How many fish for this 10 gallon kit?

[edwardorino]

Hello all!

I just recently got a 10 gallon tank and have it all set up. It was a kit, and came with a filter and hood with incandescent lights. I bought 2 10W fluorescent bulbs because I want to have plants.

It's been going for about two weeks, and things are going well. It's between a nice 72F-76F. I've had the water tested, and it they said the levels are good.

Currently I have:
1 male betta
2 male platy
2 peppered corycads

They are all getting along well! I'd like to add two more platy and 1 more peppered corycad. Not all at once of course.

Here are my questions.

1. Is that too many fish for a 10 gallon tank?

2. If I add two female platy, will that be a good ratio? Will it produce too many fry that the male platy and the betta will have too much to eat?

3. Can I have all male platy (4 total), or will they be too aggressive?

That's all I can think of now. I will be adding a heater once Autumn begins, an I still need to pick up a gravel vaccuum. Thanks!

 

[snakeskinner]

I would add the heater now because 72 is really too cold for most of the fish you have. Adding more peppered cory cat's is good. maybe one or two would be fine and I think adding a couple more platies would be ok as well. Males or females is fine. Usually you want more females than males because the males will try to mate with the females almost constantly but if you plant the tank and provide enough cover, they will likely do just fine. You will likely have a lot of babies before long and I don't think the betta and platies will keep the numbers under control so you'd have to be prepared for that.

Just make sure you do water changes each week, about 20-30 percent and keep an eye on your nitrate levels as you go. Right now you are likely going through a cycle (see the stickies at the top of this forum) so you might not see nitrates for a couple more weeks. You don't want your nitrates to excede around 40ppm, lower the better.

BTW, it's good to research your fish to know as much as you can about them. The cory catfish are likely Corydoras Paleatus which is normally the fish sold under the "peppered cory" name. The betta is surely Betta Splendens and the platies are likely xiphophorus maculatus or xiphophorus variatus or some sort of hybrid.

enjoy your fish, they're a great hobby

 

[edwardorino]

Thank you for the information! It's good to hear I haven't overpopulated my tank. Is there another carnivorous fish that I can add? Obviously looking for a quick smallish type that won't harass the other fish. I've heard Dwarf Frogs are nice, but I've also heard they can get large enough to harass the other fish I have in the tank.

If it isn't concievable to control the population via the fish that I have, I'll probably just get males.

 

[Marinemom]

The general rule of thumb for a freshwater tank is one inch of fish per gallon of water. This is calculated by the adult size of the fish you want to keep.As far as the ratio of male/female fish, usually four females to one male. That way the male does not constantly bother the same female to mate literlly to death. If you do not want to deal with all of that than just get all males. Also I think it is best to get a heater now because most fish do not tolerate any major fluctuations in the peremeters of your tank. With temperature you don't want more than 1-2 degree difference in a 24 hour perioid. Any more than this can cause an outbreak of disease such as ich or body fungus(yuck!).

Be happy!

Marinemom

 

[mandimoron]

The general rule of thumb for a freshwater tank is one inch of fish per gallon of water.

This rule is also, by and large, BUNK. The pitfalls of the inch per gallon guideline have been discussed here ad nauseum, and are difficult to refute (do a forum search if you're interested). Use at your own risk.

 

[Marinemom]

I believe I said that it is a general rule. Nothing is set in stone. It is meant as just a guide ,especially beginners who may not know the limits of the tank that they are setting up and trying to cycle and maintain. Please we do not want to leave it to the people at the lfs to tell new people what the limits are. Most of the time, unless you have a one on one basis or on a first name basis with someone at the lfs, these people have a job. Sell you something even if it is totally wrong for your setup. I can't tell you how many times this has happened to me and others I know in this hobby over the last ten years. We all learn from our mistakes. It has been my experience that usually the tank will tell you what it can handle and what it cannot. We just have to listen.

Marinemom

 

[edwardorino]

So, I picked up two female platy yesterday. I'm going to see how the betta and the platy deal with the fry. My LFS said I could bring them fry for their Oscars, which is cool with me. Sorry if that sounds cruel!

So my 10 gallon tank now has:
4 platy (2 male, 2 female)
2 peppered corycad (will get 1 more)
1 male betta

Should this be it for the 10g? I still haven't gotten any feedback for another predatory fish or info about the African Dwarf Frog to get rid of platy fry.

Thanks for all the current info!

 

[mandimoron]

I believe I said that it is a general rule. Nothing is set in stone. It is meant as just a guide ,especially beginners who may not know the limits of the tank that they are setting up and trying to cycle and maintain. Please we do not want to leave it to the people at the lfs to tell new people what the limits are. Most of the time, unless you have a one on one basis or on a first name basis with someone at the lfs, these people have a job. Sell you something even if it is totally wrong for your setup. I can't tell you how many times this has happened to me and others I know in this hobby over the last ten years. We all learn from our mistakes. It has been my experience that usually the tank will tell you what it can handle and what it cannot. We just have to listen.

Marinemom

Yes, you did say it was a general rule. And I agree that we cannot leave it to the people at the LFS to tell new hobbyists how to best set up their tanks. But I also don't think it's a good idea to continue to perpetuate that particular general statement, since its applications are so very limited, and it is frequently misused with disastrous results. You are most certainly correct in saying that the tank will tell you when things are going wrong, but I believe that inches of fish per gallons of water is, in the vast majority of cases, an ineffective way of listening.

Having said all that, I'm sorry if I caused any offense. I really didn't mean to, and have a great amount of respect for your many years of experience in the hobby. I just felt it should be pointed out very clearly that the one inch per gallon rule isn't a very good rule at all in most circumstances, and may lead to trouble if it is the sole consideration taken when stocking a tank.

 

[Marinemom]

No offense taken. Let's just get back to helping each other. That way,we all benefit.

Be happy!

Marinemom

 

[snakeskinner]

edwardorino, sounds good to me, I'd definitely add a cory or two. never had the dwarf frog's but I know they are specialized to feed so probably not the best choice for a community tank. never really heard of aggression on their part but they are poor competing for food from what I understand....

Most fish are omnivorous in that they will eat prettymuch anything. Many had a more specialized food source in the wild but being in a captive tank, they learn to eat whatever is available and most quality flake foods will provide a variety of the necessary vitamins and nutrients.

I don't really know how to approach your request for recommendations as I'm not exactly sure what you are looking for. If you are wanting a show-piece fish to add to the tank, I'm not really sure on a great choice but there are several killifish that you could purchase a single male and they will "usually" coexist fairly well. the Betta you never know about though and could see a flowing-finned killifish as a threat and I really don't know who'd win that fight. It's probably best to stick with what you have and get some experience. Later on you can step up to a larger tank (which is actually easier to maintain, contrary to what most newbie's think) and your options will open up more.

I too would like to show my disapproval of the 1 inch/gallon rule. I would really like to see this idea disappear because it is probably more harmful than helpful. I think more people get in trouble trying to follow that guideline than are helped. I've heard more and more someone comment "I've only got 3 inches of fish in my 10 gallon so I'm looking for something else....... I've got one 3" oscar". Not really helping matters in my opinion. The best thing to do is ask, ask and ask some more. Experience is the best way to maintain an aquarium and if you don't have any, it's best to get advice from someone that does. That goes for everything you do in life really, experience is the #1 guideline..... KYle