More Fish Questions

I finally have my fish tank completely set up, it was running for about 2 weeks, and I got two Pineapple Swordtails yesterday, to start out with. So far so good. I decided against getting gouramis, because I didn't feel like paying $7 for one fish, and I think I should start out with something easy. I just have a couple more questions.

-My air pump, with the air stone, is pretty loud and it seems like it vibrates the water a lot. Is that okay? I'm wondering if it will have negative effects on my fish.

-I have one female and one male. They are getting along pretty well, but the female appears very pregnant. What do I do if she has babies? I don't really need a bunch of babies. :eek: I have never bred fish before.

-I don't think they have eaten, unless they are eating off the bottom of the tank. Is that normal? I've had neon tetras and such before..they all swim up and eat like crazy. I have tropical flakes and bloodworms.

-In probably another two weeks I'm going to get some smaller schooling fish to add to the tank, provided my tank isn't full with swordtail babies. I really like my swordtails, but I'm looking for another kind of fish that will swim more in the open, as the swordtails like to hide. I was thinking Serpae Tetras. Does anyone have experience with these fish? Do you think they would be fairly compatible?

When I find my camera, I'll take some pictures. I really like my male, he's very pretty. I tried to keep my betta in there with them, as he's not very aggressive. I supervised them for a while, but the male swordtail started becoming a little too interested in my betta's fins. :(

I'm also open to any name suggestions (yes, I name my fish as long as I can tell them apart). The female is all orange and yellow, while the male is orange and yellow with a shiny sort of green stripe along him, and black on the sword.

It sounds like a nice set-up! You should add 1 or 2 females to the tank, as the male will annoy one female to breed often, and having several males in one tank can result in fights. I would not add tetras to the tank, because they are VERY nippy and would probably go after the male's tail. Mollies, Platies or Guppies should work well. If you want to have permanent fry-eaters in the tank to get rid of the fry being produced, add a few Dwarf Cichlids, Angelfish, Catfish, Pygmy Cories, or Barbs. Swordtails are also known fry-eaters, so if you leave the adults in they'll most likely eat their own babies -_-... about feeding, they might still be settling in. Give them some time to get used to the foods you're feeding, as they could've been fed differently before you got them.

For names, I think tropical drink names would be cute... like, Daquiri or Chi-Chi and Pina Colada, or something ;)

the pump is normal it will make pretty loud noises but thats fine.
it is normal that they eat at the bottom f the tank.

Thank you so much...I took your suggestions and got another female swordtail..my male was bugging the original one a lot. I also got two red wag platies. I just got them floated and then out of the bag about a half hour ago, and they're doing well so far. So good so far. :) I'm probably going to leave that amount of fish in there, from now on, although I might get a cory catfish or a small algae eater in a couple weeks.

Did you do a fish-less cycle before stocking your tank?

bckrazy gave excellent advice! :)

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Originally Posted by jackie

Did you do a fish-less cycle before stocking your tank?

bckrazy gave excellent advice! :)

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Yes I did, I cycled it for about two weeks. All of them are alive and doing well. I fed them a little bit and they all did eat. Thanks for the advice. :)

Perfect! Like BC said, you should get a "fry-eater" or you will be overrun. That is the problem with live bearers, they are just baby machines.