Anyone Else Have A Strong "dual Compulsion"?

[Conqueror]

So I'm moving in about 6 weeks and I have a chance to re-do my tank.

It's a 55G and currently contains:

6" Red Oscar
7" Pacu
5" Moonlight Gourami
7" Pleco
8" Spotted Gar

Obviously the Pacu and Gar will eventually get too large for a 55G, but at the moment it works just fine.

However, with the move coming up, I'm debating whether I want to take my fish with me or not.

I will definitely be taking the tank with me and setting it up at my new home. The thing is, I have two competing desires. I really like the larger oddball fish like I currently have. By the same token, I also really like community tanks with lots of small, colorful fish (mollies, platies, guppies, etc.). Obviously I can't have both, since my current fish would eat anything smaller than a couple inches.

What would y'all do in my situation? Keep the big fish and try to move them with me? (Kinda a PITA, the move will take several days or more.) Sell the big fish and buy other big fish when I get to my new home? Sell the big fish and buy small fish?

Input appreciated,

CQ

 

[freddyk]

I'd use this move to get rid of all those fish that are simply way too much and too big for that tank. Big fish need big tanks, but surely small fish that are supposed to get big should have space to grow into. Once that Oscar is grown he'll need the 55 gallon to himself anyway, except maybe the pleco, and would eventually do his best to make it that way if you didn't.

I like to think of it this way - the smaller the fish kept, the bigger the tank becomes.

 

[Dragonscales]

Why not do a combination? Get rid of what you have and buy one or two larger community fish with a few smaller fish? Obviously you will need to make sure the larger fish are actually peaceful community fish to avoid possible predation problems.

 

[fishfishfish]

id get a few more tanks.another big 1 definetly.and maybe a 30 gal community.