Over Or Under Populated Tank?

[philandsue1]

Hi All,
I have bought a second hand tank a couple of weeks ago. It is a stable and established tank that is 1.2m length x 40cm width x 50cm high. I have tested the water and it the Ammonia = 0, Nitrates = 0, Nitrites = 5 to 10. I inherited three fish with the tank, a 2 yr old predatory catfish that has gone to the LFS, a 3 spot Gourami and one little tetra. Last weekend I put in 6 mollies, a Beta and 2 pineapple sword tails. The Beta ascerted his authority on day one by bossing all the other fish around but by day 2 he is a happy member of the community. All of the fish seem really happy at the moment and are getting on really well together. My question is, given the size of the tank and the number of fish I have at the moment is there any scope to add any more fish such as a few platties or some neon tetras or whatever someone might recomend that would fit in well with the other fish and keep a happy community. I have no idea at the moment if I have too many fish based on their potential adult size or ideally if I can get a few more without causing any stress to the existing fish. I am totally new to keeping fish but am learning quickly - I hope.

Thanks in advance for any advice and for allowing me into this forum,
Phil

 

[hollanda88]

Hi All,
I have bought a second hand tank a couple of weeks ago. It is a stable and established tank that is 1.2m length x 40cm width x 50cm high. I have tested the water and it the Ammonia = 0, Nitrates = 0, Nitrites = 5 to 10. I inherited three fish with the tank, a 2 yr old predatory catfish that has gone to the LFS, a 3 spot Gourami and one little tetra. Last weekend I put in 6 mollies, a Beta and 2 pineapple sword tails. The Beta ascerted his authority on day one by bossing all the other fish around but by day 2 he is a happy member of the community. All of the fish seem really happy at the moment and are getting on really well together. My question is, given the size of the tank and the number of fish I have at the moment is there any scope to add any more fish such as a few platties or some neon tetras or whatever someone might recomend that would fit in well with the other fish and keep a happy community. I have no idea at the moment if I have too many fish based on their potential adult size or ideally if I can get a few more without causing any stress to the existing fish. I am totally new to keeping fish but am learning quickly - I hope.

Thanks in advance for any advice and for allowing me into this forum,
Phil

I believe that 2 of the fish you have there are anabantids i.e. they require a slow water flow as they breath the air from the suface. I guess that many people will recomend to you to rehome the betta in a smaller tank with a few small algea feeders.

Your tank is 240L which i a fair size therefore you can have a nice selection with godfiltration

What filtration do you have atm?

andrew

 

[philandsue1]

I currently have a Fluval 4 plus internal filter but I have just bought a Fluval 305. I intend to remove the filter media/sponges from the 4+ and put it into the 305 filter baskets. Hopefully I can then remove the 4+ and continue to have a stable water chemistry. I think my 6 year old daughter would be devastated if I remove the Beta as she chose it last weekend and she is already very attached to it.

 

[hollanda88]

I currently have a Fluval 4 plus internal filter but I have just bought a Fluval 305. I intend to remove the filter media/sponges from the 4+ and put it into the 305 filter baskets. Hopefully I can then remove the 4+ and continue to have a stable water chemistry. I think my 6 year old daughter would be devastated if I remove the Beta as she chose it last weekend and she is already very attached to it.

You can get a small 30 litre tank realy cheaply and stick it in there, i might be wrong about rehoming it but not much get along with them and visa versa.

Transfering the media is a good idea, is the tank already cycled then?

If i were you i would pick the big centre piece fish that u really want and plan other fish around that.

Also if you are wanting plants you will have to look at lighting

andrew

 

[Athena]

Hi - regarding your water stats - was this a typo?: "Ammonia = 0, Nitrates = 0, Nitrites = 5 to 10."

Did you mean nitrates were 5 to 10 and Nitrites 0? If so, all's good.

Just that if is really is Nitrites 5 - 10 you would need to get this down to 0.

Oh, and the betta really should be in a separate tank (or put a tank divider into your tank) - so many of us have made the same mistake as you by putting them in a community tank, only to learn what a bad choice that was when we discover that either the betta has been attacked/fin nipped, or that he's been on the rampage over night!

I think it would be more upsetting for your daughter to find her lovely betta in shreds (or other fish in shreds) than moving him into a small tank on his own.

Having said that, all betta's have different personalities and you may be lucky enough to have found a docile one. You will need to keep a close eye on him to check for any signs of stress or anti-social behaviour (or any signs that he's being picked on secretly!). If you see him flaring a lot at the other fish, then this could stress him out over a period of time (constantly being in defensive mode) and make him ill.

Anyway, just a few of my thoughts on this!

Athena

 

[philandsue1]

Getting another smaller tank is not really an option for me due to the wife and the available space and aesthetics. The Beta seems to have settled in really well with the other fish and they all get on really well together. Suprisingly the Beta, Gourami and one of the Mollies often group together fo a short while as if they are best mates before swimming off with a smile on their faces. When I bought the tank about 2 weeks ago it had 5 tank ornaments, an artificial plant, the 4+ filter and a 300W heater. It also had about 2 inches of course sandy stuff on the bottom of the tank. I emptied the tank except for about an inch of water. I also kept the filter, heater and ornaments moist in a bag and refilled the tank with 20% of the original water within 45 minutes of buying the tank. I don't seem to have had any problem with the tank chemistry at all. Everything seems spot on but I do check the ammonia, nitrates and nitrites every other day just in case but it all seems very contant. The tank had previously been set up for over 2 years before I bought it. Any idea about potential stocking levels for numbers and types of fish given my current fish population.

Thanks again,
Phil

 

[philandsue1]

Sorry, it was a typo error. I keep getting them confused. The Ammonia and Nitrite levels have remained zero from day one. The addition of the fish last weekend has made no difference to the Zero readings. The Nitrates typically fall between 5 and 10 but are closer to 5 most of the time.

 

[Athena]

Ok - that's fine then, perfect stats really. Nothing wrong with nitrates of 5-10.

Regarding what fish to put in there - firstly, I noticed you have a single tetra - any idea what type of tetra it is? Tetras are shoaling fish, so if you can identify it, I would put in some friends for it to hang out with as that will make him happier.

It also depends on whether you want to keep this as a peaceful community tank or whether you fancy having a few feisty fish in there, like some dwarf cichlids. German Blue Rams are very small cichlids, very pretty (will wow your daughter) and on the whole are peaceful fish. The only time they show any mild aggression is at spawning when they are defending their eggs/fry. But so long as they have their own territory (a little cave/coconut shell, some plants, bogwood etc), this shouldn't be a major problem and it adds interest and excitement to a tank.

The only minor problem is that Rams are quite sensitive to water quality - but since you are on top of your water condition with regular testing/maintenance (even once a week would be ok) they should be fine. You'll soon notice if they are unhappy as their colours fade and they go a charcoalish colour.

Anyway, that's just one suggestion there for you to ponder over.

Regards - Athena

 

[vinylman]

If it's a Neon Tetra you have in there, don't add any more - they'll find the Betta's fins irresistible. As you've got a decent sized tank, go for another few Swordtails, but stick to a single sex. Do you know the sex of the ones you have?.

 

[oscars r ace]

i have a male betta in my community tank he gets on fine with his tankmates, but like the post above says no tetras they are quite nippy, one of my friends made the mistake of putting a male fighter in with 7 neon's the next day it was a fighter minus all its fins. plecs and corys would go great