My first fish ever, Hybrid Tetra and Glofish

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natemann133

AC Members
Feb 15, 2010
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Lansing, MI
Hey all,

I just bought a small 3 gallon tank (my first since I was a kid when my mom would take care of it, I'm on my own now :) ) a few days ago and two days ago I acclimated one Glofish and 1 hybrid Hy511 Tetra (its tough to find anything on them on the internet, but the Tetra is at least twice the size of the Glofish). The pet store I went to mentioned that I should not buy another Tetra, because it would fight with the Tetra I currently have (she said not all types of Tetras can handle hanging out in the same smaller tank, which seemed to go against everything I've ever heard). For anyone that knows anything about the Hy511 Tetra, what do you think?

One other question, the Glofish seems to have non stop energy and rarely seems to just 'rest' (it's somewhat annoyed the Tetra to the point where he nips, but the Glofish is too quick). I know that spastic movement can be a sign of stress, but is this instead just a trait of the Glofish? I brought a water sample in to my pet store and everything measured out fine, and I spent one hour acclimating each fish.

Thanks a lot for your input guys, I appreciate it!

-Nate
 
sweeet welcome to the forum gotta love new tank
 
Welcome to the forum!

Glofish are very very active and love to swim around all the time. A 3 gallon is really too small for one since they are so hyper. They also prefer to be in groups of at least 5. I'm not sure what type of tetra you have. Do you have a picture?
 
Blue2fyre,

Thanks a ton for the response. I did just figure that was the disposition of the Glofish.
I did find a picture of the tetra online that looks exactly like the one I have...

P40206.jpg


It's a really neat little fish that so far is pretty mild mannered and likes to hang out and swim slowly around the bottom of the tank. I really think one more of those guys would work out well in my tank (that would of course be all the fish I would buy). Apparently these guys go after each other, however they had a whole ton of 'em in the same tank at the pet store, is there something I'm missing?
 
natemann133 said:
The pet store I went to mentioned that I should not buy another Tetra, because it would fight with the Tetra I currently have (she said not all types of Tetras can handle hanging out in the same smaller tank, which seemed to go against everything I've ever heard). For anyone that knows anything about the Hy511 Tetra, what do you think
Click to expand...

Hi, and welcome!

Sounds like you knew better than the employee :)

It's always better to research the needs of various fish first, before going to the store. Not all employees really know about what they're selling.

Tetras are schooling fish. This means that they need to be kept in groups of their own species. Like blue2fyre said about the glolights, about 5 or 6 is good for a group.

If you have too few, then there can be aggression issues. So, this employee had it pretty much backwards. The fish have a social structure, and you need a big enough group so that the fish can establish a pecking order. Otherwise, they'll pick on each other or on other fish.

For example: http://www.fishlore.com/profile-bloodfintetra.htm
(Note that the article recommends that you keep those bloodfin tetras in groups of at least 6, in a tank of at least 20 gallons. That advice will apply to most small tetras.)

The employee was right, though, that a small tank can also lead to aggression issues, because the fish get cramped for space.

Here's an article on fish that are suited to 3 gallon tanks:
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=120193

Even though tetras and glolight danios are small fish, they are not so good for small tanks, because they are active and need more swimming space. The article above recommends guppies or killifish, both which are much calmer fish.

Maybe the store would let you trade out the fish you have for some that are better suited to your little tank?

And, last but not least, here's a good article on cycling your tank, if you are unfamiliar with this process: http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81388
Do you have a test kit so that you can check your ammonia levels? Even with just 2 fish, the ammonia will reach toxic levels quickly, while the tank cycles.
 
You guys are beyond helpful, thanks!

I guess the issue is...I've become kinda attached to these two (especially the tetra). Is there any way that I could get these fish to do well in this tank? So far they're doing great. I've attached a photo of my tank if that helps (you can see both of em in there).

When I purchased the tank from my pet store (and actually had it in my hands so the worker could see it), one of the fish he recommended was the Hy511 Tetra.

Maybe I could buy a 5 gallon tank, cycle the water in it, and return the 3 gallon? I don't really want to go through the hassle of returning the actual fish, I have a feeling it wouldn't be an easy 'no questions asked' process, know what I mean?

Thanks again for all your help, what a great site.

Nate

fishtank.jpg
 
They look like pristella tetras, or x ray fish. I have a small shoal of them and love them. Those are related to them. You need a bigger tank (10-20 gallon) and you can get a few more glofish or zebra danios (same species, minus the glow)
 
I would love a 10 gallon tank, but I need something that is probably a little lower maintenance (like a 5 gallon tank). I'm in law school so I don't have a ton of time. Is a 10 gallon tank something that is fairly time consuming to maintain?
 
The larger the tank, the easier the maintenance due to having a more stable water column.

Glofish are danios and are very energetic. They need a minimum of 10 gallons and do better in a school. Tetras are a schooling fish as well.
 
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