Good Morning/afternoon/evening/night

[DEAquarium]

Hello Everyone, 
 
 
I have been an aquarium enthusiast since I was a little kiddo. I've had at least one tank to tend to for almost 18 years (started when I was around 10). I took a small break and gave away my equipment when I had my first child and when she turned 4, she wanted a fish tank. I purchased a small beta tank to see if she could care for the beta and found to my amazement, she was feeding it! I decided to gradually work back into a larger tank as I was weary of whether or not i'd get into tending to a larger tank and bought a 15G bow front tank from my local fish store. Getting the water properly cycled with the fish I bought in it turned out to be a 6 month ordeal. After many failed attempts, ick, fungus, parasites and strange deaths of some of the expensive fish, I finally took the time to do it right and haven't had any die due to my ignorance!  
 
I really got into my current tank with my daughter and started obsessing over getting a larger tank to support the "oops" fish in the smaller tank. "oops" meaning they shouldn't have been purchased for a 15 gallon tank in the first place. After purchasing a list of things my wife wanted for our upcoming son, she had agreed to let me purchase a tank of my choosing with all the frills needed to set it up properly. With that, I purchased a Marineland 75G tank with pre-built wood stand, Coralife florescent light (6700K/Colormax Dual bulbs), Marineland Emperor 400 Filter, Marineland heater, and CaribSea EcoComplete Planted Black Substrate (80lbs). I had some other ornaments I had bought in excess from my previous tank which fit perfectly in the tank. As I write this, it seems Marineland had my wallet on this purchase... The only other thing I'm going to be adding to my tank is some live plants which I am going to purchase online this week as a pack to give my tank the "alive and natural" feel.
 
 
I have some questions and issues with the attitude of my fish as of late. It seems they're all carnivores to an extent and pretty agressive/nippy. I'm struggling to find some top of the tank fish that don't get eaten and are hardy enough to withstand a nip or two from their tank mates.
 
Here's my fish:
 
2 Koi (one new addition ("Gold Bar" as my daughter has named it to give "Doofy" (Orange spotted Koi) a schooling mate)
1 Tiger Barb (used to have 2 but one was caught and chewed on)
2 Colombian Cat Sharks (4 1/2" (new additions, one is in quarantine for some skin parasite and to recover from what it looks like to be a pleco suck/bite)
1 Asian Redtail Catfish (6")
1 Pleco (6")
1 Shubukin (Used to have 3 -- 2 didn't make it due to Catfish or Pleco or Koi)
1 Ghost Knife (6")
 
 
What concerns me is this. The Orange spotted Koi eats half my rosies when I stick them in the tank. He's an absolute pig when it comes to them and actively chases and hunts then down when I put them in the tank. This leaves me to up the amount of rosies I stick in by three dozen. They usually last a week or maybe a little longer depending on the size. The Pleco seems to like a mix of algae pellets and I'm suspecting dead/live fish as I've seen him gnawing on a remnant piece of fish and the perfect circle bite mark on my new shark. I've never seen my cat fish eat. He seems completely placid when I see him; however, I know he's the culprit for the devastation in my tank when it comes to dead expensive fish. I've lost: 2 Shubukin, 3 Medium Angels, 3 4" Iridescent Sharks, 2 Rope Fish, 2 Red Crabs (Only had a claw left from one by the next morning), 1 3" Redfin Prochilodus and one very expensive L177 Gold Nugget Pleco. The L177 was really the fault of himself. He got in a tizzy with my other pleco and in a rushed decision tried to fit through a hole in the log 3/4th its size to the point it constricted itself.. Sad thing to see my prized pleco dead that way! So, I need help figuring out what fish I could add to my tank that would inhabit the mid to high elevation of my tank that are either fast or hardy enough to not get consumed by my other fish. If you have any suggestions on types of fish and quantities, that'd be great!!!
 
 
I appreciate you reading my post and learning what I've done thus far! I will surely see you around these forums! 
 
Regards,
 
Jon / DEAquarium
 
(I live in Delaware, USA) 

 

[Blondielovesfish]

to the forum
 
I'm really sorry but, if I'm to be completely honest, your stocking is terrible.
 
Koi are coldwater fish and, IMO have no place in a tank. Some species of Koi can get up to 3 feet long! Acording to Live Aquaria, they need to be in ponds of at least 1000 gallons. I recommend that you rehome the Koi to a pond.
 
Tiger Barbs are a schooling fish, they need to be in a school of at least 6. I recommend that you either rehome the Tiger Barbs or get at least 5 more.
 
Columbian Cat Sharks often eat smaller fish, unless you stock your tank with similarly sized fish, I recommend that you rehome your two.
 
Asian Redtail Catfish get very aggressive as they mature, they also need salt when they're adults. They get very big and will soon become stunted in a tank.
 
Do you know what type of Pleco you have? Is it a Common Pleco?
 
Shubunkins are coldwater fish.
 
Ghost Knife fish (I assume your referring to a Black Ghost Knife fish) need a tank of at least 130 gallons, they get over 1 foot and some are even 2 feet.
 
Also, what size tank is your daughters Betta in?

 

[PlecostomusPerson]

WELCOME   

 
And a Pleco would never do such a thing, they are peaceful folk..... unless you have a carnivorous, but then you have a bad aquarium and just like Blondie said Koi need to be outside. Sorry no offense   

 

[TallTree01]

Hi!
I agree that your stock is awful. Hope you get it sorted out ASAP.

 

[PlecostomusPerson]

GASP!!! I just read the bottom paragraph.... What is with everyone and Golden Nugget Pleco? Anyway he was in a bad tank community, I can imagine him getting beaten up..... 

 ...... never keep a Golden Nugget Pleco with another Pleco, the Goldies are very territorial.

 

[the_lock_man]

Thus far, everyone's responses have been great.
 
In the past, where new members have come along with extreme situations such as this, people have been unnecessarily harsh, and on occasions, downright insulting. I'm sure that this won't happen this time, as the active members we have at the moment are some of the nicest I have seen in my few years on the forum, but I just wanted to remind everyone to remain civil.
 
For my part, Jon, there isn't a lot that I would want to add to BlondieLovesFish's response. I did notice that you have lost Iridescent Sharks previously. These again are unsuitable for your tank, they can reach 1½ - 2m in length. In a 15g aquarium, they would soon become stunted and live a very shortened and painful life.
 
I would wholeheartedly recommend that you rehome all of your fish, and start again from scratch. Have a look around your local fish shops (LFS) and see what types of small fish you like the look of. Post their names on here, and we can recommend a decent stocking level.
 
And

to the forum.

 

[fm1978]

Well, Jon...
 
That was a read and a half!
 
I wouldn't know where to begin with all that info, except, perhaps to say, you might need to rub all that out and start again!
 
Please listen to what Blondie and the other experts advise; that's your best chance of correcting this mish-mash of fishies...

 

[ncguppy830]

welcome to the forum, hopefully you can fix the stock in that tank.

 

[SamB]

..Naught to add here Welcome Welcome - enjoy the ride

 

[Ninjouzata]

Agreed on taking everything back and starting anew on the stocking. Hopefully you don't feel insulted at this, everyone here just wants what is best for the fish and you!

 

[DEAquarium]

Thanks for the responses! Even if someone would have said "You idiot" I would have fully accepted it

  I figured I had an absolutely terrible mix of fish. 
 
 
To answer a few questions:
 
I didn't own the ir sharks when I had a 15 gallon tank, they were living in my 75 gallon tank when they were eaten.
 
I realize the Colombian Sharks will eat fry and anything that it can put its mouth on. I don't mind having a semi-aggressive tank. 
 
The beta lives in a second 15 gallon bow front tank in another room with a few mystic snails.
 
The L177 was purchased with what I'm considering a regular pleco (The regular pleco has interesting leopard prints  on his body but was classified as a base breed at the time of purchase). Since they were together, I figured they would have been fine which it seemed they were perfectly fine until he got stuck!
 
I'll find a pond to donate my Koi to I have a local Library with a Koi pond so I'll ask to see if they want two freebies.
 
Black Ghost Knife -- He's a baby right now, I do understand he'll get about a foot in length and  I'm intending on purchasing a 150+ gallon tank to house him in by years end. 
 
I didn't realize the Asian Redtail Cat could get so aggressive! I had him since he was thumb sized but now his "attitude" has shown as he's gotten a little larger. 
 
-------
So it seems I need to definitely find homes for almost all these fish. I would prefer to keep the Black Ghost Knife and the Cat Sharks knowing they will get large and the fact I'll be putting them in a 150+ Gallon by this years end. 
 
My intention for the 75G tank is to have a nice sized assortment of medium to large sized fish who play nice with each other.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

If you are looking to rehome these fish, for the 75G I'd make the following recommendation:
 
1 - Keep the pleco in the 75G
2 - Add some South American cichlids...
Species to consider: Severum or Texas cichlids
 
Some members here can advise regarding numbers and compatibility with each other. 

 

[the_lock_man]

Nice one. I'm glad no-one called you an idiot - I told you we were a decent bunch of people.
 
My one concern is that people often say that they will be able to upgrade in x months - but then life changes, you may get some kind of financial disaster that prevents the upgrade, so it may not happen - I strongly suggest formulating a Plan B in case of that.

 

[DEAquarium]

I understand they say that as a cop-out to get the heat off of their back.
 
I have all the funding put aside for my larger tank. I just had electricians wire up two new 20 amp circuits in my basement last Friday for the larger tank I'm installing; so, electrical has been prepped. Right now, I'm deciding on the shape of the tank and whether I'm going acrylic or glass for this next one. (Was thinking of a large octagon tank or a half circle)
 
Money isn't an issue in making this decision -- it's set aside and ready for use. My main wait-factor is my son will be born in either the last week of August or the first week of September (fully paid for already so no money concerns there). I wanted to wait until everything has settled before continuing on getting my larger tank. I also know if I purchase the Acrylic tank, it will not be ready until late November (Late October if I decide sooner) of this year so my decision on getting acrylic will lead me to a mid-September deadline of choosing. I know larger tanks take more time to cycle too so that will lead me to a stocking point of December or early January. 
 
---
 
You're right on a solid Plan B. 
 
A good plan B is I find good homes for my larger fishes. I know my LFS will take in fish for free and re-sell them -- that would be my last ditch thing as I don't prefer them to get paid doubly for the fish I purchased from them or profit off of my woes. I'd rather spend the time, find local enthusiasts who have the room to take them in and give them the fish.   

 

[DEAquarium]

http/s1119.photobucket.com/user/serpterion/slideshow/Fishies
 
As promised, here's some photos I took last night of my tank and quarantine tank.