# my 10 gallon



## Guest (May 22, 2005)

Hi! Just wanted to introduce myself to the forum members and tell alittle about my setup...

10g tank (glass)
Whisper internal 10i filter
blue gravel
2 plastic plants


fish:
school of 6 pacu
1 angelfish
2 bubbleeye goldfish
1 serpa tetra
ghost catfish
betta
3ghost shrimp
3 plecostumus


Anyway, hope you like it , may get pics up soon.


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## Pac-Man (Mar 18, 2005)

you have a TON of problems with that tank. the pacus need at least 500 gallons of water. the angel needs like at least 25, the GOLDFISH NEED 60 GALLONS, you need to return some fish from this tank. ALOT of fish. this is beyond overstocked. any kind of pleco wont fit in a 10g tank, let alone 3. you need to get rid of some fish, FAST


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## fishfreaks (Jan 19, 2005)

yup get rid of the plecos, angelfish, and pacus, and your tank should be fine


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## Guest (May 22, 2005)

*theguy at my fish store told me that these were mini*

pacus and that they only get to 2" long! so, ill be able to keep them. I did returm the angelfish, and while there I couldn't resist getting another betta. I also added one more ghost shrimp.


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## Courtney (Jan 18, 2005)

Pacu's grow to be 22 to 43 inches long, just a note...


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## Pac-Man (Mar 18, 2005)

yes kissy, plz return the pacus. if u know anything about them at all, u should know they get huge.


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## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

kissy said:


> pacus and that they only get to 2" long! so, ill be able to keep them. I did returm the angelfish, and while there I couldn't resist getting another betta. I also added one more ghost shrimp.


If they are both male do not put them in the same tank one will kill the other.
When whoever told you that pacus only grow to two inches they were probably thinking of the close relative being silver dollars. And even then there is only a few kinds of them that stay that small.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Mini-Pacus?
HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAA!!!!!!!
Hoohoo, that's a good one. 

RUN, don't walk, away from this store forever. THAT bozo has no business being in the fish business, and you should NEVER give him another penny. 

I don't even know where to start. Your tank is not THE most screwed-up one I've ever seen, but it's way up there in the top ten.
So let's see... now you have, after your changes:

6 pacu
2 goldfish
2 bettas !
1 single serpae tetra
4 ghost shrimp
3 plecos
and a ghost catfish, whatever that is.

All in a single 10 gallon tank.

Holy mother of crap.


Waitaminute...is this a joke?


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## mlefev (Apr 19, 2005)

Well, I'm a little less ready to jump on someone for this, but they're all correct. You still have WAY too many fish.

A Pacus will grow to at least 18 inches, no matter what the variety is. That's practically the length of your tank.

Your goldfish will be stunted by your tank size ( which I wouldn't reccommend ) but even at they can grow large enough to overcrowd just by themselves. They also produce enough waste to raise the ammonia to toxic levels for every fish you currently own. 

Bettas also can have thier fins nipped by your tetra, especially if there isn't enough room in the tank.

The ghost shrimp are fine with any of the fish..except that the goldfish might think they're lunch one of these days.

The Pelcos can almost grow to 12 inches if they're kept in a large enough environment.

So let me explain your situation...IF you could raise these to maturity, you would have a tank packed with fish like tuna in a can, and you would have no water left.

You have 2 options, get rid of most the larger fish, or get a massive tank.

I have 3 zebra danios, 3 neon tetras, one platy and one cory catfish in my 10 gallon tank, and I have to do at least 2 10% water changes per week to keep the ammonia levels from getting too high.

No one here is trying to discourage you, but nothing we could say would be as discrouraging as seeing your fish drop off one by one.


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## Pac-Man (Mar 18, 2005)

so oldsalt, whats the most messed up tank youve seen?, lol


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## osteoporoosi (Jan 27, 2005)

As suggested lose the goldfish,pacus,angelfish,catfish and the plecos. Increase the number of the serpaes and you should be fine.


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## MyraVan (Jan 19, 2005)

mlefev said:


> I have 3 zebra danios, 3 neon tetras, one platy and one cory catfish in my 10 gallon tank, and I have to do at least 2 10% water changes per week to keep the ammonia levels from getting too high.


Really? I think you have a problem there... Water changes should be to keep the nitrate levels down; the filter should be turning all your ammonia into nitrite than nitrate. If you're having to do water changes to keep the ammonia down the filter is not doing it's job.

BTW the tank in this original post is soooo bad, it really must be a joke. I mean, it's a collection of some of the biggest, messiest fish out there, with 1 tetra. It looks like a "nightmare tank" created by someone who has quite a bit of knowledge about fishkeeping, designed to wind us up. If it really is legit, then someone has just by accident chosen about the worst combination of fish you can imagine for a 10 gallon tank!


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## Ownager2004 (Apr 4, 2005)

LoL your tank simply cannont survive at the current stocking. If i were you id take everything back but your ghost shrimp and serpae tetra. And then if your tank is cycled correctly... i would buy 4-5 more serpae tetras. Even then your tank would most likely be overstocked... but i think it would be maintanable with proper care.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

I tend to agree with MyraVan.

-2 bettas in the same tank!!!
-goldfish and tropicals mixed together
-3 goldfish in a 10 gallon tank
-1 single schooling tetra
-a six-pack of pacus in a tank that can't hold ONE
-3 plecos in a tank that can't hold 0NE
-an unknown catfish, size and habits anyone's guess
-angelfish replaced with another shrimp

That's why I asked if this was a joke. It's like kissy just knew all the wrong things to do; I mean, wow, what are the odds?

kissy, if you're for real, then let us know quick so we can help you before it's too late.

Hmmm... I dunno, PacMan, it's hard to pick the all-time worst from the most memorable doozies I've seen.


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## mlefev (Apr 19, 2005)

Yeah, I'm a bit concerned about the ammonia also. I saw it spike shortly after I added the cory so it could have just been adding the new guy that changed things for a week or so. 

I've tested it twice this week and it's been back to 0, and the nitrates seem to be 0 also, so maybe it calmed down again. I would agree that my fliter isn't doing nearly what it should be. When I'm done moving, I plan on buying a better filter. I think I've given up on UGF's. The cartridges don't work that well...basically they seem to be keeping things from getting any worse, not better. The ammonia also isn't entirely out of control, but it's showing up between the 0 and .25ppm colors in the test kit, which is more than I want it to be.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

What??

mlefev, are you in the right thread?


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## mlefev (Apr 19, 2005)

Yes, I was replying to MyraVan



MyraVan said:


> Really? I think you have a problem there... Water changes should be to keep the nitrate levels down; the filter should be turning all your ammonia into nitrite than nitrate. If you're having to do water changes to keep the ammonia down the filter is not doing it's job.
> 
> BTW the tank in this original post is soooo bad, it really must be a joke. I mean, it's a collection of some of the biggest, messiest fish out there, with 1 tetra. It looks like a "nightmare tank" created by someone who has quite a bit of knowledge about fishkeeping, designed to wind us up. If it really is legit, then someone has just by accident chosen about the worst combination of fish you can imagine for a 10 gallon tank!


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## Celeste (May 13, 2005)

you cannot have two bettas in the same tank. they will kill each other. the others will pick on him...yes, they can be housed with other fish, but they have to be right RIGHT fish, and the RIGHT betta. some bettas don't get along with ANYONE. 

you either need a new 500 gallon aquarium and a pond, or you need to find new homes for all your fish but the shrimp and the tetra and start over. they are all going to die.


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## euRasian32 (May 19, 2005)

mlefev: You could get a low gph Powerhead for your UGF to improve your filtration. Just a suggestion/alternative to breaking you're whole tank down to remove the UGF


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## Pac-Man (Mar 18, 2005)

hey guys, back on topic, either she quit the joke, or we scared this new kid off...i hope it was a joke...


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## ALFA WOLF (May 24, 2005)

Same here that was way to much for a 10 gallon tank. if all the fish were still small then they are fine for maybe 2 days he/she could just get another tnak and stuff but they have to let it all run and i would not let it be that bad for that long.


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## fishboy (Feb 26, 2005)

This has to be fake. Its like an allstar team of the worst fish you can put in a 10 gallon.
I own a nightmare tank myself 2 goldfish in a 10 gallon . they were a gift and my first fish. I'm upgradeing to 20 gallons and then to a 100 gallon pond over the next year or two. But the weirdest one i've ever seen is a 1 to 2.5 gallon bowl whish has a pole going through the middle (it's shaped like a candy machine) with one comet goldfish that was added 7 years ago and it swims around the pole so much i guess it thinks its in a pond because it has contiued to grow and is now hitting about 6 inches without counting the fins


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## ALFA WOLF (May 24, 2005)

lol thats funny. i would do that but have the glass thing at least hold 5 to put a gold fish in it. but thats a good idea. for little gold fish i think.


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## fishboy (Feb 26, 2005)

5 gallons is not a good idea. Goldfish need 60 gallons even mine will notbe happy till I move them to a pond

Also TheOldSalt you've never heard of a ghost catfish aka the glasscat fish
here's a picture http://www.tjorvar.is/assets/images/glasscat.jpeg
They are midwater catfish that must be kept in groups of 6 or more and get to be 2-3" (i think) and are very timid and fragile


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## euRasian32 (May 19, 2005)

Pac-Man said:


> so oldsalt, whats the most messed up tank youve seen?, lol





TheOldSalt said:


> Hmmm... I dunno, PacMan, it's hard to pick the all-time worst from the most memorable doozies I've seen.


I have a confession to make. We'll call it from one extreme to the other... I will state that the set up I'm about to list was my first tank, my only help was with a guy at a LFS which closed down after a month after I first started buying fish. He was busted for stealing from the store, so bad that it had closed down. He served 6 months. ANYHOO.

10 Gallon
1st week

3 irridescant sharks
4 painted tetras
2 sailfin plecos (gibbiceps, mind you)
6 neons

I added after 2 weeks:
1 Jack Dempsy
2 albino tiger oscars
1 firemouth cichlid
1 jewel cichlid

A day after the yellow police tape went around my LFS, I learned what I had done when I found another FS in the next county. The look on the guys face was priceless. Needless to say he was happy to take in all my fish except the 2 oscars, which were in the tank for exactly 2 days after that. Purchased a 38 for the 2 - couldn't afford bigger - got a 55 a month later - then a 75 shortly after that, and it all eventually sprouted into a fishroom. -end confession. I feel better, thanks


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## ALFA WOLF (May 24, 2005)

are u seriouse all that in a little 10 gallon.


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## euRasian32 (May 19, 2005)

Yup

Luckily, only 1 shark died but that was at the pet store a day after I gave to new FS.

The tank was fully cramped for a little over 2 weeks.

In the beginning, I started the tank with some used/good fiter pads for a Whisper 1, and 5 gallons of cycled water. My ex-girlfriends dad was an aquarist who hooked me up. Looking back, this is probably the main reason I was so lucky, having only 1 casualty.

I kept the 2 albino tiger oscars for about a year=8 inches and got bored. Sold the pair and got into, well that's a whole other rant.

Well, that's my "10 gallon tank" story. 

kissy may never return


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## fishfreaks (Jan 19, 2005)

i definatly think we scared kissy off


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## bettaboi (Jan 29, 2005)

i think it was a joke he knew what he knew some big fish and just thought he could get us riled up


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## Guppy123 (Jul 24, 2005)

I'm speechless! At first i thought she forgot a few zeros on the "10" Im surprised those fish physically fit in there. And eurasian!!!....


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## Stix87 (Jul 28, 2005)

yeah kissy got scared away, i know its august and this most was in may, but i just had to reply, this is by far very funny that all u gained up on kissy like that, but for good reason. Id be suprised if those guys could even swim. And i bet most of the fish were already fin nipped or finless. By day one the pacus would have been picking at the bettas, poor kissy. Everyone messes up on their 1st tank, even my 1st tank was a black moor in a 1g with ick. but to mess up so badly, wow. I think we should congradulate kissy in messing up so bad. Hip Hip Hurray Hip Hip Hurray!!


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