Hmm, what to get next

[love_fish]

OK, so I go to the fish store this morning with a water sample, and the guy says my water is perfect. He says just wait for your nitrate level to come up a little more. He says by next week, I should be able to get new fish. So, I was like great, but now I dont know what to get. What fish do yuo guys recommend for a 10 gallon tank, with a cory catfish, and 2 red-eye tetras ? Thanks.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Both the cory and the tetra are schooling fish, so instead of buying a third kind I would get more of those. Be careful not to overstock though.

Make sure you buy your own test kit though; it is much easier and more reliable to keep track of things at home. The liquid ones are best. And make sure you have read the topic on cycling so you understand what is happening to your tank and do not have to rely on others.

 

[love_fish]

1. I do have a test kit.
2. I read all the pinned topics already.

But there's no way for me to get other fish, like cherry barbs or something else small that will get along with these two fish species that I already have.

 

[Durbkat]

Yeah you can get one or two more corys and 2 to 4 more red eyed tetras. I find that my corys in their 10g do fine in a group of two. But my red eyed tetras still hide with two of them and a x-ray tetra in their so I'll be getting more red eyed and x-ray tetras this friday.

 

[love_fish]

Yeah you can get one or two more corys and 2 to 4 more red eyed tetras. I find that my corys in their 10g do fine in a group of two. But my red eyed tetras still hide with two of them and a x-ray tetra in their so I'll be getting more red eyed and x-ray tetras this friday.

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Thanks for the reply, but I meant could I get other fish besides tetras and corys. Sorry about the confusion.

 

[nino]

since tetras and corys are both happier in groups, you should try to get 2 more cories and maybe 3-4 more tetras. if you are wanting more variety or something different, rehome the fish you already have and find other fish you would like to stock your tank with. i've got three albino cories in my ten gallon (with my female bettas) and i love them. they are very active together in groups- my dad has a lone cory in his 20g- the other died and has yet to be replaced and it is far less active.

 

[love_fish]

Can I get different varieties of tetras with my red-eye tetras? Like can i get lemon tetras or x-ray tetras. Do they all cooperate the same with eachother? Thanks guys. And I have one more question for you. When I brang my water sample to the fish store to get tested, he told me the water was perfect and I just need to wait for the nitrates to come up a little more. While I was there, I picked up a master test kit. So when i got home, I said, ehh why not try out the test kit. So I check my Ammonia, and its at 3.0! I was shocked because 30 minutes ago it was perfect, now it's not. A little fishy to me, but what do you guys think? COuld it be I'm doing something wrong?

 

[SkiFletch]

how old is the tank?

 

[love_fish]

how old is the tank?

Ummm, I think it's about 1 week and 2 days. I'm doin a water change tomorrow (first one). SInce then, one red eye tetra has died, but I think it got like mauled from another fish, because his top fin had been torn or bitten off, and his body was a little mashed up. Maybe he hit something sharp somewhere in my tank, idk. But I dont think he died from the water.

 

[SkiFletch]

yikes, sounds like your tank is still cycling and the LFS didnt properly check your water. Your fish likely perished to either ammonia burns/poison, or secondary infection of some sort due to increased sensetivity from the ammonia poisoning. About the only thing the guy at your LFS said that was correct is that in a couple of weeks you'll start seeing nitrAtes and at that time you will probably be safe to add more fish. however for the time being your fish are living in toxic water. do daily 30% water changes and you might have a shot at keeping the toxin levels down enough to pull your remaining fish through this tough process known as cycling. Also, read up on the cycling process in the stickies.

do not by any means add more fish until your ammonia and nitrItes are 0ppm

 

[love_fish]

yikes, sounds like your tank is still cycling and the LFS didnt properly check your water. Your fish likely perished to either ammonia burns/poison, or secondary infection of some sort due to increased sensetivity from the ammonia poisoning. About the only thing the guy at your LFS said that was correct is that in a couple of weeks you'll start seeing nitrAtes and at that time you will probably be safe to add more fish. however for the time being your fish are living in toxic water. do daily 30% water changes and you might have a shot at keeping the toxin levels down enough to pull your remaining fish through this tough process known as cycling. Also, read up on the cycling process in the stickies.

do not by any means add more fish until your ammonia and nitrItes are 0ppm

Yea, I tested my nitrites too and it tested <0.3. But of course as the ammonia goes down, it'll come up a bit. So I guess I'll do water changes a lot, and wait for the ammonia and nitrite to go down, and nitrates to come up. I still just want to know if I can add different types of tetras with my current ones. So, does anyone know?

 

[dwarfgourami]

Gosh, this is a bit of a cautionary tale, isn't it? once again it is demonstrated that shops can not be relied on to test your water.

As to your question, no, tetras need to school with their own kind. Once your tank has cycled, you should get more of the same kind: it will be well worth keeping them happy in that way and you will get to see more interesting natural behaviour.

 

[love_fish]

Gosh, this is a bit of a cautionary tale, isn't it? once again it is demonstrated that shops can not be relied on to test your water.

As to your question, no, tetras need to school with their own kind. Once your tank has cycled, you should get more of the same kind: it will be well worth keeping them happy in that way and you will get to see more interesting natural behaviour.

OK, but what if I get 1 more red eye tetra to make three of them. Then get 3 lemon tetras, and 1 more cory. Would that be OK? Since I would have 3 red eye tetras, 3 lemon tetras, and 2 corys. Or should I just get a total of around 4 or 5 red eye tetras and 2 or 3 corys?

 

[-cAtFiSh-]

probably better to stick with just the red eyes and cories. apart from feeling more secure in a group of their own species, tetras and other schooling fish also look better (in my opinion) when there are lots of them.

 

[big mick]

This is a classic case of M.T.S starting lol...(mulitple tank syndrome)