actually, i'd explain to them that they bought you almost 20" of adult fish and that the Betta won't get along with the other fish and probably will tear their fins off as well as get his own fins nipped by the tetras. they picked out beautiful fish and meant well, but really the best thing for the fish would be if they could get you a larger tank for the guppies and tetras (plus get 3 more tetras) - a 20 gallon tank would be ideal.. you'll also expect baby guppies, they breed like crazy. At the least, a tank for the Betta would be good to prevent a lot of fin biting from happening. Best of luck with them.

 

I think the best thing to do is ask your parents for another tank. Actually, i'd explain to them that they bought you almost 20" of adult fish and that the Betta won't get along with the other fish and probably will tear their fins off as well as get his own fins nipped by the tetras. they picked out beautiful fish and meant well, but really the best thing for the fish would be if they could get you a larger tank for the guppies and tetras (plus get 3 more tetras) - a 20 gallon tank would be ideal.. you'll also expect baby guppies, they breed like crazy. At the least, a tank for the Betta would be good to prevent a lot of fin biting from happening. Best of luck with them.

Actually, the betta is getting along fine with the other fish. I spoke over the phone earlier with my local fish vendor , who is very reputable , and he said the betta should be fine. he mentioned that he has had many community tanks with peaceful fish such as the ones I have and that as long as I keep only one betta in the tank its fine. but he did say too keep a good eye on it and if there were any signs of stress etc. to switch it then. and the guppies they got were all male according to them, I checked the receipt to make sure and it seems that way thank god lol. I'll see what I can do about a bigger tank, although it will be difficult since their is not much room in my home for one any bigger. man I wish they had chilled out on the fish :-\

 

lol, they did get a little fish happy but I guess it's hard to resist 'filling' the tank if you don't know how big all the fish will get. Got any friends with tanks that could help lighten the load in yours? maybe take the tetras? I guess for now, just keep an eye on the water chemistry and do partial water changes as needed. VitaChem would be a help too, I think. Perhaps daily.


I'd recommend treating the tap water with NovAqua+ or Prime too.



That's the best you can do to keep them healthy. Clean water and consistent conditions will help keep any stress levels down some and the fish healthier. Best of luck with them.

 

thanx for the advice, I'll be doing a partial water change today, and i'm trying my best to get a larger tank. i'm checking out the local thrift stores for that one lol.

hey do you think if I add some live rock it will help? I know about taking gravel or filter matter from an established tank but I recently saw some live rock and it seems like a good idea no?

 

Live rock is for saltater tanks, unfortunately.

What would help is a few live underwater plants. The plants help the condition of the water and give your fish hiding places and security. If there is aggression between the fish you can get a divider for your tank to separate them.

Good luck with your new fish!

--R

 

darn. do live plants make a big difference? I read on a few sites that it doesn't really do anything significant to the water and they also release nitrites when they aren't photosynthesizing during the day. is that true?

 

oh yea i've got another question, full of em aren't I ;D

the lighting my tank came with is these 10 watt halogen bulbs. I was told those bulbs aren't good because they heat up the water and they don't show off the fishes colors well, so I wanted to change them with some florescent bulbs. I went to the pet shop to get some and they were ridiculously expensive. 15 bucks for one 10 watt bulb and I need two! that's a bit much isn't it? is their any difference between the ones sold at the pet shop and the ones you can get from home depot? are there any other lights I can use to show off my fishies better?

oh, if i'm posting these questions in the wrong place or just posting too much let me know, I don't want to get irritating

 

Live plants will consume nitrates. The thing is to keep an eye on them and remove dead or dying parts - those will boost your nitrites. They can also take resources away from algae.

The FL bulbs are great, less power use and less heat for the tank.. and they do bring out the tank colors more. walmart has a compact FL bulb for about $5 and you can order this one:
- the colormax from the DFS site a bit less than petco. If you get one at home depot, make sure it's the type for your aquarium and 10w. (i've not looked there for bulbs, so i'm not sure of what they have).

 

wonderful, thank you for your help!

 

wonderful, thank you for your help!

glad to help, I look forward to pictures of the tank when you get a chance. i'd also recommend posting a question in the plants forum about the best plants to get and how to keep them growing well. some of the members here can grow plants amazingly well and leave us envious.

 

I also noticed you mentioned looking into thrift shops for another tank-obviously-be careful, make sure the tank isn't cracked or hasn't been washed with chemicals!

Good luck!

 

just to chime in about the home depot bulbs. I got my bulbs from lowe's, and they're fine, just make sure you get the right wattage and a bulb suitable for plants definitely cheaper than those pet stores. walmart is another option, as mentioned previously.

 

yea, I got some 10 watts from target and they worked beautifully. they were only 4 bucks a piece wooo lol.