Help ... To Much Too Quick

[darlotaximum]

hi there i think i need some help. i seem to have got too many fish at once. i bought a few then a friend gave me loads.

i don't know if they are all compatible

here's what's in them anyway

tank 1 - length 61cm depth 39cm - 1 cave and large fake plant

3 oto catfish
numerous apple & ramshorn snails
black red tail shark about 2 1/2 inch
5 zebra danios
1 columbian redfinned tetra


tank 2 - length 75cm depth 39cm - planted with sand and gravel bogwood and cave

8 cardinal tetras
3 xray tetras
4 bloodfin tetras
4 flame tetras
4 neon tetras
2 corydora panda
2 corydora peperred
1 sailfin plec 3 inch
1 black widow tetra
2 trapdoor snails


tank 3 - length 76.5cm depth 39cm - 1 ornament (shark's house) 1 plant, gravel

6 cardinal tetra
1 dwarf gurami
1 plec 4 inch
1 black red tailed shark 2inch

can any help me xxx

 

[tropfish]

Wow thats some variety of fish

 

[darlotaximum]

Wow thats some variety of fish

i know and i've only just started on tropical you think they are all ok ? was sort of a mad rush.

got 10 guppy fry in another little tank now too. trying to find a home for my supersized goldfish. waiting for weather t war up then gonna add to friends pond.

 

[Christine1014]

Hi - welcome to the forum!
For us to help you a little more, it would help to know how many gallons these tanks are. Here's a handy link to figuring this out: http/www.firsttankguide.net/calculator.php (you need to know the width of the tanks in addition to length and depth).

 

[darlotaximum]

Hi - welcome to the forum!
For us to help you a little more, it would help to know how many gallons these tanks are. Here's a handy link to figuring this out: http/www.firsttankguide.net/calculator.php (you need to know the width of the tanks in addition to length and depth).

tank 1 - 71L
tank 2 - 88L
tank 3 - 88L

approx measurements but close enough

 

[Christine1014]

I'll take a stab at this, but hopefully someone comes along after me with a little more info!

A really basic rule of thumb is one inch of fish for every US gallon (don't forget to take into account what size the fish will be fully grown).
so your 71L - approx 18 US gallons. 88L = 23 US gallons.

the first problem I see with Tank 1 (the 71L) is I'm pretty sure that shark will get way too big. I think you need at least 50 US Gallons (like, 200L) for him. Also, I think most tetras like some friends. Oh, and the otos -- I think they like about 30 gallons, ideally in a planted tank but I *think* if you're feeding them enough flake food they're okay without real plants/algae.

Tank 2 is overstocked. Corys should be kept in groups of 5 or 6, ideally -- and that's 5 or 6 of the same kind, not just total corys. I don't think you can keep a plec in a tank that size either, but confirm that from someone else - I don't know much about plecs.

Tank 3 has some of the same problems mentioned before, with the shark and the plec.

The good news is that with the possible exception of the sharks, I don't think you have any big compatability problems.

Now, cross your fingers that someone with more experience than me comes along and offers more advice!

 

[darlotaximum]

I'll take a stab at this, but hopefully someone comes along after me with a little more info!

thanks christine the two sharks were donated. had to put them in the seperate tanks. i have a 100cm tank ready to set up i am waiting for a stand to be built to house that one 71l one and one of the 88l ones. will have lots more space for plecs then

once again thankyou

 

[stang1]

Christine is pretty much spot on.
Tank 1: The shark will probably get too big for your tank so will need rehoming.
The ottos will be fine but you could get away with adding another 2-3 as they like to be in groups. Make sure you provide algae wafers and even vegetables as there will not be enough algae in the tank for them to survive on.
Most tetras prefer to be in groups of at least 5 so it might be worth upping the numbers.

Tank 2: The Sailfin Plec will definitely need rehoming as they can grow to about 18". They also produce a lot of waste and the tank is far too small.
The tank does seem overstocked so it may be an idea to rehome some of your tetras. For fairly new tanks it should be 1" of fish per gallon (adult size) so if you work on that then you could decide which ones you want to keep.
Cories prefer to be in groups also, so it might be worth either rehoming them or upping the numbers.

Tank 3: Again, the shark may have to go but double check with other members just to be sure.
What type of Pleco have you got? Knowing whichj one will help determine whether it will get too big or not.
The Dwarf Gourami and tetras should be fine though.

Hope that helps.

 

[darlotaximum]

thankyou stang.

the otos get plec glakes and veg in their tank as they are in with the snails i keep.

how big do the sharks grow to?

will it be ok to keep sailfin till gets too big he's beautiful. i have got a 50 gal tank ready to set up just waiting for stand which should ease the overstocking and maybe my sailfin (pete the plec) can go in there?

other plec is a common plec.

will move some tetras into the other 88L tank see how that goes. don't want to upset my cardinals too much i've heard they are prone to going belly up although i've had no problems so far

 

[stang1]

I'm afarid the 50 Gallon will still probably be too small as they need plenty of room to move around. Post in the Pleco forum and someone will give you a better idea of what tank size is required
Not entirely sure how big the sharks get as I've never kept them but I believe they get to about 5-6" so might be ok. Again it is best to double check as I'm certain they like quite a bit of room.
I'm afarid your Common Pleco will also get too big, similar sort of size to your Sailfin so he will need rehoming. Even if you could get away with your Sailfin in your 50G tank, you wouldn't be able to keep both of them in there.
It should be fine moving some of your tetras across but still take into account what size they grow to. It always looks fairly empty in a tank when you add young fish but once they grow it can end up being too busy. Also need to take into account the amount of waste having so many fish will produce. Too much waste and an overstocked tank could lead to problems in the future.
It's a pain when first setting up a tank and don't worry about getting things wrong. We've all done it at one time or another and learn as we go along. Members on this forum are always willing to give you advice so don't be afraid to ask.

 

[darlotaximum]

thanks again stang gonna chase up my stand maker tomorrow. not so fussed about common plec but sailfin i will keep till he gets too big. will definately d some shifting around the tanks are all treated the same so shouldn't be too many problems.

as for the corys when i get my 50gal up and running am going to dedicate a tank purely too them i think they will be happier. thanks again and to christine for your help.

will check on the plec forum and see if i can get some info there. will research sharks too

 

[stang1]

No problem and good luck.

 

[MoonstruckMuse]

That's a LOT of fish to start off with, I'm kinda jealous. I got a 10gallon and a few guppies to start off with. xD But anyhow...

I think the Redtailed sharks max out at about 6", and he definitely needs to get moved - they're a bit aggressive once older and mine delighted in eating the apple snails. Never was interested in the smaller ones, though. So one in each of your 88L sounds about right, though I'd rehome soon- mine also loved eating the tetras. ^^" Fun little dude, though. But yeah, 50g would be nice for each.

Tank 2 seems way overstocked, especially when compared to the other tanks. The smaller tetras (cardinal, neon, etc) won't appreciate the sharks, though if its heavily planted enough, they might be alright for now.

The plecos grow pretty fast... mine went from 2" to 8" in a little over half a year. However, a 50g might be alright for now, hehe. It'll buy you some time, at the very least. I know they can get to about 2 feet each though, so... they can't even turn around if full grown.

Since it sounds like you've got a lot of fish... plant & filter away! Haha, I cheat a little with my tanks, I dont clean them often enough. I just use filters that are recommended for larger tanks and put plenty of plants in them, and that balances it out quite nicely. It'll definitely help right now too, since the tanks are newer and the bioload just jumped drastically.

Goodluck with everything!