# Stocking!



## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

so my brother sold his 10 gallon tank and i dont know what kind of fish i should buy so what do you guys think???


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## StripesAndFins (Dec 31, 2008)

what does your brother selling his tank have to do with getting new fish. did he sell it to you?


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

yes he sold it to me


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

so i want to buy about 5 black skirt tetras and about 5 cherry brabs and can some one tell me some type of fish that eats algae(no snails) is that ok?


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## StripesAndFins (Dec 31, 2008)

how about those and a bristlenosed catfish 
and good luck with the new tank


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## justintrask (Jun 29, 2008)

the black skirts will get big for a 10G, i recommend a 20-29G for them.

Have you seen black neon tetras? Those are very cool


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

do bristlenosed catfish eat algae so the 5 cherry barbs and 5 black skirt tetras are ok


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

so i can keep the cherry barbs and some type aof algae eater but i cant keep the black skirt tetra


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## justintrask (Jun 29, 2008)

I'd do cherry barbs and the bristlenose. i wouldnt recommend black skirts


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

ok so 1 bristlenos catfish and 5 cherry barbs can i get a few neon tetras?


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

ok i dont think that the pet stores near me have the bristlenos catfish but i will go cheak tommorow and can i get some neon tetra


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## justintrask (Jun 29, 2008)

not all at once. I would get the cherry barbs first and let your tank run for a month or two before adding neons


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

ok so i get 5 cherry barbs and i will wait 1 month then i will get 5 neon tetras then if algae becomes a problem i will get a algae eater thing is that right does any other fish fit?


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## COM (Mar 15, 2008)

I would think that if you are doing cherry barbs, you need more aggressive tank mates than neons.


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## StripesAndFins (Dec 31, 2008)

i have heard that cardinals and neons bring out the "predator" in most fish meaning a lot of fish will decide to make them a snack no matter what size they are. IMO i wouldnt get the neons. maybe black neons though. thats just what i would do. it would also probably be best for the fish as well anyways good luck


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

ok i want the 5 cherry barbs so what other fish can i add?


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## justintrask (Jun 29, 2008)

and if you need an algae eater, do NOT get a chinese algae eater. get otocinclus, or apple snails, or a bristlenose pleco.


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## StripesAndFins (Dec 31, 2008)

try emperor tetras, penguin tetras, black neons, or corys those are some peaceful schooling fish


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## COM (Mar 15, 2008)

How about some porkchop rasboras?


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

i read some information and it said i should add about 3 to 5 otocinclus catfish is it ok to just buy one?


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

i like the black neon tetra and the penguin tetra


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## Buggy (Oct 17, 2006)

Black neons are cool. They are pretty tough and they look good in a school. I wouldn't advise keeping just one otto, they are hard to acclimate and not too easy to keep alive. Try to get three and see how they do. BUT don't put anything in it until you are SURE it is cycled. The cherry barbs might survive a cycle but I doubt any of the others would.


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

ok so i should get 5 cherry barbs then 5 black neon tetras but i dont want to buy 3 otos i want to buy only one algae eater thing


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## Fishychic (Dec 7, 2008)

It is recommended to get otos in groups so i don't suggest otos if you just want one. I would a bristlenosed pleco IF your pet store has them. They're fairly common, so check it out. I have two, they're great algae eaters.


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## frogman5 (Mar 13, 2007)

regular neons would look good if u decided to plant it


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## Buggy (Oct 17, 2006)

elvis, do you buy your fish from a local fish store or from a chain store like Petco or PetSmart? A lot of privately owned fish stores will order a particular fish for you if you ask them. Maybe you could get them to special order a bristle nose for you? If not, do a google search for "algea eating aquarium fish" and see what you can find that doesn't get over 2" and you can get at your fish store. 
And don't forget, Bristle nose plecos come in two varieties...normal brown color and albino. The albino seems to be the most popular and easiest to find.


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

i buy my fish at petco,petsmart and walmart


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## COM (Mar 15, 2008)

Hey, why don't you use the new tank to grow out the fry from all of your livebearers?


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

no thanks i want to try differnt fishes


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

is it bristlenose pleco or bristlenose catfish


and are there any other better looking algae eater ,community fish, no longer than 3 inches out there???,


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## justintrask (Jun 29, 2008)

flagfish.

thispostneedstobe10characterslong


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

i do not like flagfish are there any other ottos or catfish or plecos??????


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## COM (Mar 15, 2008)

It depends what you consider good looking.










That's a Dwarf Ancistus Pleco. They don't get too big for your tank. But, fancy plecos are quite pricey. The one pictured was about $35.


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## justintrask (Jun 29, 2008)

also, you dont need an algae eater unless theres algae. if you take care of the tank well, there should be no algae!


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

and do bristlenose pleco like bite you


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## Buggy (Oct 17, 2006)

No, plecos don't bite you. They are right though. If you don't have an algae problem then you don't really NEED an algae eater. In fact, if your tank doesn't have algae then you will have to suppliment their diet with algae waffers and fresh veggies or they will starve.


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

i know that is what i said i will buy one if algae is a problem well thanks everybody for all the good info


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

since im moving in 20 days im only going to buy the new fish when i get to my new house


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## Buggy (Oct 17, 2006)

Sounds like a good plan.


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

yep so what im doing is ok with getting fish once im in my new house first 5 cherry barbs then 1 month later i get 5 black neon tetras then if algae becomes a problem then i will probbly start a new thread is this ok?


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

I would not recommend 2 schools in a 10 gallon. Get 8 of EITHER black neons OR cherry barbs, they'll be much happier.


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## COM (Mar 15, 2008)

Two schools of something very small would work fine, like neons and glowlights.

I still think that cherry barbs are not really the best fish for a ten gallon tank, and also that they are a little to aggressive for other small fish.


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

so what do i do then i really want cherry barbs


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## StripesAndFins (Dec 31, 2008)

get 8 cherry barbs and no tetras. that is what julie is saying


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## Ghost Knife (Mar 12, 2008)

StripesAndFins said:


> get 8 cherry barbs and no tetras. that is what julie is saying


That would be the best bet for a 10 gallon. Either 2 small schools of something like Danios or Tetras or one school of the Cherry Barbs.


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

so i cant get black neon tetras and cherry barbs


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

so can i get 5 black neon tetras and 5 cherry barbs???


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## StripesAndFins (Dec 31, 2008)

no just get 8 cherry barbs and meybe a bristlenosed pleco if algae becomes a problem. if it doesnt then just stick to the 8 cherry barbs


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

since cherry brabs are in dangered it may be hard to get them if i cant get them what else can i get


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## StripesAndFins (Dec 31, 2008)

if you cant get cherry barbs you could get the black neons, cardinals, or neons but only one school so like 8 of one no others. that and a bristlenosed pleco. this is what i would do. i would get 8 cardinals and 1 bristlenosed pleco, but i would only get the cardinals if there were no cherry barbs. so if there are no cherry barbs then get cardinals or neon tetras still 8 of each and a bristlenosed pleco. hope this helps


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

can i get 5 black neon tetras and 5 blue neon tetras and bristlnose pleco?


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## AndyTrask (Jan 12, 2009)

harlequin or scissortail rasboras would be good tankmates for cherry barbs


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

Scissortails get kinda big. I would just recommend the cherry barbs, probably like 6. They'll be happier without crowding.


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

hello ok ill get some cherry barbs but if i can find any can i get 5 black neon tetras and 5 blue neon tetras and if algae is a problem a bristlnose pleco


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

Seriously, your fish will be happier with one larger school. Just get a school of 8 black neons. BN plecos get too big for a 10 gallon tank, just keep on w/cs and you won't have a problem with algae.


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

do i have to get a school of black neons can i get a school of blue neo tetras?


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

i know what im going to get a school of blue neon tetras


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## StripesAndFins (Dec 31, 2008)

make sure there is only 6-8 out of them that is probably the only ammount that could fit in your new tank. good luck


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

so i will get 8 blue neon tetras


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

Should be fine.


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

do i put all 8 together or do i put 4 this week and 4 next week


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## StripesAndFins (Dec 31, 2008)

do it in parts so maybe 3 1 week, 3 the next, then the last 2 the 3rd week


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

are you sure i should do that


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## StripesAndFins (Dec 31, 2008)

or you could do 4 each week. I wouldnt know. never done it and i am not that old so i have barely any experiece. so do what you please


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

ill just do 4 this week then 4 nxt week and im not that old too


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## fishboy (Feb 26, 2005)

make sure you look over them carefully, neons aren't all that fragile but they're not super hardy so check for signs of illness when your purchasing them. You can't beat the appearance of a school of neons in almost any setup, good luck with you tank.


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## COM (Mar 15, 2008)

With a little fish like neon tetras, you can go ahead and put a whole school in at once, so long as the tank is cycled and everything with the water is pretty set.

I have never had success keeping Neon tetras. They are a very sensitive fish and I find that they seem to die off one by one.

I have had much better luck with Cardinal tetras, which are very similar in coloration to neons but a tad (1/4" or so) larger. They seem to be much much hardier.


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

well im going to try them if they doint work ill go to something else


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## sarahbellum (Feb 28, 2008)

I thought you were going to wait until you were done moving?


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

i am i used this week and next week as a example


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## Fishychic (Dec 7, 2008)

Is the tank cycled?


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

i did not start yet because the 10 gallon used to be my brothers i bought it from him and it came with a 6 inch gold fish but my pastor has a pond of gold fish and koi and im going to give it to him but not now because the pond is frozen.


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## fishboy (Feb 26, 2005)

well as long as water has stayed in it and the tank isn't left too long without an inhabitant you should be good on the cycling front, a goldfish has a large enough biomass to prepare your tank for a few neons


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

but after i give the gold fish away imgoing to clean the whole tank and cycle it all over again because my brother did not tanke care of the fish tank i tested it and the water was badddddddddddddddddd!


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## Fishychic (Dec 7, 2008)

well if you're going to start over then I suggest fishless cycling before you buy your fish.


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## elvis332 (Dec 29, 2007)

yea that whaT IM GOING TO DO


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