from a 10g to a 55g and worried.

[GirlxAfraid]

I adopted a 10 gallon tank from an ex and fell in love with having fish.
I got a 55 gallon as a gift on November 26th. That day I went to the store to get a few fish i knew might die. 6 in total only 2 survived (a balloon molly and an albino cory) I went to the fish store the other day and it was suggested that i get a few more fish as 2 small fish aren't a good idea for such a big tank.

Now I have
4 balloon mollys (2 female 2 male)
1 black molly (female)
1 dalmation molly (male)
2 cory's
2 baby convict parrot fish
2 dwarf gourami's (male)
1 teeny tiny cat (that i never see)

i bought about 5 at two different times giving a week or so in between introducing them. I asked the fish store people about all the fish living together and they said "oh yeah it's fine" but i've been reading that gourami's are aggressive towards each other and that convict fish are pretty aggressive as well.

I know I just got these fish but I am already pretty attached. could anyone give me advice?

also the ten gallon only has one male blue gourami (5 inches) and a pleco. I could do some rearranging if need be.

 

[joy613]

Do you know the type of pleco you have? A common one will even get to large for your 55 gallon, I have a bristlenose and a clown both stay small under 5 inches. Your 55 gallon is plenty big for the dwarf gourami to establish their own territory. Your blue gourami is already to big for your 10 gallon. I know I have read that the convict parrot can be aggressive but not always and they get large. The reason I crossed those off my list is size and they like to dig up plants. You might consider a backup plan for separating the fish later on when they reach maturity. Craigslist is always a good place to pick up used tanks. Before I get any fish even when a fish store will tell me they will be fine with what I have I come home research them and then decide. One of my favorite sites is Tropical Fish Care Guides then I start more research before buying the fish I want.

 

[brian1973]

I agree with Joy for the most part, I disagree with the Dwarf Gouramis (DG'S). Research is the most important thing you can do before buying anything, even if you see a fish you have to have, go home research it then go back and get it if it will fit into your tank plans.

I tried keeping 2 small Blood parrots with 1 dwarf gourami in a 30G that didnt work out the gourami harassed them until they finally killed the DG, but given the cons aggression I would not have anything crossed with cons in a community tank, my cons have killed a blue paradise fish that was twice their size, and also keep a 4in pleco from getting to close to their territory.

I would be cautious about have 2 male DG's in a tank even if it is a 55G, research here and you will find that 2 male DG's are not well in the same tank most of the time.

Mollies will most likely reproduce and produce a couple hundred fry that you will have to decide what to do with.

Welcome to the tank.

 

[TMony]

Welcome . . .

I adopted a 10 gallon tank from an ex and fell in love with having fish.
I got a 55 gallon as a gift on November 26th.

You've been bitten by a very addictive hobby . . . this is only the beginning before you want more fish and more tanks

Both comments above are right on the money, research research research.
Pet stores are notorious for telling you everything will work fine together. Most prefer a sale over safe fish keeping.

 

[SdJaCK&SaLLy]

Welcome to the forums! What TMony said is so true.

 

[GirlxAfraid]

i'm definitely going to try and get more tanks.

now i'm worried about moving the blue gourami down to the big tank

i did research but i don't think i found a good place to go since everywhere said that the dwarf gourami's are rather peaceful.

i can't find much on the convict parrot. i'm guessing it's because it's a cross breed?

now i'm even more worried!

i guess i'll start searching for a new tank.

i might have to return this pleco. he's already pretty big for a ten gallon and i'm getting a gold nugget for the 55.

thanks for all the replies!

 

[brian1973]

You will find most here dont like the parrots because they are hybrids, a convict parrot is a hybrid crossed with a convict. I like blood parrots but the convict parrots is a bit much for even my liberal outlook on the hybrid issue. I googled convict parrot when I read this thread this morning and found quite a few links that referenced them but the main focus is on the original hybrid.

Most site will tell you to keep Dwarf gouramis in pairs, what they dont tell you is that they really mean M/F pairs or trios. The problem is females can be hard to find in LFS because they are rather drab and unattractive.

 

[GirlxAfraid]

haha yeah i know about the dislike for the parrots. the kid that helped set up my tank scoffed at my roommates love for them.

right now they are the smallest in the tank. (dime size) i'll keep my eye on them but mostly they hang out with the mollies. my bigger problem is the one boss balloon molly is nipping at the one gourami. i may have to return one of the gourami's and switch out the blue gourami in the ten with the remaining dwarf.

 

[brian1973]

Female mollies tend to become aggressive as they age or when they are pregnant IME. I started with a 30G as my first tank, setup a 24G for one aggressive female molly that gave birth to around 200+ fry over the course of 3 months.

 

[LadyLail]

The first fish I kept were Mollies and they were the MEANEST fish I've ever dealt with. The smallest of the Mollies would ram the others in the belly until it killed each one off. IME, Mollies will annoy the other fish, and the DG's are territorial and will get more so...

Don't feel bad for putting the wrong fish in the wrong tanks. I had a DG, 2 Plecos, a Bala Shark, Clown Laoch, and an Irridecent Shark in a 10g AT ONE TIME. I was told that they were all fine together and in the same tank. Granted a few of the fish were bought for me and put in the tank without me knowing, I still was sooo clueless!

Before you exchange fish for other ones, research! You may want to adjust to what you have and with the ones that can get along together before you introduce more fish. Try and figure out which fish you are able to keep the best, and research suitable tankmates. You also might want to find a more honest LPS. Sounds like they just want a sale and don't really care about the hobby in general.

Keep us updated with what you decide! And don't fight it, more tanks are in your immediate future...

 

[tom91970]

Welcome to MFT!

 

[joy613]

Female mollies tend to become aggressive as they age or when they are pregnant IME. I started with a 30G as my first tank, setup a 24G for one aggressive female molly that gave birth to around 200+ fry over the course of 3 months.

Way back when I started keeping fish my mollies had natural population control two gourami in one tank and a very hungry angel in another tank.

 

[GirlxAfraid]

yeah that's what i figured would happen. my fish had some right after i got her and they're all gone even though i separated them for a little bit.