Made mistakes and NOW I'm asking questions

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Shotgun

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Hello everybody,

New to the forum and new to fish-keeping and yes, it appears I messed up. First by making some impulse purchases and then by following the advice of a big-box store employee instead of doing my own research. Not proud of it but here we are.

Sooooo, I would very much appreciate some input from folks who know more about these things than I.

Here's the deal. I have 2 small tanks.

Tank # 1 is a 3-gallon, with a male betta. He seems to be spending a lot (although not all) of his time on or near the surface, as if he's not getting enough oxygen. The tank has a small, 7.5w heater.

Tank # 2 is a 10-gallon. Currently contains 2 Brilliant Raspbora and 2 red wag platys. Total fish < 5 inches. A heater and a water-pump.

I know, I know, I know, there are a bunch of rookie mistakes right there but as I said, here we are.

My questions for the group.
Given that raspboras and platys are both schooling fish - should I add any more of either/both or am I already pushing the capacity?

Would it be an idea to add the betta to the 10-gallon, or leave him alone in the 3?

I have plastic plants in both tanks, gravel and some ornaments. I plan to buy a filter for the 10 gallon and one of those gravel vacuum thingies. Anything else?

Thanks in advance for your help.
 
Welcome to TFF!

I consider your tank to small for either platies or brilliant rasboras. Tbh there are only a few tiny species I would recommend for a 10 gal.

http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/rasbora-einthovenii/

Best would be to rehome those fish. Do some proper research and maybe get a larger tank ;)

You definitely should read about water parameters, hard and soft water and fish, and cycling of a new tank.

Hopefully someone else will respond about the betta. For now I would leave him alone in the 3 gal.
 
Thanks Hobby5,

I understand (now) that the fish will outgrow the tank but that isn't going to happen for a while, is it?

I've read the thread on cycling and the challenges of doing this with fish in residence but assuming me and the fish are still speaking to each other after that, we should be good for at least a few months, no?

Not arguing, just looking to learn.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
The problem with fish outgrowing the tank they're in is a thing called stunting. The fish's body stays the same size, but their organs continue to grow. Unfortunately the stunting can start happening while you think the fish is still small enough to be in a small tank. So the fish, even if it is moved to a larger tank, will experience stunting and have a shorter and more painful life.
 
Hi! I believe what Gruntle is trying to say is that the fish will pretty much stay the small size they are if they don't have enough room to grow. Like he/she said, this doesn't seem like a problem on the outside, the fish's organs keep on growing bigger and bigger inside the fish's tiny body. Eventually this will lead to a lot of health issues for your little pets. Not to mention the fact that you can't actually tell when you need to upgrade the tank size, because the fish's bodies aren't actually growing! Aside from stunting, the breed of fish you own are very active, and like to swim around and explore A LOT. They will use up every inch of that tank. As for your betta, he should be completely fine in the 3 gallon. I would think about investing in a small filter for your little dude, this should stop him from gasping at the surface. If not, maybe consider an air pump to help oxygenate the water. That should do the trick if the filter doesn't. Besides that, just make sure the temp is constant and warm, and you are keeping up with your weekly water changes since it isn't the most spacious or well filtered tank. Best of luck!
-Rachel
 
It is my belief that stunting is not caused by the size of the tank. Stunting in animals is typically cause by nutrition and health. If a animal is not getting enough food it may not grow to its normal time. If the animal is chronically sick it will also have problems with nutrition.

As fish grows it needs more food and produces more waist. Since the tank has a limited ability to process fish waist, water quality will continue to decline due to ammonia, nitrite and nitrate buildup. Eventually water change and plants wouldn't be able to keep up with the situation. The fish will eventually get sick and die.or its body will be so stressed that it won't be able to digest food properly. That leads to nutrient deficiency and stunting. That nitrite and ammonia will also cause internal scaring which can also sorted the life to the fish.

So overall leaving a fish in tank that is too small is not good thing to do.

A couple of other things to note is that some fish never stop growing. The fish gets a bit longer and larger every year until something kills it or it dies of old age.. Some goldfish fish are like this. IN the UK one got to 15 inches in size 15 years after the 1 inch fish was purchased. Living in a small tank. IN lakes some 30 to 40lb gold fish have been caught.

https://www.livescience.com/11037-goldfish-grow-30-pounds.html

Most fish stop growing at some point in there life. in some case it can take years for them to reach full size. However others may reach full size in about a year. How fast a fish grows and how long it grows is dependents on genetics.
 
Thanks everybody, for your feedback and advice. I've done a LOT more reading since posting my initial inquiry but hadn't learned about stunting. I appreciate all the input.
Kind regards
 

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