Tropical tank mates and tank sizes

tropical, aquarium, tank, mates, fish, 10 gallon, tiger barbs, pictus catfish, plecostomus

ok so I want a 55 gallon tank but I dont have the money. I have 5 tigerbarbs, 1 pleco, and 1 pictus. The water parameters are fine but I need a few more ideas on what types of fish I can get that are compatable and that are colorful so that the tank looks beautiful. Can anyone help me?

with tiger barbs, try to avoid adding slowly moving fish. the tiger barbs seem to go into a frenzy for food more than many fish, and they really up the competition for food. I tried some german blue rams with mine, but had to remove them because they wouldn't get to the flakes fast enough.

the only way i've found to get around this is to dump a bunch of food in all at once so the slow fish have a shot, but overfeeding isn't the best approach =P my tigers even swarm the pellets and wafers >.<

and are you planning on adding more fish to the 10g you have currently? it seems a bit full to add more. don't eat for 2 weeks, and buy yourself that 55g. your pleco and pictus would definitely be better off in it. your pleco will get THIS BIG

Unfortunately a 10 gallon can only hold so many. With the type of fish you are keeping most require groups of at least 3 or more. Try to get a 29 the foot print will be able to handle a bit more, plus the extra head room for the schooling fish.

thanks for replying. Im planning on getting a 55 gallon this christmas so tht i dont have to spend much of my money. i need my money so i can get more supplies for them. I now have 4 tigerbarbs yay and their so active. but like im saying if there was a way for me to get it faster i would do it. im 14 so i dont earn much money and so ive spent about 80% of it on my fish because I bought all of my components for my first tank seperately instead of a kit because when i first started out there wasnt a local petco. =( I ended up spending more than i should have spent.

feed your parents some line about how maintaining a large fish tank would teach you the valuable skill of responsibility

and i'm happy you choose to spend your money on a constructive hobby like this instead of blowing it all on stupid cr@p like most 14 year olds

I, too, commend you for using your money for a good hobby. And don't kick yourself over spending more money buying everything seperate. I've learned to stay away from most boxed kits as the items are usually bottom of the barrel. Yes, it's more expensive initially to buy seperate but if you get more life out of them then you'll break even or come out ahead in the long run. I agree you're already stocked high on that tank. If the pleco is a common plec you're looking at a fish with the potential to be 12-18 inches. And, even as 2 inch babies, they're poop machines and put out a ton of waste. However, lots of other types of plecs don't get nearly as big and will do just fine in your 10, but not all. Do you know which species you have? As for the pictus, he's a schooling fish and would exhibit more interesting behaviors with at least two other pictus but that would be too much for you tank. That being said, I've kept them individually and they've thrived but they're not nearly as fun to watch. The pictus is definitely in my top 3 favorite catfish along with zebra plecs and raphaels. :) As for color, tiger barbs can easily overwhelm a lot of other fish with their antics. I've found that it's often easiest just to mix albino, green, standard, and black ruby barbs to get color variety. However, serpae tetras do great with them and have a gorgeous red color. Just make sure to get the normal short finned variety or the barbs will mow then fins off the long finned. However, I wouldn't add any with that plec in there. Barbs don't mind being packed in a little tight but you'd have to take out the plec, provide ample hiding places for the pictus, watch his barbels to make sure the barbs aren't nipping them, and be diligent about frequent large water changes.

I agree with all the above. I was just like you when I was 14. Look at it this way. Make a sponge filter for that 10 gallon and keep it cycled. When you get your new 55 you can keep this 10 g for a hospital/qt or even a fry tank. You will be glad you did If plan on expanding in this hobby. Good luck to you.

thanks. I will most likely be using the tank as a hospital tank after i move them to the 55. I have a 3 gallon tank as well. do you guys think I should put the pleco in there by himself? i also have a mini water heater for it so there wouldnt be a problem for the temperature. would you guys/gals suggest tht i put a sponge filter in my 10 since its already cycled&put it into the 55 so when i get it it will take less time to cycle? and would it still apply tht i put the fish in a bag and float it when its done cycling? also is would it also be preffered tht I add a small group every week as if i were just starting off the hobby? will it also be preffered tht i put the fish into the tank by care level easiest-hardest or hardest-easiest? also how will I be making the sponge filter? and how big of a sponge would I need? my tank is in my room & im usually in there. i only see the barbs arguing with each other rather than with the pleco or pictus. I have regular tiger barbs and i know i deffinately want a few green tiger barbs but its pretty clear tht theres no room for them so ill just have to wait til i get tht 55 gallon. i have a common pleco so its growing really fast and my dad came in my room yesterday and said tht we really might have to get the 55 sooner than we thought. so yay =))))))) superhappyface also how many more fish can i put into the 55 when i get it?

lol, that is alot of questions (which is good) but i can only answer a few. you wanna put the pleco in the biggest tank you have or get. he doesn't need to be by himself since they do fine with other types of fish.

to speed up cycling of the 55, you can put some extra filter media in your current filter as long as it doesn't clog it or ruin the flow. that will set up a nice colony of your beneficial bacteria(BB) to put into your 55 filter when you get it.

and it's always a good idea to introduce fish in small groups instead of large groups to let your BB colony grow accordingly. i put 15 tetras in at once quite a while back, and it started a mini cycle in the tank, and all the fish got ich.

if you want to figure out how many fish to have, aqadvisor.com is a good place to start

and it seems like your dad is supportive of your hobby, which is very good :)[url][/url]

Setting up a new sponge filter is a great idea. I always keep a few extra running in my tanks just incase. With your current situation and bioload being handled by your filters an instant cycle is ok to do. As long as no new fish are introduced you can move the fish in the ten gallon along with all the contents(substrate,rock,filters). If your water is fine now and stays that way you will not have to wait for a cycle. Just add your new filter with the existing ones and all should be good. I did this with fish in a 29g and upgraded them to a 125.

oh ok thanks

how will i make a spongefilter

haha i accidentally sent it twice

Pictus catfish guy wrote:

how will i make a spongefilter

Google it.

ok

Ok i have1 set up under the gravel of my tank now what do i do? it looks like theres more air flowing through the tank so theres not a problem with that. also ineed help w/ my pictis cuz he wont eat the worms anymore what should I feed him&how much of it? I havent fed him zuchini before do you think it may be because of that? im having to force feed it so it doesnt die =(.

always go for the biggest tank you can afford to get away with. be it size or cost. it will diminish any notion of buyers remorse ie " i coulda got a bigger tank". making an complete wild assumption but seeing what you already like, id say go for a semi aggressive. get yurself a few mid size cichlids. preferably South American.

the pictus will get about 6inches and dont trust them with anything that can fit in their mouth, deep bodied barbs etc are ok tho.

id rid yourself of the pleco, im assuming its a common beast pleco, it will quickly grow to 18in and become a monster nuisance. invest in a scrubber and siphon hose to clean your tank. its an amateur fish keepers mistake calling them a "cleaner fish" there is no such thing.

recommendation on a basic build for once you get your 55g. since youre new, only 5 fish per week to minimize stress and reduced impact on the bio-load.

TOP:
- giant danios, african butterfly fish or upside down catfish, hatchet fish. etc (10-12 individuals)

MIDDLE:
- silver dollars, tiger barbs, gold barbs. and similar fish (10-12 indviduals)

BOTTOM:
- pictus, bristlenose plecos, emerald corydoras, 1-2 midsize cichlid 4-6 in max. and possibly a crayfish or two

now dont get ahead yourself tho. a good fish keeper always get his fish last, patience is a virtue and a reward in fish keeping. rushing = dead fish
plan out what you want your tank to end up as and budget/build towards that. i knew wht i wanted for a year before i finished my tank. try to avoid the impulse buy and ask yourself if you REAALLY need that fancy novelty gadget if youre on a budget. also dont forget to mow neighbors lawns to feed your habit. my parents never gave me an allowance

now this is pure bias, but a list of what i think is essential equipment.
-55gal tank
-either 2 aquaclear 50s or 1 aquaclear 70. and make your own filter inserts, ie nylon bag
-30gal air pump witha modest sized airstone
- approproate sized heater
- cheap sand from home depot, not gravel
- lid/light
- water

hey kasshan have you ever heard of a DIY bubble bar? i want to know if i could make one but ive never found out how. I guess Ill have to look it up on google lol. but anywsy u have been a good help to me and thats only from a few posts. lol all of you have. anyway im just wondering if it would cost less or more. I also wonder if a DIY stand would work out to cost less lol. i wonder if theres a way for me to make a cover but that would probably involve powertools and i dont have many. i would need to find out a way to get the top&bottom rim of the tank. i actually probably would just get a kit or at our local petco the tank bodys are $1 a gallon. either way i have a way to get the tank lol. i dont want to worry about the leaking so I might just get the body and work my way up with parts until done and then add my fish in after. I really think i will be making the stand though. I already make my own filter cartridges. the filter im gonna be getting i already know how to make the cartridges so i dont have to worry about spending a ton of money. I actually havent bought one since i got the 10 cuz its as simple as putting gravel in it. there really is no difference. i just wash it off every week because it actually cleans better.

If you want a cheap stand buy cinder blocks and some wood. All you would need is a saw, tape measure, and a paint brush. Here is a pic of one I made for less then $30. You can put a sheet under the tank to hide the cinder blocks or paint them. You can make extra storage space with extra plywood.

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this is another strong personal bias, but i think large noisy bubble bars annoy and stress out fish. sure they look pretty to you, but unless your fish are endemic to waterfalls or live in rapid foamy rivers. i would pass on them and find something that is more subtle and easy to hide.

also jeepluv77's advice is some of the best advice to be had. she knows her stuff. take heed

Flippercon wrote:

you just added $100 to my tank budget :)

I have a bubble bar set up already. all I had to do was remove the tube poke lots of holes and cover the end up and it worked also mine is not too loud actually its not loud at all. Thanks for the tip on the stand. I will get it set up in my room as soon as possible lol right now i only have $12 but itll do for now. if you could tell how much the cynderblocks were for you it would help a ton. I already know the plywood wont cost alot. lol I like the look of yours alot actually. Im deffinatly gonna make one like yours but maybe one more shelf. and I wouldnt really need to spend a whole lot. If i do end up buying the stand in the end im deffinatly not getting a metal framed one. those are not supportive of the mid section of the tank. so I would need at least 9 synderblocks to support the tank. doesnt seem to be too hard for me to earn the $30 because I earn 20 every time I mow. Im also going to go around the neighborhood and see if anyone needs their lawn mowed so tht I can get a head start. Did the plywood come with the little planks on the bottom? lol if it didnt im still fine with getting them too.