3 Red Serpea Tetra, 1 Zepra Danio

[Martina]

Hi everybody! I am a pride owner of a 10 gallon freshwater tank since 2 months - so far I have 3 red serpea tetra and 1 long finned zebra danio (my scout fish) - can I add 3 more tetras and how soon? And another question: how long does it take before my plants will grow - or should I buy so many that the bottom is covered? TIA

[Fishfirst]

it depends really on when the zebra danio, and the tetras were introduced into the tank, not how long the tank has been setup. Once all the fish have been in there for a month or more they are ready for a few buddies... 3 more serpaes would put you almost at the limit...

[Martina]

The zebra danio is since 6 weeks, and the tetras are since 10 days in the tank. I am just worried because I read several times that tetras should be kept in groups of six at least - does that mean I should introduce 3 more asap? Will the 3 already in the tank may harrass each other? (so far everthing seems fine) TIA

[Aquanut78]

They are just more comfortable with a school of 6 or more from what Ive heard, they wont stress out and die immediately if thats what you mean but usually its a better idea to have 6 or more to make em more lively.

[TheDuckyOne]

I would add more zebra danios before I added more tetras. Its been my experince that lone danios are nippy when not kept in schools, and they school just like tetras. Your tank is probably too small to house a school of 6 serpae tetras and 6 danios. Its a possiblity for a while, as long as you kept up with the mantaince, but eventually you will either have to get a larger tank, or move one of the schools into a different tank. If you dont want to bother with that, your LFS will probably adopt your danio.

Make sure you do a water test before you add any fish at all. You wouldnt want to put new fish into conditions that arent optimal for them.

[Martina]

I am just unsecure ok so I can wait until next weekend, I guess. But will there be any problems when I introduce 3 new tetras - should I get them all at once or one after the other? TIA

[TheDuckyOne]

Get them all at once. If you get one at a time, and the old fish decide they dont want a new tankmate, they will focus all their attention on chasing the new one, which may stress it and make it die. If you get 3, they may chase them around, but won't likely be able to focus their attention on any one fish.

[Aquanut78]

Did you mean 10 gallons or 10 litres? 10 gallon tank to my knowledge is pretty huge, 12 fish is pretty ok i think. I have a 6.5 litre tank (my first proper tank with filter, pump, deco and etc) and I have 8 guppies in it to start off. Hope im not overcrowding them. But 12 in 10 gallon i.e. 40 litres is pretty ok i think but what do i know :P.

[Martina]

Thanks to all of you - I have a 1O GALLON fish tank. I think I will get 3 more tetras at once - But how long should I wait? Would it be ok to introduce them at the upcoming weekend (they would be than 2 weeks in my tank) TIA

[TheDuckyOne]

10 gallons...and LF Zebra Danios get to be 2 inches at adult size...serpaes 1.5...6 of each of these would be way too many fish for a 10 gallon tank, particularly considering the fact that they are very active fish. Basically the bio-load would be a bit much...I dont think impossible to manage, but it would take extra work. The real problem would simply be that the fish would be too crowded.

As far as when to add...test your water, if it indicates that it's safe to add fish, then do so. If you dont have a test kit yourself (and its best that you invest in one if you can) a LFS should be able to test your water if you bring them a sample.

[Lydia]

12 fish would be too many for a 10 gallon. If it was my tank I would put in 4 each of the danios and tetras. IMO 4 is a big enough school. But that is just my opinion.

[MyraVan]

I would suggest that when you get your 3 new tetras, that you take back the danio. I agree with TheDuckyOne that 6 of each would be *far* too much. Once you've got the 6 tetras settled in, you can thing about adding some bottom feeders to catch the space food, say shrimp (amano, cherry, ghost) or perhaps an apple snail.

To be honest, I'm not sure how well serpea tetras would do with an apple snail. Are they nippy sorts of fish or do they tend to leave other fish/animals alone? In my 10 gallon tank I have some neon tetras and apple snails, and they make marvelous tankmates, the neons completely ignore the snails.

To Aquanut78: a 10 gallon tank is a real tank, but it's a small real tank. Having had experience with a tank even smaller than a 10 gallon tank (it holds about 8 liters of water), I find that a 10 gallon is far easier to take care of. I would not recommend anything smaller than a 10 gallon to a beginner. And 8 guppies in a 6.5l tank is WAYYYYYYY too much! My little tank currently has no fish in it, and I'm thinking of putting 2 males guppies in it, or perhaps 3 male Endler's in it, and that will be it.

[Fishfirst]

I would add the three at once, but I'd wait at least another week to do so, and take back the danio, and I like myravan's idea of getting some shrimp for bottom feeders, I was thinking cories, but shrimp are probably a better idea.

[Martina]

Thanks to all of you ...I will wait another week and add 3 more red serpea tetra...keep you updated