ASAP

Question
Hi Chris,
I am new at haveing fish and I have 2 platies, 3 mollies, 3 guppies, 3 goldfish, 1 pleco, and 2 bettas. I have them all in the same tank. Will any of them fight with each other? Can I keep them all in the same tank? Will any of the other fish chew on the bettas tail? Sorry for all the questions, I am new at this. I have a 10 gallon tank and they all seem to be getting along fine. My betta was acting stressed and he seems alot happier in with the other fish. They also don't seem to crowded. I am just trying to make sure I am doing the right thing. If I put my goldfish outside in a 20 gallon tank, will they survive over the winter if there is live food in the bottom.
         Thanks,
        
             Needing some help!!!

Answer
Hi;

Oh my... The tank is far too small for that many fish. The general "rule of thumb" is one inch of fish per gallon of tank water, but they have to be fish that don't get over about 2 or 3 inches. You have some incompatible fish as well. Some are coldwater, some are tropical, some get too big for a ten gallon and some should not live together because of personality conflicts. They may be getting along well right now, but these guys are all going to grow and become mature, and the waste accumulation and personality differences will make it miserable for everyone in there. Here is a good link to information about stocking your tank;

http://www.firsttankguide.net/capacity.php

The first thing to do is find a new home for the goldfish or put them in the 20 gallon as a coldwater tank. They will need a larger one once they grow to be about 4 inches though and it doesn't take long! Each goldfish needs at least a ten gallon all to itself. They are messy guys that get over 6 inches long each. They also can't tolerate tropical temperatures (over 72f) on a long-term basis. Here is a great web link to more information about goldfish and their basic needs;

http://www.firsttankguide.net/goldfish.php

I'm not sure what you mean by "live food in the bottom", but goldfish survive just fine over the winter and should not eat at all if the water temperature drops below 50f. Whatever the average air temperature is on any given day, that's close to what your tank water temp will be. Goldfish go dormant if the water temperature is below 50f so stop all feeding after that until spring. Having food in their gut when they go dormant is actually very harmful. It can rot inside them and cause illness or death. Here is a link to a good article about it;

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?dept_id=0&aid=156

The mollies get too big to live in there for very long. They reach a size of about 4 inches and just need a lot of space, 20 gallons or more. The platies and one betta would be okay together in there because they stay smaller. If you have a female betta in there with a male, you will have to keep a separate tank for her. Once they spawn or he decides to get territorial with her, she has to move out. He will bite her until she either dies or you remove her from the tank. They just can't live together all the time.

If you have any male guppies, they might not be safe in there either. Male bettas often mistake their pretty tails for those of another male betta. Yikes!

Plecos get much too large for a ten gallon, some reaching over a foot long. The only good algae fish for a ten gallon is a couple of otocinclus. They are cute, vigorous eaters and grow to only about 1.5 inches. The best thing about them is they get along with all your tropical fish. Stay away from chinese algae eaters. They get very mean as they grow up. Here is a page about otos;

http://www.aqualandpetsplus.com/Catfish,%20Otocinclus.htm

I hope I didn't overwhelm you with so much information. Let me know if I can be of further help...

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins