Adding More Fish

[vieiras]

I just started my freshwater planted tank. My tank has been up for three weeks and has cycled. I have been dosing bacteria every day since it started. Ammonia remained at 0 for a week after having spiked so I decided to add some fish. I have a 10 gallon tank that is heavily planted. Right now it is home to 5 fancy guppies. I would like to add 5 neon tetras and a betta along with a few shrimp and snails to help with bioload. How long should I wait in between adding new species to the tank. My guppies have been in for 3 days. How long should I wait before adding the tetras?

 

[mrsjoannh13]

I would like others to chime in, too but my first reaction is that is too many fish for a 10 gallon tank. A general rule is 1 inch of fish per gallon of aquarium. Neon tetras will be about 1" each so that's 5 inches, then about 2 inches for each fancy guppy, so that's 10 inches there plus 5. Then the betta will be a few inches, and the snails, etc. I also have heard that a betta will eat shrimp and snails. The shrimp and snails will probably multiply so unless you have another tank to move the fry to they'll either get eaten or further crowd the tank.

You might also want to consider a quarantine tank to observe new fish before adding them to your established tank.

 

[Utar]

Welcome to TFF.

Are you talking about a male betta or female, both or risky but the male much more so, because they can be very aggressive toward tank mates. So IMHO don't get a betta.

You have guppies which are live bearers and soon you will have more because guppies are prolific breeders, unless they are all males.

I would say stick with a one species of fish in a tank as small as 10 gallons. Don't get anymore fish, but you can get you a few shrimp and snails these are beneficial.

Also remember as your tank matures other issues will pop up that you will have to deal with, like algae problems, so leave room for some algae eaters to help with this.

 

[ClownLurch]

Agreed with the words of caution concerning both the betta and number of fish.I’m about to start cycling a 10g. It’ll be home to eight Heterandria Formosa. They grow to 20mm for male

 

[vieiras]

Thank you. That makes sense. It is funny how the 1ii per gallon rule does not apply to saltwater, but does to freshwater. Guess there are many differences between the two anyway. The guppies are all male so I do not need to worry about breeding. Will definitely look into getting some snails in the future.

 

[2tank]

Guppies and bettas most likely will fight as they both have the tails and the guppies would cause aggression in the betta.

 

[Geordie Paul]

I just started my freshwater planted tank. My tank has been up for three weeks and has cycled. I have been dosing bacteria every day since it started. Ammonia remained at 0 for a week after having spiked so I decided to add some fish. I have a 10 gallon tank that is heavily planted. Right now it is home to 5 fancy guppies. I would like to add 5 neon tetras and a betta along with a few shrimp and snails to help with bioload. How long should I wait in between adding new species to the tank. My guppies have been in for 3 days. How long should I wait before adding the tetras?

 

[Geordie Paul]

The typical time to wait is 2 weeks. But you can add them right away as long as you are prepared for water changes if the ammonia spikes again

 

[Essjay]

The other consideration is that guppies are hard water fish while neons are soft water fish. They should not be kept together in the same tank.
Neons also need 60 cm/24 inches swimming room - is your tank long enough?
Personally I would stay with just the guppies in that sized tank.




The 1 inch of fish per gallon is somewhat out dated now. There is a lot more to consider than just the total number of fish inches.
Is the water right for the fish? Some fish need hard water, some need soft water while others are happy in the middle.
Are they shoaling fish which need a group (eg neon tetras) or are they solitary fish which should be kept alone (eg male bettas)?
Is the tank big enough - does it have enough swimming room for the fish on the wish list?
For mixed species -
Do they need the same temperature?
Do they need the same amount of water flow? Fast swimmers like a fair water flow while sedate fish need slow moving water.
Is there any behaviour aspects which means the species should not be kept together? (eg bettas and almost all other fish)