How should i split my tank?

[metal-head]

I have a way overstocked 10 gallon aquarium I was realtivley new when i did this so now im correcting my mistake.

I have in that tank

2 clown loaches
7 platies 2 adult 5 juvies
1 dwarf gouramis
1 molly

Currently im cycling a 55 gallon and i thought i would add the 2 cls, dg, and the molly. i know that the 10 gallon will still be a bit overstocked but it would be better. Could i then add something else to the 55? i was thinking another dg, 2 mollies i know i could add these for sure. Then i was thinking about adding a pair of angels, rams, or appistos. and if it was at all possible 2 out of the 3 but i won't do anything about any of those 3 until everyone else is settled.

my other option would add all the fish in the 55 and then get something for the 10 gallon the only thing is i couldn't really keep anything interesting in a 10 gallon.

responses are very appreciated.
doug

[lloyd berg]

i think most of us end up using our first 10 gal as a sick tank. if you have a fish that gets picked on or that looks ill,you need a quick setup to isolate him while you analyze the situation.
moving your present load to a bigger tank is a good idea for sure but don't give in to the all-too-common "now i can get more fish" temptation.give your fish the new space you know they deserve and watch to see how well they fill it themselves. you may be surprised to see how full your new tank looks as they mature.
if it looks too empty now-you shouldn't fill the spaces with more fish. try more landscaping to give the tank that 'full' look.

[metal-head]

thats what i thought i would do. and i have some friends that would be interested in some fish...so i could use the 10 as a breeding tank. my mom will be thrilled to know im going to breed ;) .
Great thank you very much,
doug
ps the only new fish i would get would be the dg and 2 mollies after every one else is settled

[lloyd berg]

your mom "wants you to breed"??? ha ha
good luck with the new tank.

[MalawiCichlidBreeder]

I'd get a slap upside my head if I even hinted about breeding anything.. felt like saying upside my head, oh chris rock where would I be without your humor.

J

[Buddha_Red]

you can keep clown loaches or othrs in the botia family. they recently changed the name of clowns which is taking some getting used to.

55g is great for them, but once they hit 5 inches you should have a 90g but better 135g. thats where they will end up. Unless i can get a 20og hmmm hehe

I have two yoyo loaches (small), a do jo loach(jake the snake) , 4 3 inch clown loaches, two otto cats, some kind of clown pleco, one platty, one black skirt tetra and 10 neon tetras.

I use the neons (or white clowds,rainbowfish ect) as middle layer and dither fish. The clowns feel safe because the tiny ones arent scared.

Think in layers, mind how many though. Top dwellers, ghorims,betta's,guppies, mollies and a few more i cant think of.

bottom, loaches,plecos, botias, SAE, tetras, corry cats, and a bunch more i don't know about.

now for some wierd reason, my SAE thinks he's a clown loach. I swear, he digs for snails, plays with them, schools with them and dog piles with them.

PLEASE note i didn't say all of these can be kept, thats up to you to decide. I am just telling you the little i know about layers.

[Buddha_Red]

I am WAY to afraid to start breeding, it isn't something to be taken lightly, not saying you are.

Some fish have 100-200 babies, and live bearers reproduces almost constantly. Think about what your going to do with all the youngins once they are big enough.

The though of breeding anything is too much for me, im still getting the stay alive thing down. :D

[lloyd berg]

that is "classic" buddha_red advice. it is SOOO good to have you back, my new friend.
and yes,breeding is a big responsability.

[crazyred]

That's what worries me a little about getting more platies, they breed like rabbits, and I ain't got anything to do with the fry!! I wouldn't have the heart to :eek: feed them to Kermit :eek: (he's cute and all, but I'm a real sucker for baby animals of ALL kind!) Will the LFS's usually take fry off your hands? Geez, I don't even have a fry tank to put them in. What do you do?

[Buddha_Red]

I can't sex plattys. Luckily i must have bought all males or all females. i have never had a reproduction problem. I stay away from mollies for that exact problem. i got lucky with the plattys.

I am not dedicated enough to raise little fisheys, so use the link below, they talk about how to sex them and how to bread them. then you know which not to get.


http://fish.orbust.net/livebearers.html

[crazyred]

Great website Buddha Red, I now know the platy in my tank is a boy. I'm gonna have to decide when I get to the FS what I want to get today. Depends on what they have. Hopefully, they will have some fishies I want. If not------ROADTRIP!

[metal-head]

my fish take care of the fry. for some reason all my fish enjoy eating the fry. even the platys own parents. I have caught each of my fish except the clown loaches eating the fry so i thought it would be easier to move fry that i wanted and move them into the smaller tank. right now though i cant really think about definate plans except keeping my grades up, and getting the fish into the bigger tank.

thanks
doug

ps. more ideas about what to do once the fish are moved are still welcome.