Hey again, so I haven't been on recently because of a semi fish emergency. I recently acquired a 10 gallon from a guy who was studying fish behavior and habitat I think. Problem was, he purposely overstocked the tank for some reason or another and then he had to move so I took them off his hands. Now there are a few new problems. First the stocking of the tank is as goes.
4 Pearl Gourami (2 male 2 female)
4 Med Size Tetra's (I'm not quite sure what kind because their full colors haven't come back though I want to say bleeding heart but they don't have the dot.)
10 Small Tetra (Can't figure out what type and frankly by then I was too tired to figure it out.)
The tank also has one live plant that seems to be doing well, however since the Gourami had claimed it as their own, the other fish couldn't really be around it unless I stuck my hand in the tank and scared them all out of their mind. So I bought new stuff for the tank and stocked it with a few small structures that they could hide in and more fake plants. I need to separate them out I suppose but I'm not sure how I would go about doing it. Also some of the smaller tetra are being picked on however I'm not sure if its from the other species of fish or from the same school so its confusing.
On another note as well, is plastic wrap (you know the kitchen use kind) toxic to fish? The reason I ask is because the guy didn't have a top to the tank and the water doesn't seem to want to stay completely warm because it kind of lacks a top. He was using a top like the ones for a reptile tank with the mesh or the grid thing. If I wrapped that to keep the water warmer, would it be toxic to fish for me to use it? If so I will just have to figure out another way but I'm tight on money at the moment because I've been working on the other project. (30 Gal.)
I've also considered trying to find a aquarium to take some of the fish but I'm not sure if it will effect schools if I split them up =.=.
Help With 10 Gallon
23 posts • Page 1 of 3
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yasherkoach - Posts: 1306
- Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 1:24 pm
I have a completely open top fish tank, but it is done on purpose for I have achieved an all natural environment for the living species
to leave no top on the tank is okay, the water may evaporate more often, but you just top it off every few days or as you do your water changes, and as long as you do not have that try to leap out - which you don't - you should be okay
saran wrap as a top sounds like a cute idea only thing is, you may trap in too much heat like you said. and though plastic wrap may "breathe" it still will trap in too much heat
usually you use a glass top so the water does not spray up to the lighting fixture, plus glass tops tend to keep fish from jumping out...there are many fish tanks that use a lighting fixture that clamps on the side of the tank, stays above the tank water surface just enough so no water sprays up against the lighting, therefore no need for a top
if I was you, I'd leave off the top until you can get a 10 gallon glass top...but even still, you really do not need one
as for too many fish, there are a few too many fish for the 10 gallon tank, especially cause tetras like to have a lot of open swimming space, you may be able to pick up a used 20 gallon tank, if not, just hope the fish do not over pollute the tank with feces which will spike your ammonia
as for the guy sdoing study, sounds like an awful study, what was the study for - I do not mean to be sarcastic or abrasive - to see how fish survive in over-crowded conditions...he was lucky that the fish survived as they did
what type of live plant, do you know? some fish will eat plants, plus the plant may need certain lighting conditions uness it is a low light plant which may survive okay without too much light
if you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask
to leave no top on the tank is okay, the water may evaporate more often, but you just top it off every few days or as you do your water changes, and as long as you do not have that try to leap out - which you don't - you should be okay
saran wrap as a top sounds like a cute idea only thing is, you may trap in too much heat like you said. and though plastic wrap may "breathe" it still will trap in too much heat
usually you use a glass top so the water does not spray up to the lighting fixture, plus glass tops tend to keep fish from jumping out...there are many fish tanks that use a lighting fixture that clamps on the side of the tank, stays above the tank water surface just enough so no water sprays up against the lighting, therefore no need for a top
if I was you, I'd leave off the top until you can get a 10 gallon glass top...but even still, you really do not need one
as for too many fish, there are a few too many fish for the 10 gallon tank, especially cause tetras like to have a lot of open swimming space, you may be able to pick up a used 20 gallon tank, if not, just hope the fish do not over pollute the tank with feces which will spike your ammonia
as for the guy sdoing study, sounds like an awful study, what was the study for - I do not mean to be sarcastic or abrasive - to see how fish survive in over-crowded conditions...he was lucky that the fish survived as they did
what type of live plant, do you know? some fish will eat plants, plus the plant may need certain lighting conditions uness it is a low light plant which may survive okay without too much light
if you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask
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Rachie9643 - Posts: 33
- Joined: Fri Jun 05, 2009 9:20 pm
Well supposedly the gourami do jump and when he first got them, one jumped out and stayed out of the water for about 15 min. Thankfully he lived through that experience o.O. Yeah, I don't have another tank handy that's big enough for the tetra but I think I should at the very least pull out the ones who have some nipped on fins. I set up a quick 1 gallon tank for now at least and its warming the water and letting it sit for a few hours before I pull out the ones with the torn fins. I'm so sad because I don't want them to get hurt but in this case I don't think I can help it very much.
As for the study, I agree that it seems like a bad idea. I have no idea what he was studying really but hopefully I can put the fish into a better environment but it is rough on the fish having to move so frequently.
For the plant, I'm not quite sure. Maybe Amazon Sword Plant but I'm not really sure. He supposedly had two other plants but this is the only one that really flourished.
Do you think I should give some of the smaller guys away to pet stores that will take them? I'm not quite sure but housing this many fish must be some sort of high risk for something and I don't quite have the tank capacity to keep them all.
Edit: Update on the situation, I've pulled out 3 small fishies that had torn fins =( and put them in their own 1 gallon. Its not quite big enough for them but it will have to do for now I suppose.
As for the study, I agree that it seems like a bad idea. I have no idea what he was studying really but hopefully I can put the fish into a better environment but it is rough on the fish having to move so frequently.
For the plant, I'm not quite sure. Maybe Amazon Sword Plant but I'm not really sure. He supposedly had two other plants but this is the only one that really flourished.
Do you think I should give some of the smaller guys away to pet stores that will take them? I'm not quite sure but housing this many fish must be some sort of high risk for something and I don't quite have the tank capacity to keep them all.
Edit: Update on the situation, I've pulled out 3 small fishies that had torn fins =( and put them in their own 1 gallon. Its not quite big enough for them but it will have to do for now I suppose.
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yasherkoach - Posts: 1306
- Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 1:24 pm
yes, you can give the fish to a pet store, I'm sure they will take it, they may even give you credit on a future purchase
torn fins are a tough one...scales will grow back, fins will take much longer to grow back if at all...fish's parts like scales and fins, if the fish do not have them at their fullest it causes stress which breaks down their immune system and then the fish is unable to ward off disease and then the fish will die
I've always frowned upon hospital tanks with medication. I beieve if the wounded fish is removed from the main tank it causes more stress on the fish which leads to a quicker death...some probably will view this differently...I just keep the fish in the main tank, and either place hiding places for the wounded fish to recover in, I watch the fish very close, and I hope the fish will recover...some do, most don't
Amazon SWord Plant requires more light than an anubias, so you will need light in the tank, not too much for the tank is only 10 gallons
the gourami jumps...well then you will need a cover for sure, you may be able to get some cheap screening, place it over the tank top...plastic wrap will trap in more heat which is not good
or if you still have it, use the reptilian top, any top that fully covers the top yet has ventilation is better than a tank with plastic wrap
shoot me back a reply if you have other questions
torn fins are a tough one...scales will grow back, fins will take much longer to grow back if at all...fish's parts like scales and fins, if the fish do not have them at their fullest it causes stress which breaks down their immune system and then the fish is unable to ward off disease and then the fish will die
I've always frowned upon hospital tanks with medication. I beieve if the wounded fish is removed from the main tank it causes more stress on the fish which leads to a quicker death...some probably will view this differently...I just keep the fish in the main tank, and either place hiding places for the wounded fish to recover in, I watch the fish very close, and I hope the fish will recover...some do, most don't
Amazon SWord Plant requires more light than an anubias, so you will need light in the tank, not too much for the tank is only 10 gallons
the gourami jumps...well then you will need a cover for sure, you may be able to get some cheap screening, place it over the tank top...plastic wrap will trap in more heat which is not good
or if you still have it, use the reptilian top, any top that fully covers the top yet has ventilation is better than a tank with plastic wrap
shoot me back a reply if you have other questions
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Rachie9643 - Posts: 33
- Joined: Fri Jun 05, 2009 9:20 pm
Yeah I have the reptilian top on there at the moment, but because the filter kinda goes over the side really huge like xD so it's just close almost all the way so they can't jump. Problem is I have put many hiding places in there for the fish unfortunately =( they don't hide in there from the other fish. I just wanted to get them away from the aggression in hopes that they wouldn't get bullied to death. Now that they're in that tank though, I've had a chance to look at them closer and they really did get them torn off pretty badly =(. I think I will call my LFS tomorrow and see if they can take most of the fish off my hands. I don't really care if they give me credit or not.
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yasherkoach - Posts: 1306
- Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 1:24 pm
yes a LFS will take the fish...for the ones with torn fins especially if the cause of the fin tears are from a disease called fin rot, then the LFS may not want to take the fish...but any healthy fish, they will take
if you can, place the tetras with fin tears into a separate tank, like another 10 gallon if you can. I know you are short of cash - we all are - but it is best to separate the tetras unless you can get the tetras to hide.
beings Pearl Gouramis like lots of plants (live is best, but artificial is okay), you can set up on one side of the tank, a large amount of plants, so the gouramis will stay most of the time in that part of the tank, and the tetras may be protected
fins torn may grow back, but it is often difficult if the fish are under stress. Stress is the worst thing for a fish, it breaks down their ability to ward off disease or injury. If you can cut down on the stress level, the fins will have a much better chance to repair.
the top you have will do for now
it is good to see you care about these little guys, they depend on us for their ultimate survival
I hope this helps...let me know if you need anymore help, I'll be happy to help you
if you can, place the tetras with fin tears into a separate tank, like another 10 gallon if you can. I know you are short of cash - we all are - but it is best to separate the tetras unless you can get the tetras to hide.
beings Pearl Gouramis like lots of plants (live is best, but artificial is okay), you can set up on one side of the tank, a large amount of plants, so the gouramis will stay most of the time in that part of the tank, and the tetras may be protected
fins torn may grow back, but it is often difficult if the fish are under stress. Stress is the worst thing for a fish, it breaks down their ability to ward off disease or injury. If you can cut down on the stress level, the fins will have a much better chance to repair.
the top you have will do for now
it is good to see you care about these little guys, they depend on us for their ultimate survival
I hope this helps...let me know if you need anymore help, I'll be happy to help you
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Tmercier834747 - Posts: 887
- Joined: Wed Feb 13, 2008 8:33 pm
saran wrap may breathe to some degree but I'd advise against it as it will probably limit the amount of oxygen transfer into the tank a great deal more than the average fitted glass canopy. There are very cheap ones available to fit almost any size tank..and its pretty darn easy to find one for a 10 gallon tank. They are all glass except of course the hinge and the rear 2 or so inches which are plastic pieces you can cut to fit whatever equipment you're using.
I have one tank which is open-top as well but find that I'm changing the water out much more frequently than I'd like to (nitrates never even approach 5ppm, where fish can live comfortably at 15ppm, and I never let them go over 10ppm in other tanks). Of course this isn't bad for the fish, just a matter of inconvenience.
I have one tank which is open-top as well but find that I'm changing the water out much more frequently than I'd like to (nitrates never even approach 5ppm, where fish can live comfortably at 15ppm, and I never let them go over 10ppm in other tanks). Of course this isn't bad for the fish, just a matter of inconvenience.
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zambize - Posts: 401
- Joined: Mon Feb 25, 2008 9:14 pm
I think it would be less stress on you and the fish to take them to an lfs. The Pearl Gourami can get to 5" so I wouldn't put even one in a 10 gallon tank. My lfs would take the ones with torn fins without a problem, especially if I explained the problem to them.
I would advise against saran wrap. If it ever fell into the tank....bad news.
If you just keep a few tetras and it isn't overstocked, they shouldn't be jumping. I don't keep a top on my 55 gallon. I have a 4 foot long Coralife plant light with adjustable legs and you can't use a lid of any kind with it. There's a pic of it in my profile.
Z
I would advise against saran wrap. If it ever fell into the tank....bad news.
If you just keep a few tetras and it isn't overstocked, they shouldn't be jumping. I don't keep a top on my 55 gallon. I have a 4 foot long Coralife plant light with adjustable legs and you can't use a lid of any kind with it. There's a pic of it in my profile.
Z
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Rachie9643 - Posts: 33
- Joined: Fri Jun 05, 2009 9:20 pm
Well, its definitely not fin rot. These guys had them nipped at because its only the top fin and they're not exactly frayed at the ends. I've already separated the fish with the torn fin into another small tank, they seem ok with it so that will have to do for now.
The 10 gal with the ton of fish in it has a live plant which was the one the gourami already claimed but they seem to like other areas on the tank as well. The smaller fish do have hiding places if they would use them lol.
As for the insulation issue, I put like two plastic undergravel panels that weren't currently in use on top of the grate and it seemed to be ok. It kept the water a bit warmer over night so I guess that will work as a temporary solution. I still have to figure out what I should do with the Pearl Gourami.
Edit: HURRAY!!! Ok so just got off the phone with the LFS and they will take whatever fish I bring in. So I suppose I should get rid of the glowlight and the head light tail light tetras. I think thats the type that they are xD. I suppose 4 gourami is still too much to stick into one 10 gal tho isnt it? xD (im being too hopeful)
The 10 gal with the ton of fish in it has a live plant which was the one the gourami already claimed but they seem to like other areas on the tank as well. The smaller fish do have hiding places if they would use them lol.
As for the insulation issue, I put like two plastic undergravel panels that weren't currently in use on top of the grate and it seemed to be ok. It kept the water a bit warmer over night so I guess that will work as a temporary solution. I still have to figure out what I should do with the Pearl Gourami.
Edit: HURRAY!!! Ok so just got off the phone with the LFS and they will take whatever fish I bring in. So I suppose I should get rid of the glowlight and the head light tail light tetras. I think thats the type that they are xD. I suppose 4 gourami is still too much to stick into one 10 gal tho isnt it? xD (im being too hopeful)
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jweb - Posts: 318
- Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2009 6:45 am
I didn't read everyones posts but in case no one posted this... Don't plastic wrap the top of the tank. Your water needs to breath and release gases. Especially with all of those fish.
