Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hey there,

i'm a first time aquarium owner. it was given to me as a gift by a good friend so i'm really knit-picky over it. anyways, i had some questions about some of the conditions that i had going on in there. mine is a 5 gallon tank. the contents of which include the smallest varieties that petco offered: 4 red velvet sword tails, 4 tiger barbs, 2 bala sharks, 2 black tetra's of some specific species i don't know off hand (look it up later) there aren't any plants to speak of in my tank yet. anyways my questions were this:

1. is it over populated? they're considerably small. what's a rule of thumb.

2. the water is kind of murky. i've read quite a bit here and there about beneficial bacteria that lives in the tank, or is the murkyness due to algae.

3. what's an appropriate temperature condition for a tank of that size and occupation? currently i checked it around 84 degrees, but i read it should be around 70-ish. they're called "tropical" so they should survive...right? *panic* it's only been like that for a day or two.

4. is there a method to lower/increase the temperature if need be.

5. i read that some of the types that i have in my tank can eat frozen food, but i have no idea what kinds, i tried some frozen beef, but nobody was biting...

if you've got answers to any OR all of these questions i'd really apreciate the help. i'm a total noob, but i do care about my fish.

>>hey there,
>>
mine is a 5 gallon tank. the contents of which include the smallest varieties that petco offered: 4 red velvet sword tails, 4 tiger barbs, 2 bala sharks, 2 black tetra's of some specific species i don't know off hand (look it up later) there aren't any plants to speak of in my tank yet. anyways my questions were this:

1. is it over populated? they're considerably small. what's a rule of thumb.

Oh my goodness. Yes, your tank is VERY overpopulated. Not to mention, you've got some serious tank mixing going on (aggressive species, semi-aggressive species, and community tank). There is no general rule of thumb (since the 1" per gallon was thrown out). I use www.liveaquaria.com information because they tell you not only the tank requirements, but also a little information about the species. It's a good starting point.

2. the water is kind of murky. i've read quite a bit here and there about beneficial bacteria that lives in the tank, or is the murkyness due to algae.

My guess is it's the new tank syndrome (or as the answer to your question = beneficial bacteria or lack there of). It will get clearer with every water change, and time.

3. what's an appropriate temperature condition for a tank of that size and occupation? currently i checked it around 84 degrees, but i read it should be around 70-ish. they're called "tropical" so they should survive...right? *panic* it's only been like that for a day or two.

Temperature fluctuations are to be expected (unless you have a heater of course). They shouldn't do any harm to your fish unless it is not a gradual change. Tropical fish are fine in water temps 75-80ish. Very general, some species need to have a certain temp, which you would find in the research... it's not too late to research your inhabitants.

4. is there a method to lower/increase the temperature if need be.

You can leave a light on for less than 4 hours (more than that is likely to result in algae blooms) or you can purchase a heater, but make sure to check if it will work for your tank or not.

5. i read that some of the types that i have in my tank can eat frozen food, but i have no idea what kinds, i tried some frozen beef, but nobody was biting...

Again, you can check out liveaquaria.com and see if they mention... or read the backs of the food containers. Most of all, you just have to experiment with your fish. Recommended foods are just that - recommended. Some fish just don't like certain foods. Like some people don't like broccoli, but it is good for you. Fish are like that to a certain extent.

Does this answer all your questions?
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Phishie

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

that's for the advice phishie. i dunno if wanna upgrade to another tank quite yet though. is it possible for me to put them in other, more make-shift types of things like empty jars? (i'm such a horrible fish owner...) well, the problem of overpopulation was been solved a bit. when i got back home from chem today i found that my little tiger barb, Ichi was stuck in the nozzle that filters the water. i had to flush him...

anyways, your answers were much appreciated.

Well, you could do one of 2 things:
1) Upgrade or at least by 2 bigger tanks (one for the balas which grow to be 10" reasonably quick) and another for the tiger barbs.

Jars simply will not do. They don't provide the oxygen needed to live, and they get very dirty very fast, and would stress the fish out very badly.

2) Get rid of your fish. You can give them back to your lfs.

Losing one fish out of 12 doesn't help the overstocked issue because the fish barely have any room to swim. Would you like being locked in a small room?

Sorry about your loss though. It is definitely sad when you lose one of your fish.
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Phishie

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."