New Tank

[boxerbeth]

Hi we got a 35 litre tropical tank a couple of weeks ago. We got a catfish (not sure what type) and 2 pink kissing gouramis then this weekend we got a siamese fighter and two females. The two gouramis have been picking on the fighter so I've just taken them out and am going to try taking them back to pets at home this afternoon, but I was wondering what other fish I can put with the fighter, female fighters and catfish. Also does anyone know what the catfish pets at home sell would be? They didn't give me any idea of how big the gourami's would grow and they'd be way too big for my tank from what I've seen. Can any one help?

 

[jennybugs]

Ideally gourami and fighters shouldn't be in the same tank together and a male should not be in with females either. Can I suggest you do a bit of reading up about Bettas and suitable tankmates as they're not as easy to house together as Pets @ Home would have you believe

I keep bettas and have never had a male fighter that has done well in a commmunity. They've either eaten my fish or been attacked by them, so now I have 2 betta males in separate tanks alone and 3 females in another separate tank (see my siggy). It is however very dependant on your individual fish's personality but the mixing of males with females should be left to the breeders.

If I were you and you have no other choice than to shop at P@H for your fish, go along and write down which ones you like. Then come home and research them. The info that P@H give out is misleading and very poor in MY experiences and I end up telling them how to house their fish properly at my local branch. I never buy fish there any more. Local fish shops are a better choice.

Kissing gourami are way too big for a 35L tank. You'd be much better off getting smaller fish like tetra, danios etc for a tank of that size.

I hope this helps a bit and doesn't come across as pushy or anything. IMHO P@H are to be avoided as I've only ever had problems with their fish.

 

[boxerbeth]

I did wonder about P@H when we went there as there were dead fish in some of the tanks which to me didn't seem very good. I'm going to take the two gourami's back this afternoon and see if they'll have them back, if not they're free to a good home if anyone on here wants them.

I got the bettas from an aquatic shop in Shipston were the man said did I want the male to have a couple of girlfriends as that'd be nice for him, so being stupid I said yes. They don't seem to be having any problems now the gouramis are out but this is my first time of having fish (other than a goldfish when I was younger).

Would you suggest rehoming the male betta as well and starting again or is there a chance he might be ok in a community? Sorry to sound stupid, I didn't even know that certain fish didn't get on with each other before now!

 

[evilchild]

well the gouramis will grow 6-12" heres a link on them
http/www.fishforums.net/content/Labyrint...ourami-Kissing/
can you discribe the cat fish or put a pick up? some catfish grow big?

not kept sff,myself but heres a link
http/www.fishforums.net/content/Labyrint...-Fighting-Fish/

 

[jennybugs]

I got the bettas from an aquatic shop in Shipston were the man said did I want the male to have a couple of girlfriends as that'd be nice for him, so being stupid I said yes. They don't seem to be having any problems now the gouramis are out but this is my first time of having fish (other than a goldfish when I was younger).

Would you suggest rehoming the male betta as well and starting again or is there a chance he might be ok in a community? Sorry to sound stupid, I didn't even know that certain fish didn't get on with each other before now!

Hey, it's not your fault! You've been given bad or no advice so don't blame yourself.
You will have to take the gourami back as you know.
Don't keep the betta male with the females. He will endlessly harass the females and nip at them frequently.

If you want a community set up I would really think about taking the bettas back (male in a separate bag to the females) and then have a look around the shop at what you like the look of. Make notes of names etc. Then come home and look into the fish more.

If you're looking for colour then the tetras are brightly coloured (cardinal tetra are the brightest and more hardy than the neons). Danios are lively fish and there are long finned varieties of them available.

Some fish give birth to live babies (livebearers) and as you have a small-ish tank you could be overrun. Get males if you want things like platys or guppys.

Tell your fish shop what size your tank is and then see what they suggest. If you're still not sure, come back here and ask us about those particular fish. It'll save any more troubles for you and the fish in the long run

 

[boxerbeth]

Thanks for that. Just been watching the bettas and it seems to be one of the females nipping the male. I'll have to wait until the weekend to take them back as by the time I get there after work the place is shut. Is it just the male who would be a problem in a community set up or the females as well? Will take the gourami's this afternoon to P@H and check about what type of catfish it is while we're there.

I really like the cardinal tetras, I think it's colour I like. The other half likes wierd things, he wants shrimp at some point but they freak me out a bit!

Thanks for all the help

 

[mark.w.jones]

I think Cardinals will be too big and active for your tank. You've on got about 10 US gallons to play with. This equates to about 10 adult inches of fish. So, if you add up the length of all your current stock when they're fully grown they must not exceed 10"

I've offered some species advice for stocking small tanks in this post:

http/www.fishforums.net/content/New-to-t...-Expert-Advice/

With a small tank like that you are quite limited I'm afraid. Take some time to read the articles in my sig. as well as the pinned ones at the top of this forum. Get advice from the forums rather than shops and don't be afraid to ask questions.

to TFF by the way

 

[boxerbeth]

Thanks for that. Do all the fish on the list on that link get on?

(Endlers
Harlequin Rasboras
Sparkling Gouramis
Pygmy cories
Honey Gouramis
Small tetra sp. (Black neons, glowlights at a push, lemons)
Guppies
Cherry Barbs
Otos
Cherry or Amano shrimp)

Unfortunately last night my male betta died so I've put the two pink kissing gourami's back in the tank until I can find them a new home. P@H refused to take them back and I showed on the display it said they grew up to 10cm, then they slid the labels accross and they were very cleverly covering up the proper label for them

They didn't know what type of catfish it was that we've got so I think I'll just have to wait and see how big he gets. Would the female bettas be ok to stay in there or are they hard to keep in a community as well?

 

[jennybugs]

I've not had any experience of female bettas in a community - the ones I have now are my first females - but I have a feeling they may be ok. Just keep an eye on them and the gourami. They will still need a much bigger tank. I have a feeling the same will go for your catfish. A photo might help in identifying it.

As for cardinals, I have some in one of my smaller tanks and they are thriving very well and nicely coloured up.
Technically, with the 1cm of fish per litre rule, at 5cms adult size you could have 7 cardinals in a 35L tank. They are slim bodied fish and give out little waste in comparison to their size. As long as you keep the maintenance up I personally see no problems. Of course that is if you want a tank of just cardinals...they do look stunning though.


At the moment I would say your biggest concern is rehoming the gourami and identifying your catfish.

 

[boxerbeth]

Here’s a pic of the catfish, it’s off my phone so it’s not the best quality

I do like the cardinals, will have to go to the aquatic shop (a different one this time!) and see what’s there then I’ll write down the ones I like and find out about them this time before buying them. The female betas seem to be fine with the two kissing gouramis and they just keep out of each others way. I’ve texted a friend to see if she’d want the gouramis as she’s got a huge tank which is empty at the minute so hopefully she might have them. How fast will they grow or does it take years?

 

[jennybugs]

Not too sure how fast they grow but it's a good idea to rehome them now so they don't develop any growing problems that you may not realise.

There are plenty of lovely small fish out there and you'll do well to research them before buying. We've all at some time I think, managed to get given or bought a fish that ends up being unsuitable for our tanks

 

[mark.w.jones]

Ok there's some bad news. And some more bad news which I hadn't got to up to now. Your kissing gouramis will eventually reach about 10" each so will massively outgrow your tank and your catfish is a common plec which can reach 24" and you've got these in a 10 gallon tank. You have unfortunately had a one eyed, brainless, moronic, knuckle dragging, spotty faced numpty at Pets@home help you with your stocking. Stocking male and female bettas in the same tank is the most basic no no in the fish world, and they got that wrong . Don't ever go there again, ever, ever, ever, ever! Those fish won't be able to turn around in your tank in a few years . They will also grow quickly and will soon overwhelm your filter with the huge amounts of waste they are producing. This will lead to water quality issues and deaths amongst your fish as you have already experienced.

My advice would be to remove all your current stock and start again. It's the only solution unfortunately. Even the female bettas are a dodgy area. Bettas are not good community fish and more often than not will attack other fish or have their long flowing fins nipped to shreds by smaller inhabitants. The should only be kept in a single species tank.

All the fish I suggested earlier are fine as community fish HOWEVER, apart from the gouramis they all need a minimumgroup size of 5. This limits you to picking probably a maximum of 2 species and that's it. Want more variety? Then the only option is a bigger tank.