Should I Get A Bigger Tank Immediately?

[Jason]

I've read on this board that these particular type of fish need lots of swimming room. Am I going to kill these fish by keeping them in a small tank?

I don't want to do that. Would it be better to switch to a regular 10-gallon one than to keep them in a 5-gallon hexagon-shaped tank?

 

[Raechal]

These fish do well in larger tanks and I think they would be healthier/happier if they had a 10 gallon instead of the 5 gallon hex. Then you can get a betta or something for the 5 gallon hex.

 

[Blue Lobster]

Get a used 20 gallon tank, you can probably pick one up for the same price as a new one 10 gallon at the store.

Used equiptment is plentiful online, and dirt cheap. Plus it gives you more room to get some cory cats, loaches or something.

 

[Candyco]

I made the 'Tank Size Mistake' When i started off i got myself a 12g tank and thought Silver Sharks were pretty.... i put 6 of them in there! What a mistake! Those little beggers kept growing & i ended up putting them in a 75g tank. They had a nasty otbreak of ich etc a couple of weeks ago though & i ended up losing 5 of them but that's another story!
I really think you'd be better off getting at least a 20g tank & like said in the above post... get a little betta for the 5g!

Kaz x-x-x-x-x

 

[millym]

we used to always have danios up until recently (kept losing them to some unknown disease/virus) & they love swimming space & quite a strong current. id go with the longer tank rather than the hex personally.....theyre great little fish & we miss having them but got fed up & sad at losing them. used to love watching them madly swimming against the current in our tank trying so hard to make progress until they finally did it..wheee up & over the filter outlet

 

[Candyco]

Millym.... just looked @ ur sig.... u ought to get a couple more neon tetras for the lonesome one.... see how they go! I had a lonely penguin tetra in a tank for a while after he lost all his friends to a disease, we put him in another tank with some other penguins and he's as happy as a sand boy now!
sorry this had nothing to do with the post! I'll shut up now! lol

 

[The-Wolf]

I've read on this board that these particular type of fish need lots of swimming room. Am I going to kill these fish by keeping them in a small tank?

I don't want to do that. Would it be better to switch to a regular 10-gallon one than to keep them in a 5-gallon hexagon-shaped tank?

Hi Jason

firstly welcome to the boards.

now; danios are a schooling fish and need to be kept in groups of 5 or more
they are also very active swimmers, as has already been pointed out.
Idealy they need at least a tank of 24" in length.

ok as for you killing them keeping them in a 5g hex, no you won't but they will do it themselfs.
Danios have a pecking order and if kept in too small a tank one dominant fish (normaly a male) will kill everything else in the tank, so he is boss.
Personally I say a 10g is still too small for danios the absolute min I'd recomend is 20g.

I HTH (hope this helps).

 

[laboul]

Gotta second the advice on this one... I had 4 danios in a 10 gallon, it was way too small for them, too much aggression.

You could also put a few guppies in the 5 gallon - all males or all females so you don't wind up with too many fry.

 

[millym]

candyco - yes we're not happy at our lonely neon but have lost about 15 neons in total to nt disease, we did buy a female for the little guy about 3 months ago but she too succumbed & we just dont like buying fish & sticking them in the tank to die of a nasty disease just seems cruel, we did medicate the tank several times for the disease but didnt seem, to help, then again its prob cruel leaving the lonely neon alone, but he does hang around with the cardinals most of the time, but i think about getting him a mate or 2 often so maybe should just risk it..........dunno

 

[jimbooo]

i have 6 zebras in a 40G. even in that tank theyre all over it, darting here and there and chasing each other around. bear in mind they can swin the length of a 40G (about 3.5 foot) in about 1/2 a second which isn't a lot of straight swimming time for a very active fish.

as to the 5G common mistake, dont worry just use it as an excuse to buy another tank.

PS "the Wolf" is the expert on danios. his word is gospel.