Hopefully not a dumb question

[stacic8679]

I added 3 tiger barbs to my 23g tank on Friday. I have checked the levels every day and last night they were: nitrites 0, ammonia 0, and nitrates 20. Can I add a couple more fish or do I need to wait a few more days?

 

[bmoraski]

not a dumb question
how often are you doing your water changes ?

 

[unwritten law]

yeah probably.... I am assuming the tank is fully cycled and not already stocked.

 

[stacic8679]

I am doing a 25% change once a week. Yes the tank is cycled, finally. RIght now I have 6 tiger barbs (including the 3 I just added), 1 dwarf guarami, and 1 platy. I was going to get 2 or 3 otos tomorrow.

 

[unwritten law]

that should be fine.... make sure you have enough algae for the otos. Im my 16, all i need is one... well maybe 2.

 

[jo3olous]

i would say after the ottos you are fully stocked, the tank looks good i bet!

 

[ValRasbora]

Don't platies like to be in groups?

 

[jo3olous]

Don't platies like to be in groups?

yes but he only has a 23G tank, can't go overboard. Honestly, 6 tiger barbs, a centerpiece, and bottom feeders is quite enough for 23Gs. 1 Tiger barb = 3.5 adult inches and activity. x6 = 21'' of active fish

 

[bmoraski]

I am doing a 25% change once a week. Yes the tank is cycled, finally. RIght now I have 6 tiger barbs (including the 3 I just added), 1 dwarf guarami, and 1 platy. I was going to get 2 or 3 otos tomorrow.

should be fine , and its good to be cycled aint it ? lol
and like was said you might be at your stocking limit.
and just test your water for couple days to make sure you dont get any spikes

 

[unwritten law]

tigers don't get 3.5 inches.... haha more like 2...2.5 tops.... honestly a 3.5 inch tiger barb would just be scary

 

[stacic8679]

I know I am pretty stocked but if I don't get another platy I think my nine year old will lose her mind, she says he needs someone to play with. So I think I will get 2 ottos and 1 platy and be done. I am starting to like this aquarium stuff. I already want to upgrade. Husband isn't so thrilled about the idea though.

 

[jo3olous]

tigers don't get 3.5 inches.... haha more like 2...2.5 tops.... honestly a 3.5 inch tiger barb would just be scary

ill show you, kinda hard to show in a group ill try to get a ruler up close. That is from tail to mouth, they have tiger barbs seperated @ my local petsmart in the groups:

1 inchers

2 inchers

2.5-3 inchers

i was exaggerating when I said 3.5 inches, but 3 is not quite farfetched as it seems, guess it depends on their living conditions

 

[bmoraski]

I know I am pretty stocked but if I don't get another platy I think my nine year old will lose her mind, she says he needs someone to play with. So I think I will get 2 ottos and 1 platy and be done. I am starting to like this aquarium stuff. I already want to upgrade. Husband isn't so thrilled about the idea though.

ya when my wife learned i was getting a 75 gal she looked at me funny ! lol
but i am not one to preach about over stocking im over stocked BUT i do regular water changes and test water to keep my tanks nice.i love all the activity in my tanks and im pretty sure they are all happy ( otherwise i would think they would just hang and do nothing.) but the more fish you have the more maintenance you have, trust me i know. and if your daughter wants it do you really have a choice ? lol

 

[unwritten law]

ill show you, kinda hard to show in a group ill try to get a ruler up close. That is from tail to mouth, they have tiger barbs seperated @ my local petsmart in the groups:

1 inchers

2 inchers

2.5-3 inchers

i was exaggerating when I said 3.5 inches, but 3 is not quite farfetched as it seems, guess it depends on their living conditions

alright..... maybe 3.

 

[bmoraski]

lol i love this forum

 

[stacic8679]

And I just realized that for the last 2 months I have been spelling gourami incorrectly. I feel like a jacka$$ now. Thanks for not telling me fish friends. I HATE spelling things wrong. That is just going to bother me for the rest of the day now. lol

 

[bmoraski]

i really hate when i do it because we have spell check ! lol
but i still do it ( paying no attention to the little RED line underneath

 

[vahluree]

And I just realized that for the last 2 months I have been spelling gourami incorrectly. I feel like a jacka$$ now. Thanks for not telling me fish friends. I HATE spelling things wrong. That is just going to bother me for the rest of the day now. lol

I think most of us are used to overlooking misspelled words. I'm like you about spelling... I can't hardly stand to even abbreviate!
But you have seen how some people type on the forum. If we were to nit-pick every single error, we'd never get around to answering the question, lol. (Oops, I guess I do use some abbreviations!) *laughingc
No worries about the gourami spelling, though. That's not the worst we've seen, I'm sure!

 

[bmoraski]

ive read and reread some posts to make sure i understand what is going on.
and i dont think ive had any problems understanding you. lol

 

[stacic8679]

Thanks that really makes me feel better. I just don't want Joe to yell at me. lol jk