Can I Add More To My 12-gal Tank? If So, What?

[sunnygordy]

Recently started a new tank w/ my bf. He wants to add more fish, but I'm afraid of overcrowding.
Here's what we have so far:
1 pleco
1 rainbow shark
3 cardinal tetras
2 silvertip tetras
2 threadfin rainbows

i go by the "1" per gallon" rule...but he thinks we could get at least one more. If it is possible, any recommendations on what to add?

 

[Ace Of Spades]

Maybe boost the tetra's numbers to 5..... And what pleco is it?

 

[shortymet55]

Dont go by 1" per gallon. What kind of Pleco? Rainbow shark will get too big and aggressive. If you want to use 1" per gal as a guideline, make sure you use adult lengths.

 

[Ace Of Spades]

1" per gallon rule is great for people new to the hobby with community fish, but lacks with the more expirenced hobbyist and fish keepers with bigger fish...

 

[sunnygordy]

the pleco is a common pleco. i have not had great success w/ the cardinals, so i'm a little leery to continue down that road. any other ideas? it seems like whatever has been suggested by the folks at the fish store just has not worked out. so far, i respect the opinions of those on the message boards much more!

 

[purplefish212]

From what I have learned from other, more experienced, fishkeepers is that the Common Pleco needs to be in a much larger tank, such as over 100 gallons because they can reach 18 inches. Same with the Rainbow Shark needing to be in a larger tank as it reaches it's adult size and can become aggressive if it's kept in a small tank where it feels cramped.

Thats what I've learned..
I'm sure more experienced fishkeepers will comment more on if you should add more or not...

 

[Jazzzz]

From what I have learned from other, more experienced, fishkeepers is that the Common Pleco needs to be in a much larger tank, such as over 100 gallons because they can reach 18 inches. Same with the Rainbow Shark needing to be in a larger tank as it reaches it's adult size and can become aggressive if it's kept in a small tank where it feels cramped.

Thats what I've learned..
I'm sure more experienced fishkeepers will comment more on if you should add more or not...

well done

 

[vinylman]

Did you fishless cycle?. What is the tank size?. The Tetras you've listed need to be in groups of at least 5/6. What type of Plec is it?. We need much more info.

 

[sunnygordy]

Did you fishless cycle?. What is the tank size?. The Tetras you've listed need to be in groups of at least 5/6. What type of Plec is it?. We need much more info.

Yes, we did fishless cycle. as stated before, we have a 12-gal. tank & it's a common pleco. we plan on getting a large tank in the near future so that's why we felt comfortable w/ the rainbow & pleco purchase. we're both experienced w/ fishkeeping, it's just that we've both always had cichlids & wanted to go the community route this time around. i started w/ 6 cardinals, but only 3 remain, hence my leeriness to continue down that road. i know the tank is balanced, i think the cardinals came in w/ issues only b/c i haven't been successful w/ any of the fish i purchased from the same store.

 

[vinylman]

When you refer to the tank being 'balanced', it takes a good 4-5 months at least for a newly-cycled tank to mature. Fish like Cardinals and Neon Tetras aren't really suitable for adding until the tank has properly matured. Unfortunately, many fish aren't suitable for unmatured tanks due to them being almost bred to the point of being a waste of money.

 

[TheChards]

Just out of interest, what happens over the first 4-5 months that matures it? Does anything happen to the bacteria? I am aware of how and why a tank needs to cycle but I didn't know there was anything you could do with a tank after 5 months that you can't do 5 weeks after it's cycled for example?

 

[vinylman]

Maturing isn't something you can actually physically 'do' as such, that is nothing you can do to anything or put anything in the tank. Some think that there's a natural 'biofilm' that coats everything after cycling. I'm not sure if it's that myself, but there's definitely a 'settling down' period that makes it a much safer place for the more sensitive fish. I've seen and experienced it myself; a few weeks after my tank had cycled (using mature filter media) I added my second lot of fish (Harlequin Rasbora) which were healthy, but in less than a week they were all dead with no sign of disease or injury. To be fair to the shop, they offered me a refund or replacement fish and the Black Neon Tetras I took in their their place (and very hardy) were absolutely fine. I waited until several months later (I'm very patient!) to add the Rasbora again and they absolutely thrived. Bearing in mind how poor some of the fish we get in the shops now seem to be, I think it's sensible to wait and give them the best possible chance. People used to cycle tanks with Guppies (which seemed to be almost indestructible some years ago) but now I wouldn't try them even in my tank which has been running around four and a half years.

 

[sunnygordy]

Maturing isn't something you can actually physically 'do' as such, that is nothing you can do to anything or put anything in the tank. Some think that there's a natural 'biofilm' that coats everything after cycling. I'm not sure if it's that myself, but there's definitely a 'settling down' period that makes it a much safer place for the more sensitive fish. I've seen and experienced it myself; a few weeks after my tank had cycled (using mature filter media) I added my second lot of fish (Harlequin Rasbora) which were healthy, but in less than a week they were all dead with no sign of disease or injury. To be fair to the shop, they offered me a refund or replacement fish and the Black Neon Tetras I took in their their place (and very hardy) were absolutely fine. I waited until several months later (I'm very patient!) to add the Rasbora again and they absolutely thrived. Bearing in mind how poor some of the fish we get in the shops now seem to be, I think it's sensible to wait and give them the best possible chance. People used to cycle tanks with Guppies (which seemed to be almost indestructible some years ago) but now I wouldn't try them even in my tank which has been running around four and a half years.

I totally see where you're coming from on this. It has been a few years since my last tank & I have definitely noticed a downturn in fish quality between then & now. Maybe I'm old school, but I'd prefer a smaller selection of healthy fish as opposed to the veritable plethora there is available today. Funny you should mention the guppies. It's what I started w/ may years ago & had always had such great success, so that's what I started w/ this time around. The poor souls didn't last a week...

 

[WoodenChair]

If someone said it best, might as well copy paste.

This is a mods very accurate 2 cents about cardinals.

<Mod edit> These are shoaling fish that in nature exist in VERY large groups. Generally I would advocate a minimum of 6 fish for shoaling species, for Cardinals, they really benefit from being in larger groups.

A lot of people have difficulty keeping these alive. They are a black water fish, and as the OP says, are often wild caught. Such examples rarely live long in typical tap water conditions. Their metabolism is evolved to low pH, (below 4 pH at times), and almost no dissolved solids. Even if they survive the transition to the harder alkaline water, the kidney usually fails in short order due to osmotic stress.

Tank bred imports are generally more resiliant.

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The only tank ill keep cardinals in is a discus tank due to the low ph of discus, and even then cardinals

don't last long. They need to be in a class specific tank in my opinion.

Others have no issue keeping them at all and they flourish in their tank.

Its a slow death procedure in my opinion. but hey, who the heck am I.

 

[rdd1952]

Old thread resurrected through Similar Topics.