i am very new to alllll of this and was sold a 3 gallon tank along with 2 ADFs, 3 neon tetra and 3 ghost shrimp oh and one nirate snail(forgive my ignorance). i know that’s beyond overcrowded but it’s only been a few days and tomorrow i pick up a 10 gallon tank! i also purchased some driftwood as well as some plants! right now i have the fake decore and basically wanna go as natural as possible. i’ve been doing lots of research but some things have mixed reviews so here are a few of my questions:
-
is there a sulfate or “base” i can use that’ll be safe for the ADFs? i want to be able to grow plants but also don’t want them choking bcs i know they’re a little slow lol
-
can i add any other critters once my 10 gallon is stable? or will that overcrowd them yet again? and if so what kind and how many?
-
what are some easy starter plants? i don’t wanna mess with the water by having dead plants in there, i will say i have a green thumb and lots of plants around the house so idk if that info is helpful or if i can put cuttings in there(?)
-
as of right now my neon tetras seem to be a bit stressed out and idk what to do seeing i can’t move them asap. from what i’ve noticed is they have moments of rapid breathing and moments where they seem completely fine
PLEASE ANYTHING HELPS! i don’t wanna mess these guys up all because i believed one person:(
Posted by Confident-Prune-3666
6 Comments
Even for a 10 gallon, I’d say it’s overcrowded. 10 gallon is great for a long finned betta, but I’m not so sure about this. A quick google search says that for ADFs you need at least a 20 gallon, a 10g is a minimum, but when you add tetras in the account I’d go for more than 10g.
Ideally ADF’s should be in a species only tank, they don’t see very well so feeding them with tweezers is a lot easier as they use their smell to find food.
Do you have any surface movement at all as it looks like there isn’t any ? Filter or air stone etc ? You need water movement to generate oxygen for the fish , this is probably why they are hanging at the surface for air (ADF’s will swim up to the surface for air so a deep tank isn’t ideal for them)
Also, larger substrate for the frogs as they can get the smaller stones and sand into their mouth and choke – you want something that they won’t be able to get in their mouth . I would keep the frogs in that tank and move the fish and snail to a larger tank
Neon tetras do better in a larger group so I would also consider adding some more tetras to make them happier
if you can’t get at least a 20 gallon (10-15 is the minimum but i don’t recommend it from my experience), return the neon tetras. they do best in schools of 6+ and they need a lot of room. they will nip at each other in small tanks. if you’re unable to return them to the fish store and you can only afford a 10 gallon, i feel as though the tank would be at its maximum capacity with just the tetras and the shrimp. be sure to heavily plant it if that’s the case.
• stocking: don’t put anything else in the 10 gallon unless you are completing the school of tetras (again, i’m not recommending you keep the tetras unless you have to). shrimp are very specific when it comes to water parameters, they need a certain level of KH & GH in order to molt or they will die. i believe ghost shrimps hardier than most kinds of shrimp, but they absolutely need beneficial minerals in the water in order to survive. however, they can survive in much smaller tanks than fish. i have my shrimp in a 3.5 gallon with stable parameters and they’re thriving. unfortunately i don’t know anything about ADF besides that they should have 10+ gallons and they’re difficult to care for(?).
• substrate: fluval stratum is great for plants, but it buffers your KH (the thing shrimps need to molt) to zero. i have my shrimp with fluval but it was an extremely costly and hectic process to deal with, so just avoid it entirely (as well as any buffering substrate) as long as you’re going to have shrimp in the tank. maybe put the shrimp into the 3 gallon you have instead. consider getting inert gravel ($5 per 5 pound bag on amazon) and some root tabs ($7) for your plants instead. buffering substrates for plants are usually really difficult to deal with for beginners, speaking from experience.
• plants: a great starter plant is anubias. i also have amazon swords, java ferns, and java moss in my tank which are fairly easy to take care of. pothos & philodendron cuttings are great to stick in tanks! only submerge the roots, keep the leaves above the water.
sorry if this was a lot, fishkeeping is not an easy nor cheap hobby at all. i know it can be overwhelming but thank you for learning and trying to do what’s best for the fish. i’m sorry you were given false info as well, chain pet stores are awful
I have 3 glofish and 2 frogs in a 10 gal and they get along just fine. The frogs don’t fight and the fish are active. I have an Alternanthera Reineckii plant and a small moss bridge that the shrimp and frogs like. Ik my setup might not be the best but they seem happy and healthy. I’m sharing my experience with my setup since you’re going to have a similar one soon, I hope anything I say is of use to you