i dont have much money and need help

[hurdledude1298]

i have 10 gallon with
2 pink gouramis
2 blue gouramis
2 opaline gouramis
1 betta
1 algae eater
2 frogs
5 ghost shrimp
What else can i put in there thats not to expensive?

[Ems]

I think thats really all that can be put in the tank. What kind of algae eater?

[hurdledude1298]

a chinese algae eater

[hurdledude1298]

all of the fish are really small and it looks empty

[Ems]

What about adding plants or decorations?

[hurdledude1298]

i have and its still really empty

[hurdledude1298]

what else could i do or any good fish that are small that would look good?

[Ems]

Perhaps adding more. You don't want to risk harming your fish by adding too many. Those fish should get larger, but I wouldn't add any more fish. Your call obviously, but I'd recommend against it. Do you have a pic of the tank?

[hurdledude1298]

no i have been raisin fish for a while but i have always had more than this and it just seems empty and i havent had any die for like 3 months which is actually really good but the other fish were like feeders but oh well so if i did add fish what type should i put in there... i prob wont but just in case.

[Harlock]

If these fish are small, give them time. Those fish should not even be together. :troll:

[hurdledude1298]

why they r all community fish?

[Ems]

I really can't recommend any, because it's not a good idea. If you got rid of a couple, (not euhanize, but give/sell them) Or a separate place for your betta you could maybe get 1-2 ottos, but still thats pushing it.

[hurdledude1298]

ok i wont add anymore but one of my gouramis is really agressive (has gotten a darker color) and another is a really pale color (its always been and is not sick) can anyone explain

[hurdledude1298]

well i should say he just started bein aggressive

[Ems]

All fish have variations in their colour, as long as it's not sick, I wouldn't be too worried.

[Harlock]

Overcrowding, too many fish that should not be together in such a small space being forced to live with one another... again :troll:

[cohazard]

Seriously, that's actually too many fish for a 10g. You need to do more research as far as the max size of those gouramis.

You obviously haven't seen a full grown kissing gourami.............I wouldn't even keep one in a 10g.

As the others said, give it time and when they grow, they'll fill in that tank really well.

[hurdledude1298]

i heard that the females are a lighter color is this truE?

[Raskolnikov]

:eek:

That tank is already well overstocked imo, even w/ sufficient filtration to handle the animal load.

[Ems]

If that gourami is getting more aggressive you should probably remove the betta to be safe.

[hurdledude1298]

i might buy another aquarium (prob 10g) what should i fill it with? any recommendations?

[Ems]

You should remove some of the ones you have and place them in the new 10G tank.

[Raskolnikov]

i might buy another aquarium (prob 10g) what should i fill it with? any recommendations?

Some of the fish from your other tank.

[hurdledude1298]

the thing is is that the betta and that gourami get along fine they always are by each other (not due to lack of size) and the gourami never chases the betta they act like friends.

[cohazard]

I'm sorry, but are you even listening to what anybody is telling you? Please don't ask for advice if you're not going to heed it. You waste everyone else's time, and just contribute to the carpel tunel from typing!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Take care of your first tank before you going out looking to torture more fish.


One more thing..............I'm sorry to say it, but this is not a hobby for people that don't have money. I understand not everyone is willing to spring for the top of the line equipment, but there is a certain ammount that does need to be spent. Basically, the hobby isn't cheap.

[hurdledude1298]

like which ones should i move which ones do really well together?

[Ems]

Move a couple Gouramis for sure.

[Harlock]

Okay, here are my very serious recommendations. Keep the betta, and ghost shrimp in one 10 gallon tank. You could actually add a small school of pygmy Cry cats into that as well. Say 4 Pygmy Corydoras.

Put each pair of gourami into their own 20 gallon long tank. Plant these 3 tanks pretty heavily, as these fish are very territorial and will kill their own kind (including their fellow labyrinth fish, bettas) as they grow older and establish territory. In these tanks you could keep a small school of some other type of fish if you wanted; faster and larger tetras (head and tail light, congo, etc.)

I would identify what type of frog you have. Is it an African Clawed Frog or an African DWarf frog or something else altogether? Also, I would take the chinese algae eater back to the store. They don't eat algae as they grow older, they get too aggressive, and they get too big.

This is honestly what I would do, because as it stands now you are being cruel to your fish to have that many of those type of fish in one ten gallon tank.

[Leopardess]

You have too many fish for a tank that size. All of the gouramis are too big. They cannot/should not be housed in a tank that size. Adult gouramis will be 5-6" long!! If by "pink" gouramis you mean kissing gouramis, those get even bigger! Not only that gouramis are not compatible with each other, especially in small quarters, which your tank certainly is.

Get rid of the gouramis, keep the betta, frog and shrimp. If your algae eater is a chinese algae eater, flying fox, or siamese algae eater, it will also become too large. If it is a pleco of some sort, it is also too large. Otocinclus catfish are smaller algea eaters that would be more appropriate (and only one or two). You will need to supplement any algae eater with algae wafers and/or veggies.

EDIT: While Harlocks intentions were good - You *cannot* keep congo tetras in a ten gallon. They will be 3-5" a piece and require a lot of room, plus they are fairly delicate.

[Kasakato]

I would try to give away or sell some of the fish, if you cant do what Harlock said. As it stands your tank is SUPER overstocked and you will run into some problems. Your tank may not look filled but thats just the way it is.

What kind of filter do you have, how often do your water changes, have you tested your water?

[itswoodie]

After getting rid of your extra fish,
go up to your parent and/or legal guardian,
and kick them straight in their shins for letting you buy all those fish for one 10 gallon tank.

Tell 'em woodie sent ya :p

[Harlock]

EDIT: While Harlocks intentions were good - You *cannot* keep congo tetras in a ten gallon. They will be 3-5" a piece and require a lot of room, plus they are fairly delicate.
While Leopardess' intentions are good, I never suggested anyone keep congos in a 10 gallon. ;)

[Marc999]

That's a fine selection of fish there, too bad they don't stay small forever ;)
I'm a huge fan of gouramis myself and would recommend you turn your tank into an all gourami haven...if your tank was larger.

Interesting how the general 1" / gallon rule is misinterpreted or extrapolated to mean 1 fish per gallon. Apparently there's a difference. Yet, if your fish seem happy as a pig in poop then by all means add some tetras such as rummy-nose or serpae.

cheers,
Marc

[Watcher74]

Man. All I have in my 10 gallon is 1 betta and 3 Cory Juliis. Even with this I do weekly 50% water changes.

Of course my nitrates are never higher than 5ppm.

[gsk177]

Yes, heed some advice here. My blue gourami got nearly 3" in about a year. Very peaceful fish to others, but not so peaceful to other gouramis. While still a juvenile (about 1 inch) he/she killed its tankmate. Since then, it lived peacefully with any other fish it came in contact with.

But in all honesty, your tank may look fine as frogs hair right now, but will soon become too much to handle itself.

If you are truely limited in funds ($$) you should return everything except the betta and shrimp. THat is, unless you just wanted to return everything and start over the right way.

Whatever you decide to do, please take into account the FUTURE needs of ANY fish BEFORE making a purchase.

Little fish often fall victim to little bunny or little chicken syndrome. Parents buy these animals as babies and soon find that baby animals grow up to be adult animals and have different requirements.

[Slappy*McFish]

Your current fishload would be more suited for a 55g tank.

[gsk177]

I agree with Slap.

And as a side note, do not fall victim to what so many others of us have fallen victim to in the past. That is, fish that we are not able to properly house.

I know when I first started keeping fish I didn't do ANY research. I just bought the fish I thought looked pretty or cool and threw them into my tank.
I soon, as have so many of us, learned that the fish selection I chose either couldn't live peacefull together, required different water parameters, or simply would just grow too big to be housed in my tank longterm.

With the vast diversity of available fish out there, no matter waht tank you have there are fish suitable to it. My absolute dream tank would consist of fish that live in my area ( a rainbow trout, smallmouth bass, channel catfish, crapie etc). I would have a tank full of one of each fish that you could readily find in a lake near me. Unfortunately I do not have the financial means to construc such an indoor facility to 1) properly house such fish and 2) do so in a way that would be asthetically pleasing to look at. Due to those facts, I am limited in the selection of fish I may keep.

The key to happy fishkeeping is to know how much $$ you have and are willing to spend on a tank of whatever size. THEN pick your fish. Even a 10g guppy tank can provide a lot of enjoyment if stocked and decorated properly. Personally, I have had as much enjoyment from watching my 2 breeding convicts as I have had from any other fish I have kept. They may not be the prettiest fish in the world, but just watching their behaviors is beautiful enough for me to keep them for as long as I am able.