Just Checking

[Flowmsp]

Hiyas...new here. Had a question, im working with a 10 gal atm....fish are as follows....2 Clown Loaches, 1 Orange Fin Botia, 1 Scat, 2 Rainbow Sharks (1 albino and 1 White fin), 1 pleco. Think this is too much for a 10 gal ? Atm they all seem to be doing great, had them all about a month total now. And ive read about people doing water changes....how often and what amount should i do ?

 

[Limi310]

Hi, Welcome to MFT

Well.........is there any possibility of you getting a larger tank?? lol

Aside from the tank size, I just wanted to point out that Scats are brackish water fish and they also get to be the size of a plate and aren't really suitable in a 10gal.

I would recommend maybe checking into some of the fish profiles on this site regarding the type of fish you have.

With that amount of fish you should be at the very least changing the water once a week. I would highly recommend reconsidering some of the fish you have though and replacing them with fish better suited to a smaller tank.

This is a great site with lots of useful information. It helped me out a lot when I was starting out Good Luck!

 

[FishLuvr]

Rainbow shark - http://www.elmersaquarium.com/10shark_redrainbow.htm
Scat - http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile56.html
Clown Loach - http://www.elmersaquarium.com/10loach_clown.htm

Your tank is overstocked. I included links to what will be the biggest of the fish you have now. a 10 gallon does not provide a sizable footprint for your fish to get the swimming space they need now. i know you will say well they are small, but its like putting a human into a jail cell, no room for exercise, this is a form of forced dwarphing and its not healthy or benificial to the fish, your best bet if you can't get a larger tank right now, is to try and return the m to the fish store in which you bought them, they should give you credit. then do some reaserach on fish that will be suitable in a 10 gallon tank. also you mentioned you have a pleco, what kind of pleco, the most sold type is the "COMMON" pleco and it can grow as big as 24 inches long.

You asked about how often you should do water changes, which makes me wonder if you know about cycling a tank, and the chemical makeup of the eco system you just created, nitrates, nitrites, amonia, and the not so importat ph levels and hard/softness of your water. do you have test kits, are you taking test, these test are indicators of when you need to change water.

I know it sounds like a lot, but remember it is living creatures that you are taking care of now, and with that comes responsibility. always feel free to ask questions.

 

[Flowmsp]

I did cycle it....had it tested quite a bit at a local fish store. Hmm well yeah i need/want a bigger tank, might have to see about giving away some of the larger species heh. Ive had it setup about 2-2.5 months now....the orange fin and the albino are the newest additions. Thanks for the info though.

 

[FishLuvr]

Like i said, though, if you are asking when you should do water changes, then you need to get some test kits and test yourself, that is your biggest indication of when you need to do water changes. American pharmaceuticals Inc. (API) makes the best test kits. Liquid test with tubes, avoid the strip test as there not very accurate. The API test kist can be found in most fish stores, and run anywhere from 15$ up but give hundreds of test that you can do yourself

Good luck

 

[Flowmsp]

Gotcha...wasnt trying to come off as rude...just informing. =) And yeah ive been meaning to get my own test kit. Thanks for the info again.

 

[FishLuvr]

did'nt take it that way at all bud, good luck

 

[UP UP AND GUPPY]

But do try to get a test kit.

 

[tank_angel]

you should have at least 1 inch of fish per gallon of watter in a tank but most hobbyist will tell u that u cna push it but u might want ot get a 20-30 gallon u have to many sharks in one tank in that small of a aquarium

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Just so you know, rainbow sharks are very aggressive towards each other, especially in smaller tanks (like a 10g). If you notice them fighting, you'll probably have to return one to separate them.

 

[Flowmsp]

Update!! Well i found a super deal on a 55g complete setup. So i will be moving my fish to this soon as its cycled and all parameters are ok. I do now have a test kit also =D. Few new questions though, was wondering if i should use a gravel or a sand substrate? I like the look of sand just wondering how hard it is to clean. Another is for a 55g what type(s) of algae eaters would be best, id like some shrimp or snails.....just not sure which ones would be good heh. One other comment is i was given 4 large gouramis with the tank...if anyone would like them that lives in the fl area let me know. Im just not interested in them heh. Free to whomever if theyd like.

 

[GeraldTheMouse]

Sand: You can see all the crap on top of it. Hard For plants to root.

Gravel: Can have an undergravel filter. Plants can root.

I would say gravel

 

[Pure]

Well I wouldn't say an under gavel filter is a plus. But yeah

What part of Florida are you in? I can ask to see if i know any one near you that may want them.

No need to wait to cycle the 55 and with the stock you have you need to do something sooner than later. If the tank had 4 Gouramis in it then there is some cycle already accomplished, It will probably not handle the load of adding all your other fish to it, but by simply putting the filter from your 10 (just hang it on the front) for a couple of weeks will get things up to speed in the 55s filter and you should not see any spikes.

 

[Flowmsp]

Well i added new gravel....old stuff just wasnt what i wanted, cleaned up the tank some. Its now filled and running with the penguin 330 pump it came with. I tested the water just out of curiosity. Ph was at about 7.2. Ammonia was at .50. Think i should let it run overnight and test again before i add my fish to it?

What part of Florida are you in?

I am in Winter Haven Florida.

 

[Fishckabibble]

yes you need to wait to add fish, the ammonia needs to be at 0 and same with nitrates or nitrites? i get them confused, the ph is ok as long as it stays stable and there is no fluctuations.i would do a 20% water change to get your ammonia down.

 

[FishLuvr]

ammonia should be 0
nitr*I*tes should be 0
Nitr*A*tes should be no more than 40ppm less than 20-30 is a good level

Pure is right, Under gravel filters arent a plus, all they really do is just pull debris deeper into the gravel bed. Most people who are new to aquaria get them, then once they get some experience they toss them.

Snails, will not be worth your time, the Clowns will love them and you for giving them a tasty treat. Btw hope you know clowns can grow to 12 + inches. (and they aren't as cute when there fully grown imho)

SHrinp, there are many kinds, i like GHOST SHRIMP, they are transparent so you can actually see the food they eat go thru thier bodies. they only grow about 1.5 inches i believe (someone correct me if im wrong)

Sand is awesome. I tried it once (usuing play sand from home depot) and hated it for the simple fact that it did show the debris and waste a lot. But after some time has passed i tried it again. This time i used TRUE AQUATIC SAND and i find that it doesnt compact like play sand does (which causes deadly gas pockets to build up) and i have cories in this tank now and they keep the tank soooooo clean that i havent had to do a vac since i set it up over 2 months ago. Your loaches will love sand. they have barbells that the sand will be nice and gentle for them to sift thru.

Gravel will definantly gather a lot of debris, however if you plant it suffiecently then you don't really need to worry about vacumming that much as the plants use it as a fertilizer.

Wish you lived in PA, i would love to take the gouramis off of you, they were my first fish, and have survived thru all the torment that i put them thru when i was new.

PH- UNless your trying to keep some fish that are PH dependant, most fish will adapt to your ph, its better to have a stable ph than to have it fluctuating. so i wouldnt worry to much about adjusting it.

Plants. Someones comment wasn't eactly correct. You CAN have plants in Sand, i do, you just need to be selective in your choice of plants and need to make up for what they are lacking, ie, sufficient lighting, ferts, c02, etc.

 

[Flowmsp]

Oh yeah figured id add the type of deal i got on this setup. Is a 55 Gallon tank with stand. Has the penguin 330 on it plus another one which is missing a few parts. 3 Diff air pumps, algae scrapers, test kit, a bunch of other stuff. Gravel, decor, plants and last but not least 4 gouramis and 1 beta. He had 2 plecos also....both of which he said were 8-10 inches which i told him id rather not take heh. But i got all that from him for a mere 80 dollars. I wasnt really looking for a tank this large but for that price i couldnt pass it up. If i can get some decent pics ill post em once i get everything all setup.

 

[Flowmsp]

Well came home today and tested again, Ph had a lil spike and went up to 7.6. I had some Ph down solution so i added that and also added some stuff i had gotten from my lfs called TLC, its live bacteria im assuming helps cycle a tank? The water is a lil cloudy, milky like. Ammonia went down to .25 closer to 0 though...And nitrates were at 0. I have no fish in it atm. Im kind of weary about adding them even though i know its been said here i could add all of my fish and then the filter from my 10 gallon to help things out? Id just rather not lose any fish heh. So if anyone has any additional info id much appreciate it =).

 

[FishLuvr]

Like i said, don't worry about your ph, a stable ph is better than a fluctuating one, even with ph down, your gonna have your ph increase when you do water changes. its not a big deal now because you don't have any fish in there.

Do you understand the concept of cycling a tank. Are you doing a fishless cycle?

Chemicals - the only chemical that i have seen and/or read that has had any success is BIO-SPIRA, most everything else is a waste of money, and some actually cause other problems. And without a source of ammonia the bacteria will not live.

TLC, you say it is live, how was it packaged/stored live bacteria would need to be kept refrigerated to stay alive

cloudiness this could be a bacteria bloom, or a result of not washing/rinsing your substrate properly, since you just set the tank up, i would assume its the later. in either case, water changes will help that go away.

good luck bud, keep the questions coming