stocking..

[leksie]

Hi

I know, I know..another question from a newbie about stocking a 10 gallon...

I have a tank with four smallish platties in it, it has been running for just over three months and all are healthy and doing well. Don't seem to be breeding so that isn't a problem as far as crowding goes..I picked out a combo to minimise it because I know my tank is small.

I would really like to add a bit of variety to my tank (hardy fish) but I know I don't have much room.

Is there anything at all I can add?

My LFS has loads and loads of beautiful clean fish but not always sure of their advice...

Maybe a little catfish? Honey gourami? One or two more platties? I don't know..maybe I'm way off the mark but would love a bit more variety in my tank, even though I know its small.

My filter came with the tank and is a powerhead '300', mis says max 400 l/h on it, seems like a pretty strong one anyway..

 

[sinistral]

There are quite a few possibilities, IMO. Out of the ideas that you presented, you could get by with a small school of corydoras catfish (4-5). Platies are all over the place, but cory cats primarily occupy the lower strata of the tank.

You could also add a couple more platies, but you might be facing a population explosion at that point. I'm surprised you haven't had one already-- perhaps you chose all males or all females? Or perhaps the fry are being eaten...

I don't know much about honey gourami and don't feel like I can respond to that part of your question.

Of course, I will also point out that you'll most likely want a 29 or 30g or even a 55g at some point...

 

[leksie]

Thanks for the info, any other ideas are welcome (as in, I need help, please! heheh)

I cannot remember the combination but I posted on here when I first got my tank, and somebody recommended a male/female ratio to avoid it, so I went with that. But yes they may have been eaten also, I had platties when I was a kid and they had stacks of babies

Heh yes I am starting to understand the addiction of the upgrade, eek! But Im not in a position to I'm afraid, I live on-campus and that is really all I could have that could be reasonably transported home/not take up much space.

Are the little catfish hard to look after or particularly sensitive?

 

[BOD]

what do you mean by catfish??? plecs/algae eater or actuall catfish species, most will probably get too big for a 10G, you could also put a few otocinclus affinis or similar in there there a small type of (catfish), alage eater 3 or so they only get to 1.5 inch big

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

How many male and female platys do you have in the group?

 

[-*-MicHAeL-*-]

i woulkd go with a couple of corys

 

[GSD]

yeah i agre with the other people!cories would be a great addition and they will get along with the platies too............cories get along with most fish!

 

[fishwatcher]

I'd get a group of 4-5 cories. Just make sure you get at least 2 of each kind, if you decide to get more than one kind. All the kinds will hang together, but the activity level is amazing when you get more than 1 of a kind together. They are great fish to watch!
Good luck!

 

[sinistral]

[RE: platies and tons of fry] somebody recommended a male/female ratio to avoid it, so I went with that.

Are the little catfish hard to look after or particularly sensitive?

The only ratio that works to avoid having tons of fry is having all males or all females-- even then, sometimes nature finds a way (either being inseminated in the pet store, or "gender changing", which is either late development of the male gonopodium or an actual gender change (I'm still not sure if this occurs or not). Most people recommend 2 (or more) females per 1 male to minimize aggression among the males.

Corydoras catfish are relatively undemanding. They are sensitive to nitrogen (ammonia and nitrates). I've noticed they're also sensitive to temperature variability (more so than my platies). If I remember correctly they do well on a varied diet including mainly proteins. They are bottom feeders, so sinking pellets or other sinking foods should be included in their diet. I'd be surprised if there weren't a profile up in the Fish Faq section. If you keep up with regular tank maintenance and keep their conditions stable they should be fine

BOD mentioned Otocinclus, or Otos, which are another "catfish" species that are small. They tend to be less hardy, as I've read that they can die without warning or stressors. Can't speak from personal experience as I've never owned them.

EDIT: There are in fact several profiles up about different Corydoras species in the Catfish section of the Fish Index.