Tetras

[fishheaded]

Hey all, I've hopped over from the salty side and have never dealt with freshwater. I have had a nano reef for about 3 years and yesterday happened to see the neon/cardinal tetras at petsmart. They look absolutely gorgeous and am thinking of keeping some. I was wondering if it would be possible to keep 5-6 of them in a 2.5 gallon? Thanks in advice guys..
-FishHeaded

 

[Ludwig Venter]

Hey all, I've hopped over from the salty side and have never dealt with freshwater. I have had a nano reef for about 3 years and yesterday happened to see the neon/cardinal tetras at petsmart. They look absolutely gorgeous and am thinking of keeping some. I was wondering if it would be possible to keep 5-6 of them in a 2.5 gallon? Thanks in advice guys..
-FishHeaded

Off course you can.... Plenty aeration and regular water changes and you can keep an oscar in there....... Go for Cardinals though.. they're a lot more colourful than neons.

 

[rabbut]

^^ Joking shurely?? Neons and cardinals need at least 10g, as they are active fish that need room

 

[Ludwig Venter]

^^ Joking shurely?? Neons and cardinals need at least 10g, as they are active fish that need room

Ye know.... growth is restricted by the fish urine in the water..... now if you do regular water changes, this dilutes the urine content and you can keep them as if in a 10g. Just more work per capita, but yea!.... Feasible. (that's why I (seriously) say, You can keep an Oscar in there..... (change water 2 x / day)

 

[rabbut]

You could keep an oscar in there, but without space to swim, let alone turn arrond, I doubt it would be happy.... Realy, I personally think 10g is minimum for tetras....

All teh best
Rabbut

 

[Ficious]

i disagree. tetras are a small minnow fish right?? honestly, who cares how "cramped they are". if you have enough plants to break up the tank, maybe some floating and a dark background, the tetras would be alright. i work at a nursing home and one of our residents has about a 5 gallon. its got 2 gouramis, 7 tetras, and about 3-4 platys. it might be overcramped, but the residents didnt really care and the fish are going on 3 years since purchase.

 

[tangokitty]

i disagree. tetras are a small minnow fish right?? honestly, who cares how "cramped they are". if you have enough plants to break up the tank, maybe some floating and a dark background, the tetras would be alright. i work at a nursing home and one of our residents has about a 5 gallon. its got 2 gouramis, 7 tetras, and about 3-4 platys. it might be overcramped, but the residents didnt really care and the fish are going on 3 years since purchase.

I understand that it is possible to have fish in this mannor, You can also keep a cat in a cage or a dog in a kennel their whole lives, but it doen't make it humane. Fish shouldn't have to live under overcrowded stressful conditions. Would you like to share a 1 bedroom apartment with 6 other people?

 

[tenohfive]

Theres a difference between keeping a fish alive and having it happy. I'm no animal rights activist, I just think that happier tanks mean less stress and as such better survival rates - not to mention more active, confident fish.

 

[Corleone]

(that's why I (seriously) say, You can keep an Oscar in there..... (change water 2 x / day)

We're talking about a 2.5 gallon tank - an adult oscar wouldn't fit through the top if you bent him in half first. If you wanted to keep one in cramped conditions, maybe a 20 gallon tank would suffice to get him wet, but you're not keeping him alive for long. Bad water conditions even with two water changes a day will lead to disease, and if he's still growing he'll likely be deformed before long. Maybe a flow-through system constantly replacing water would work for longer, but that would be harder to set up than a suitable tank. You're confining the fish so it can't turn around, only move a few inches forward and backwards.

Fish do care about their conditions, their behavior and health will paint a pretty good picture of it if they're unhappy. Thankfully, fishheaded sounds like he's a good bit more experienced with fish in general and likely knows to ignore advice like this.

 

[Ludwig Venter]

Hypethetically speaking obviously......

 

[nicnak]

I think hes taking the micky.

 

[fishheaded]

Thanks for the advice guys. I had a feeling that 2.5g would be a little to small but I just wanted some reassurance. I was watching the tetras at the pet store and saw that they do swim quite instantaneously so I wouldn't want to trap them in such small captivity. Sorry for stirring up some conflict.
-FishHeaded

 

[tangokitty]

Thanks for the advice guys. I had a feeling that 2.5g would be a little to small but I just wanted some reassurance. I was watching the tetras at the pet store and saw that they do swim quite instantaneously so I wouldn't want to trap them in such small captivity. Sorry for stirring up some conflict.
-FishHeaded

No Problem Good luck with what ever you decide on

 

[minxfishy]

Maybe one male betta? In a tank that size.