"jazz" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello,

I'm new to fish keeping. I have 5 inches of tropical fish in a 6 gallon
tank and have been given widely differing advice on feeding from my two
local fish shops. On said a whole 1cm cube of brine shrimp every two
days, another said five flakes of regular fishfood twice a day
supplimented with treats. I know it's important not to feed too much
so I've been erring on the side of caution but my fish are absolutely
rampant for food when I give it. Can any one give me any advice on the
best way to feed them?

I think you're probably feeding them well. Sparingly and with variety is
the best guidance for feeding omnivores like your barbs. Keep a few things
in mind; Its really really hard to starve a fish. Captive fish are beggars,
to the last fin. Behavior at feeding time is _never_ an indicator of how
appropriate the quantity of food you are serving is... Track your water
quality parameters, too. High phosphates or nitrates may be an indication
of a heavy feeding hand (a lot better indicator than begging fish, anyways
;-).

(I have 3 pentazona barbs at about 2.5 cm and 2 tiny bagrus type
catfish (ornatus?) at about 1.5 cm - I was advised by my fish shop
that the pentazona barbs would not get bigger than they are, would be
happy in a group of three and were fine for a 6 gallon tank. Having
checked all this on the internet when I got home with the fish I'm not
sure I've been correctly advised. If I've understood it correctly they
need a group of 4 minimum, a large tank because they like to dash about
and they get to be 5 cm. Hmmm I hope they will be OK.)

You are right, 5-bands can max out at 2 inches. The cats might get a little
bigger, too. Is this your breed?

http://www.scotcat.com/factsheets/hy...us_flavus.html

....or is this your breed?

http://www.scotcat.com/factsheets/ba...ridionalis.htm

Get those cats ID-ed! If you've got something which will grow bigger, you
need to plan for that (either return the fish now for some panda cories, or
otherwise plan for their eventual growth).

Assuming your cats will remain under 2 inches, you will still be looking at
a total of 10 inches of adult fish , or more. Note, the "inches of fish" is
just a general guide, and a poor one at that. Taking the fish's mass
("girthy" fish count for more... an inch of Pearl Gourami doesn't equal an
inch of neon tetra) and dietary habits into account (carnivores and messy
eaters should have more water than others), as well as its behavior, like
the swimming preference you mentioned, is a much better indicator. I think
your fish will eventually outgrow your current tank.

Ahh, the slippery slope of fishkeeping... I suggest you think about a
20-ish gallon (75-80 liter) setup in the coming year, or so. Your adult
barbs and bagrus will be very happy in there (plenty of free swimming space,
more tank bottom for the cats), the tank will be a lot more stable, and
there'll be a bit of room for some tankmates, which you've probably already
been eye-ing.

About the "four minimum" rule, every group is different, but less
aggresive barbs like your five-bands can get by in a smaller group. The
"gang of four" minimum is more for the more aggresive fin-nipping barbs, and
is designed to disperse natural aggressions across a greater number of group
members. Five-bands are generally less aggresive with nipping, so you will
probably be alright in that respect.

Regards
DaveZ
Atom Weaver