2 weeks ago I purchased my first 10 gallon tank. Since then I have aquired 16 fish. 1 female betta, 2 sunburst platies, 2 black platies, 2 pineapple swordtails, a white mickey mouse platy, an albino cory cat, a pleco and yesterday I aquired 6 neon tetras. Am I adding too many fish too fast . All of my amonia, PH so on levels are good I've been checking them regurlarly. I also have a male betta in a seperate bowl. Any info would be great thanx!!

I'm afraid so. plus it's overstocked for a 10gal, i can't see your water stats being fine, can you post tests in ammonia,nitrite,nitrate, and ph, what plec is it, plus cory need to be kept in groups of no less than 3.

This post has been edited by Wilder: Feb 9 2006, 08:54 PM

well adding too many fish too fast usually upsets the the levels cuasing stress since your bacteria levels are not enough to cope. What exactly are your levels. If your tank is well cycled then it shouldn't be too much trouble but i may still cause stress and possibly infections. Also your tanks is way overstocked. Plecos grow too big for 10 gallon and you just have too many fish. Live bearers should be in a female to male ratio of 2:1 most often and they will be having babies like crazy.

A good rule to remember is 1 inch o fish to one gallon of water and always check the adult size of your fish.

EDIT: wilder beat me to it. Listen to her, she taught me all this stuff anyway.

This post has been edited by evan: Feb 9 2006, 08:59 PM

have to agree with Wilder on this one. Only two weeks old and 16 fish Way to many. The rule of thumb for a fish cycle is 1 inch fish for every five gals. Then AFTER the cycle 1 inch fish for every gal. Take some of those fish back to lfs, you will have a big problem on your hands if you don't.

This post has been edited by waterboy: Feb 9 2006, 09:29 PM

Ammonia = .25
Nitrate = 0
Nitrite = 0
Alkalinity =150ish
PH = 7.3

I would see if the lfs will take the neons,corys,betta, and plec back.

I called the pet store, they're going to take the neons and the cory back. Should i be ok with the rest? The bettas my fav I can't get rid of her Thanks for the advice. I'm just new to this, and I didn't know

I would get a bowl for her, plus plecs are funny with water quality, as your stats will rise and you might lose some fish as it takes the toll on them.

Listen to these wise people. I did the same as you. Now I have 3 tanks!

Kanake

Do not use the betta as a starter fish it will die...The pleco should be ok they are very hardy fish and so are the platies and the swordstail but I would advise only three fish max. So I would go with the platies or the swordstail. Take the rest back. Then after the cycle is complete you can add more.

This post has been edited by waterboy: Feb 9 2006, 10:55 PM

no one has mentioned it so i will....

What pleco is it? If its a common or a sail fin - It'll be too big for a 10 gal in about 3-4 months.

They get to 12-18" very quickly.

That's true but hopfully it will be taken back.

Now I'm confused too - is it one inch of fish to one gallon or one inch of fish to 5 gallons??

http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/beginner.../a/fishcalc.htm

Basically you should only have 10 inches of fish in your tank good luck!

You can have 1 inch of fish per gallon as your final stocking, but you cannot add all your fish at once without risking major water problems. During the first few weeks (4-6 weeks), it is recommended only to add 1 inch per 5 gallon. Once the ammonia and nitrites readings have spiked and gone down again, you can slowly add a few more, then a few more, until you end up with the full 10 inches after a matter of several months.

you should have read all the quote



see I said 1 inch for 5 for a fish cycle.....Then after the cycle 1 inch for every 1

I would like to add that your water stats are not fine. Your ammonia is spiking. Do some water changes.