My 8 year old son Jack and I have just found this site and registered. He has a new 10 gallon fish tank but has been very worried why his two Rainbow sharks aren't eating. Both hide in or behind the caves all the time too! He will follow your advice and and we'll see what happens.
But now I am worried that these two fish were the wrong selection for a 10 gallon tank, and that the two together may create a future problem as well. We also have 2 Mollies, 2 Glow fish, 2 Glass fish, and 2 Swordtails. Perhaps we can return the sharks...? I'm sure this is the beginning of lots of new knowledge!
First I need to ask you to start your own thread so as not to hijack this one. 2nd, you have way too many fish for a 10 gallon tank. Of those on your list, the 2 mollies and 2 glow fish would make that tank full. I would strongly suggest returning all of the others asap. Once you have your own thread I will contribute further to your situation there. Feel free to pm me the direct link to your thread if you like to be sure I don't miss it.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that stocking list simply isn't going to work out in the long term.
As for the rainbow sharks: these are very territorial fish. When they're young and new in the tank, they may get along fine but as they get used to their surroundings and especially as they start to grow they'll quickly decide that they don't like one another and one fish will antagonize the other until it dies. These fish will also outgrow a 10g tank and need to be in something larger to thrive.
The mollies and swordtails also get quite large for a 10g tank and should probably be in something bigger. The GloFish would prefer more swimming room but more importantly, as they're a schooling fish, they need to be in large groups (6+) to thrive. The glass fish are also schoolers that prefer mildly brackish conditions and usually aren't healthy when kept in fresh water.
How attached is your son to the fish you have? There are a lot of really cool fish you can keep in a 10g tank, so I would recommend trying to return the fish that won't work in your tank and instead opt for something that can be kept healthy in the long term.
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