Long story. I went away to Europe for a month and my mother watched over my tanks; a ten gallon with four corydoras and a male betta, and 7 two-gallons with a female betta in each.
I haven't had any fish die on me, though I've only been fish keeping for over a year. Two of my female bettas died while I was away, but she felt bad and didn't want to tell me, and she couldn't find any more bettas to replace them. Sooo, she got four platies to replace the bettas, and put two in the two tanks the bettas were previously in.
My mother doesn't know much about fishcare, but she tried hard and meant well, the fish had been sickly since I bought them, the poor girls.
I came home and it was the first thing I noticed and I knew they were platies. So I moved the male betta to the smaller two gallon tank (he was fin-biting himself anywho so I bet the current was too much for him - he's doing well, colours vibrant and he seems to love building bubble nests) and put the platies in the ten gallon (which has been up for about a year, no problems). I saw that three were males and one was a female.
We went back to the fish store and I was going to buy another female, butttt.... The platies there weren't in too great a shape and I fell in love with the otos.... sooo you know how it goes.
I came home with no platies but with five otocinclus.
I know that's pushing the stocking for a ten gallon, definitely. The cories are fat and happy and the others would grow, eventually.
To add to the whole story, the three male platies were beating up on the girl something awful, she has half a tail now and she looks stressed, I moved her out and feel horrible about it. And my cories had eggs again and I let them hatch in a separate container and I wanted to try raising them.
(By the way, otos are doing good, eating and pooping and not stressed as far as I can tell, but it's only been a couple weeks.)
So I went out today intending to buy a plain 20 gallon for them. I have a stand at home. Wasn't planning much. And you know how it goes.
I came home with a 38 (US) gallon tank, stand, filter, hood, heater. Weeeee. It's so pretty. We got it 25% off too, my mother sweet-talked the employee to that big a discount because the stand had a loose shelf door. She's amazing, all is forgiven!
I've set it up and it's all happy happy.
Now for my question.
I'm wondering how many female platies I can get to balance out the males? What about stocking in general?
I'm thinking:
3 male platies, 4 female platies (more females if possible....?)
5 otos
4 albino corydoras (plus the babies if I can grow them in the 10gal that everyone previously was held in)
It has to fit 4 platies, 5 otos, and 4 cories because that's what I already have. And I have 7 freshly born corydoras spawn that I'm hoping to get a few adults out of.
But... surely I could put something else in there... What peaceful community fish would be nice to add? I'm looking into options now, of course.
Obviously I won't buy more until it's cycled. I am going to put the decorations and the sponge from the previous tank to speed along the process a little.
I like catfish. Could I keep a couple bristlenose catfish? Maybe with some tetras.... hmmm..... And/Or african dwarf frogs?
Sorry that this was so long, but I've never had a tank this big.
Any help would be very appreciated!
I haven't had any fish die on me, though I've only been fish keeping for over a year. Two of my female bettas died while I was away, but she felt bad and didn't want to tell me, and she couldn't find any more bettas to replace them. Sooo, she got four platies to replace the bettas, and put two in the two tanks the bettas were previously in.
My mother doesn't know much about fishcare, but she tried hard and meant well, the fish had been sickly since I bought them, the poor girls. I came home and it was the first thing I noticed and I knew they were platies. So I moved the male betta to the smaller two gallon tank (he was fin-biting himself anywho so I bet the current was too much for him - he's doing well, colours vibrant and he seems to love building bubble nests) and put the platies in the ten gallon (which has been up for about a year, no problems). I saw that three were males and one was a female.
We went back to the fish store and I was going to buy another female, butttt.... The platies there weren't in too great a shape and I fell in love with the otos.... sooo you know how it goes.
I came home with no platies but with five otocinclus.
I know that's pushing the stocking for a ten gallon, definitely. The cories are fat and happy and the others would grow, eventually.
To add to the whole story, the three male platies were beating up on the girl something awful, she has half a tail now and she looks stressed, I moved her out and feel horrible about it. And my cories had eggs again and I let them hatch in a separate container and I wanted to try raising them.
(By the way, otos are doing good, eating and pooping and not stressed as far as I can tell, but it's only been a couple weeks.)
So I went out today intending to buy a plain 20 gallon for them. I have a stand at home. Wasn't planning much. And you know how it goes.
I came home with a 38 (US) gallon tank, stand, filter, hood, heater. Weeeee. It's so pretty. We got it 25% off too, my mother sweet-talked the employee to that big a discount because the stand had a loose shelf door. She's amazing, all is forgiven!
I've set it up and it's all happy happy.
Now for my question.
I'm wondering how many female platies I can get to balance out the males? What about stocking in general?
I'm thinking:
3 male platies, 4 female platies (more females if possible....?)
5 otos
4 albino corydoras (plus the babies if I can grow them in the 10gal that everyone previously was held in)
It has to fit 4 platies, 5 otos, and 4 cories because that's what I already have. And I have 7 freshly born corydoras spawn that I'm hoping to get a few adults out of.
But... surely I could put something else in there... What peaceful community fish would be nice to add? I'm looking into options now, of course.
Obviously I won't buy more until it's cycled. I am going to put the decorations and the sponge from the previous tank to speed along the process a little.
I like catfish. Could I keep a couple bristlenose catfish? Maybe with some tetras.... hmmm..... And/Or african dwarf frogs?
Sorry that this was so long, but I've never had a tank this big.
Any help would be very appreciated!
