I Know I Am Overstocked But Is It Bad?

[avirex]

i have a 15 gallon with 4 tiger barbs 2 green tiger barbs and 2 dwarf cobalt gouramies

1st i had 4 barbs then added the 2 gouramies

to stop the nipping i added 2 more barbs

they dont nip n e more

the 2 gouramies get along..

on another board people talk alot of bs

i take care of my fish

wat are your guys opinions...

 

[phlawed]

i have a 15 gallon with 4 tiger barbs 2 green tiger barbs and 2 dwarf cobalt gouramies

1st i had 4 barbs then added the 2 gouramies

to stop the nipping i added 2 more barbs

they dont nip n e more

the 2 gouramies get along..

on another board people talk alot of bs

i take care of my fish

wat are your guys opinions...

to be honest you might be fine while the fish are young. Problem is, eventually you are going to need a plec to clean and maybe some bottom feeders to clean up what the barbs and gouramies dont on top. But when full size, you will have some problems in this tank size. But for now (assuming you mean 15u.s. gallons) you are fine.

 

[avirex]

instead of plecos doin that cant i get a gravel vac?

do u think a pleco would over do it?

 

[phlawed]

instead of plecos doin that cant i get a gravel vac?

do u think a pleco would over do it?

a gravel vac will clean some of the waste at bottom of tank but thats not what a plec does, he helps prevent algae. Nothing other than removing everything in tank and cleaning it replaces a plec.

 

[soritan]

... uhn, I think that's rather bad advice, phlawed. No one 'needs' a pleco, and if his tank is already overstocked, adding a very large fish to the mix will improve no one's life.

 

[phlawed]

... uhn, I think that's rather bad advice, phlawed. No one 'needs' a pleco, and if his tank is already overstocked, adding a very large fish to the mix will improve no one's life.

uh if you read first post that was not the advise...so next time read...and not all plecs are "very large fish"

 

[soritan]

... uhn, I think that's rather bad advice, phlawed. No one 'needs' a pleco, and if his tank is already overstocked, adding a very large fish to the mix will improve no one's life.

uh if you read first post that was not the advise...so next time read...and not all plecs are "very large fish"

I did read the first post, he said, "I'm overstocked but my fish are okay, is that okay?" and you said it was fine while they were young, but that he needed a pleco to clean his tank. He said he already cleaned with a gravel vac, and you said that a gravel vac wasn't enough, and he had to add one to prevent algae (untrue), and that he had to remove everything from the tank to do the same thing (untrue).

 

[Dorkhedeos]

well you can get rid of algae by scrubbing it off the glass instead of adding a poop machine

 

[phlawed]

i have a 15 gallon with 4 tiger barbs 2 green tiger barbs and 2 dwarf cobalt gouramies

1st i had 4 barbs then added the 2 gouramies

to stop the nipping i added 2 more barbs

they dont nip n e more

the 2 gouramies get along..

on another board people talk alot of bs

i take care of my fish

wat are your guys opinions...

to be honest you might be fine while the fish are young. Problem is, eventually you are going to need a plec to clean and maybe some bottom feeders to clean up what the barbs and gouramies dont on top. But when full size, you will have some problems in this tank size. But for now (assuming you mean 15u.s. gallons) you are fine.

do you see the "might be fine" and the "eventually" and the "tank size" and the "but for now" so yes idiot please read

 

[dwarfgourami]

do you see the "might be fine" and the "eventually" and the "tank size" and the "but for now" so yes idiot please read

Phlawed, you can't get away from the fact that this is what you said (pasted from your post):

"Problem is, eventually you are going to need a plec to clean and maybe some bottom feeders to clean up what the barbs and gouramies dont on top. "

What people are trying to point out is that it is bad advice to suggest that every tank needs a cleaner fish. They don't. It is perfectly possible to avoid overfeeding instead.

And in small tanks, even a small plec- like a bristlenose- is going to produce too much waste. The main priority should be to avoid the conditions where excess algae flourish, and the bottom needs more cleaning than your weekly gravel vac. There was a very good pinned topic (by Neale, I think) pointing out the pros and cons of different algae eaters.

Please don't call people idiots, a lot of people on this board may actually have more experience than yourself.

 

[phlawed]

do you see the "might be fine" and the "eventually" and the "tank size" and the "but for now" so yes idiot please read

Phlawed, you can't get away from the fact that this is what you said (pasted from your post):

"Problem is, eventually you are going to need a plec to clean and maybe some bottom feeders to clean up what the barbs and gouramies dont on top. "

What people are trying to point out is that it is bad advice to suggest that every tank needs a cleaner fish. They don't. It is perfectly possible to avoid overfeeding instead.

And in small tanks, even a small plec- like a bristlenose- is going to produce too much waste. The main priority should be to avoid the conditions where excess algae flourish, and the bottom needs more cleaning than your weekly gravel vac. There was a very good pinned topic (by Neale, I think) pointing out the pros and cons of different algae eaters.

Please don't call people idiots, a lot of people on this board may actually have more experience than yourself.

if you read it correctly i didnt say hey go buy a plec or two and add it to the tank you have....DID I..so please stop taking my words out of context...and read what i said...i was simply recomending once the fish start growing to move them to a bigger tank and get a plec and a bottom crew to help clean...that is in NO WAY bad advise to ANY tank that is compatiblity of a plec...there are plenty of people that have LOTS more experience than me in fish keeping....he was asking a question and i gave it....and nothing in what I said is wrong if you just read it....there is absolutly nothing in error wrong with what i said

 

[phlawed]

whatever i wont argue this anymore....top water swimmers are better off without a plec or bottom feeders for whatever reasons the people above say they are as they are better fishkeepers in this reguard. I am truly sorry for ever recomending plecs and bottom feeders for a future tank to house your fish as this is obviously wrong info and will only kill your tank. Best of luck and take care.

 

[dgwebster]

anybody got a handbag ready? *tries to break a little tension*

Personally, I think a truer statement would be that "in future, you may want to get a plec or other bottom feeder along with a larger tank in order to remove alot of the manual cleaning that you currently/will have to do."

 

[avirex]

thanx for the replies guys

 

[Kairi]

avirex: i got tired of reading about 3/4 way down the page, so i don't know if anyone answered your question. people may not agree with me, but for the time being, i would venture to say your fish are fine. just make sure they ammonia and nitrite levels don't get too high with the tank being overstocked. you'll eventually need a larger tank though. as for the pleco, i have one, and love him but would not get another. they poop too much. i have a small tank that is beginning to turn green w/ algae... i just scrub the glass real good... yeah it grows back, but i clean the tank weekly anyways, so it's not a big deal