Should I add more fish?

[VulcanNinja]

Ok, here's what I have so far in my 10 gallon tank:

1 Male Betta
3 African Dwarf Frogs
3 Albino Cory Catfish
2 Ghost Shrimp
1 Plant (Don't know the name - it looks like eel grass)
Along with 1 real rock and a fake "cave rock" where they all like to hide.


It doesn't look overcrowded at all to me. The frogs and shrimp like to hide anyway, and the most active ones are the cory catfish. Can I get some more fish? I don't want to over-crowd. I would like something that stays in the middle of the tank because most of mine are on the bottom.

I would also like to get 1 or 2 cherry red shrimp.

What to you guys think? Am I over-doing it??

Thanks!

 

[gadazobe]

I really think that you've got enough right now, especially as you have a betta. They don't make particularly good companions in a small community tank, and being that your's is small, I really don't recommend adding any mid swimmers. Apart from that, ADF's really need 2.5 gallons each, so IMO, you're pretty much stocked to the limit now.

 

[wrs]

id say you are. You should move the betta because they dont like surface agitation. Give hima little one gallon home. IMO you should get rid of the frogs if you really want some fish. Maybe get rid of some shripm if you want diffrent shrimp.

 

[VulcanNinja]

Ok, thanks for the opinions. Why do you think the frogs are preventing me from getting others? They really don't move around much.

This is my first tank, so I know you guys know best, but it really looks like there's not much in there! I guess a lot of beginners go overboard on the fish. This is a new hobby, and I guess I'm still in the "romance" stage.

I have a 2 gallon tank with a under-gravel filter. Do you think I should set that up for the betta and some shrimp or the frogs?

Thanks again!

 

[FishDan]

I don't really think the frogs need as much as 2.5 gallons per frog, not African Dwarf Frogs at any rate. Most places seem to say that 1 or 2 frogs per gallon is acceptable (assuming no other fish).

Stocking guidelines are not based on how much the fish/frog/animal moves or hides, but mostly by how much waste they produce. Frogs are not big waste producers really, but in combination with everything else they add to the total bio-load in your tank. At this point, I'd say your tank is full. The 2 gallon tank would probably be better for the betta, as was mentioned they prefer calm water. The frogs don't really care too much about surface agitation. Though you could move the frogs to the 2 gallon as well, though I'm honestly not sure what I'd recommend placing in with the fish. I would say stick with what you have and maybe save up for a larger tank, that way you can eventually get more or larger fish. I know this is difficult, I am in the process of saving up for a 90-125 gallon tank and already want to buy fish to fill it. Unfortunately several of them are inappropriate for either of my 20 gallon tanks, and the one is fully stocked as it is.

\Dan

 

[nmarc3627]

i dont think moving the betta to a 1g tank is nice. if he is doing good in the 10g why would you want to cut his home down?

 

[VulcanNinja]

Yeah, I hate to confine the beta to 2 gallons now. I'll just stick with what I have for now.

Thanks.

 

[steppy104]

This is a new hobby, and I guess I'm still in the "romance" stage.

ya....i've been in that stage.....


for 2 years and still goin strong!

maybe ur more in the "omg...how come i never new about such a great thing before?!!! i must have more!" stage....that calms down pretty quickly....well, for me it did. lol.

 

[VulcanNinja]

Yeah, steppy, the more I look at my tank, the more I like it. I love albino/transparent things so the corys and shrimp are great. The frogs add a cool atmosphere and the betta is the only stand out colored fish. I bought a plant yesterday. It's a little dull, but I bought some fertalizer for it.

Anyway, it's cool now. I don't have enough room in my apt for anything bigger, so I"ll stick with this for a while. But I was going to the LFS like everyday to add something!

now along with being a video game/star trek geek, I"m now a fish geek!