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hi! just acquired a new 10 gallon tank and, like others who are new to this, i just stocked my tank with pebbles, gravel, plastic plants (sparsely spread) and an undergravel filter. without thinking about it, i bought 5 green and 10 regular tiger barbs and just put them all in the tank.

after browsing this forum, i was astounded to know that almost everything that i did was wrong! starting off with the number and type of fishes i put in, the need to "cycle"(?!) my tank and buy testing kits for ph and ammonia levels (whew!) and should i really need another type of filter? (i mean really?). did not know that keeping fish does have a technical aspect to it!

well, to make a long story short, i am concerned about the fish i put in, it has been a week now and, fortunately not one of them died yet. how do i feed them correctly, by the way?

please, any help would really be appreciated! tia!

Welcome to the forum Glad you found us.

First thing is I'd suggest taking the fish back if possible. At least one of the colors of tigers since they are likely to nip and be aggressive towards the others (@least IME anyway). The tigers get too large for your tank as it is so if possible to return all of them then do some research into more acceptible fish would be best, if your LFS (Local Fish Store) won't let you, maybe just the 10 regulars and see if you can exchange them for equiptment.
Have you been able to get test kits yet?
Finally, while a UGF will work for awhile it will likely cause trouble, especially if it's not maintained properly. For now it'll be okay.

Feeding, especially while cycling should be done only a little bit @a time. Just ensure that everyone is getting some. Getting a proper stock for the tank and some test kits should be your first priorities, we can deal with the filtration in a few weeks .

^_^
H2g2 2005 Don't Leave Home Without it
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Last edited by Babelfish at 02-Dec-2004 18:53

Well first of all welcome to the hobby!!! You did buy very good fish,however way too many for a 10.A 29 would be better and even then it might be a little overstocked.As for the underground filter,I find that power filters are better.Especially one with a bio-wheel,but some people will say that a UGF is ok.If you can't get a bigger tank I would suggest taking the barbs back and getting a few small livebearers or tetra.Something hardy to cycle with.Danios are very hardy and good for a cycle.Or maybe a couple platy's.I'm sure there are others that can help you more! Good Luck!

thanks for the speedy replies!

@babelfish, yup, already tried to send back the fish but they tell me that it is more than a week now, i should have returned them 3 days after purchase. arrgh! well, in the philippines, such things are commonplace! sigh. what can you suggest i can do with these barbs? i don't want to wait for them to just die on me. also what kind of problem should i expect with the ugf? can you suggest any alternative?

@guppyman, so i should have bought danios then, huh? if i can find a suitable home for the barbs, how many danios should i get? any particular kind? also about power filters, any brand or type that i should look out for?

thanks a lot! really!

Hey Greeneye, welcome to the hobby (and Fish Profiles)!

Hm....what to do about the tigerbarbs...I say, try to find someone with a fishtank that'll buy/take the tigerbarbs. Go around to other fish stores if you can too. Another suggestion is to simply get a bigger tank(like guppy man said)...like a 30 gallon. Trust me, you'll have several tanks before you know it, they'll just kind of appear....

Tiger barbs are hardy fish (most barbs are). In the very, very short term they will be okay in the tank. If you can, get a test kit and monitor the levels of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate in the water. Keep up on waterchanges, and make sure the levels of the chemicals don't get too high.

The UGF will be fine for a while. The problems with the UGF is that after a while, debris and waste simply builds up underneath the filter. If you take out the filter or do some rearranging, you have all this waste in your water, and that can spell doom for your fish.

As for now, either look for a new tank, or someone to take these fish off of you. If you need suggestions for good fish for a 10 gallon, just ask.

Last edited by solublefish at 02-Dec-2004 20:36

As for the Danios I only keep long-finned zebra danios,but they are all beautiful fish.It depends on what you like.I personally like zebra danios.I should mention to exclude giant danios.I have kept 5 danios in a 10 without problem.However they are very active fish that do need swimming room.They do not produce much waste and have proved to be one of the most clean fish I have ever owned.If you do decide to go with danios I wouldn't put anything else with them,other than maybe a bottom feeder of some sort.5 danios would be the max for a 10.As for the filter I would use anything with a bio-wheel.I have 2 penguin 170's on my 29 gal.My 10 gal has a whisper power filter.I hate it,and will be getting a better filter soon.

dwarf puffers are good choice for a 10 gallon if properly maintained. Only thing is you could have maybe 3-4 dwarf puffers only, they tend to get agressive towards eachother at times.

Those would be cool too.I always wanted dwarf puffers,but I have never seen any around my area.Only figure 8's.

greeneye

A very warm welcome to FP.

Go back to the shop ask for the Manager/Owner and tell them politely but firmly you want to return them as they are unsuitable for your tank. If they still refuse to replace/swap them explain to them you will never return to their shop again and will tell all your friends to do the same.

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
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hi! thanks for ALL of the replies! you guys are really helpful, i do appreciate that!

anyways,i have a friend who has a 40 gallon tank and is willing to "adopt" the 5 green barbs. so i guess that is minus five fish. as for the others, i really have grown fond of these fiesty tigers that i am willing to take a chance in trying to keep them in my 10g, bad decision? i guess, but would there be any hope?

as for the ugf, should i just take it off and replace it with a power filter?

actually saw beautiful looking zebras at the fish shop but do the tigers really have no chance at all? tia!

Tiger barbs can get at least 2 inches long. They should be kept in groups of 8 or more, as they are then less likely to be aggressive to each other. I'd warn your friend.

T barbs are also very active. They need at least a 3 foot tank to swim around in, since they're always zooming around.

Your tiger barbs just won't work in a 10 gallon tank. Not only is it overstocked with 10 of them, but they just don't have enough room.

Perhaps, if you are really attached to them, you can get a larger tank. You'll have lots more fun, and they'll act more naturally in a larger tank. You could sell the 10, perhaps, or you could keep it and do something else with it .

---

They shade the glow of it with their mossy-misty costumes,
They wear masks of silk, porcelain, brass, and silver,
So as not to mislead with their own, ordinary faces.

greeneye, the tiger barbs just will not have the space to be themselves in that tank....it would be like putting 5 hyper 3 year olds in a closet. They'd have enough room but they wouldnt' be able to really move enough. I wouldnt' suggest tiger barbs for anything smaller than a 20 Long, they just need the horizontal swimming room.

^_^
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Last edited by Babelfish at 04-Dec-2004 01:56

@janna, @babelfish, thanks for the advice! will take these into consideration. my friend told me that he also added buddies to the ones that i gave him. he has a number of tanks at his home and, i guess, knows about how active these barbs can get, told me the same things as well.

i should have asked him and this forum first before getting started. oh well, charging this to experience...

thanks again!

Hi and welcome Greeneye

Check out this thread for some great tips
http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/forums/Getting%20Started/50758.html?200412041825

Hope you get up and running with your tank and trouble free soon. Keeping fish is relaxing and stress making by turns. Hopefully the fun out weighs the freak outs.


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~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~