I'm New And Have Some Basic Questions Of Course.....

[tylerchadwick]

Ok.....my parents in law have recently moved. Her fish didn't make it . But, my wife and i inherited her tank. Its a 45 gallon I believe 36" X 17" X 12". Anyway, its a super tank that includes a some kind of quiet filter, a heater set at 78, a thing that moves water across the top of the water, and to air bubble makers in each corner. I'm sorry for my ignorance of filtering terms or the correct usage of what things are. My wife really knows the ins and outs of all that stuff. We stocked the tank yesterday with:

2 albino cory catfish
2 blue origame (sp)
2 tiger barbs
2 albino tiger barbs
1 green barbs
1 sucker fish

I need some answers to some questions. I want to add of few more fish to it, but not sure if I should. I want a couple of more of the cory fish, man they are cute and fun to watch. There are a couple of different shark type tropicals I want. I'm not sure how much my current fish will grow though, or how fast. Could someone help out on this. Would my tank look overstocked when they finally grow full size? What would be some good type fish to mix? Any other advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[SolarityBengals]

Well I know the tiger barbs like being in schools of a minimum 6. You probably meant to say gourami, are they longer than 2"? You might have the dwarf blue gourami which are really common adn really pretty but don't get longer than 2". I'm no expert (far from it) so I can't really direct you as to stocking levels but I know the barbs are schoolers and they can be nippy too so nothing with long pretty fins.

The bubble sprayers are more decoration and don't provide that much use other than looks as the filter provides the oxygen turnover the tank needs.

I'm getting my first tank in 11 years today!!! It will be a 46 gallon .

Oh and the cories must be in schools of 6, otherwise they won't be happy. Also most sharks you see get to 12-18" so if you see one you like make sure you check its maximum length online because in a few years you would have to get rid of it or upgrade. They can be very aggressive too.

I think if you finished out your schools you probably would be at your maximum for the tank. I'm not sure if that is to much or not.

 

[tylerchadwick]

yeah.....i meant gourami, ha ha. I know that about the barbs. I've got 5 so far. So maybe a couple more of those. I at least want another green barb, he looks lonely by himself. We call him the hulk. As far as the gourami's go.....they aren't dwarfs, they're a decent size already......maybe 2-2 1/2 " already. Thanks for the reply.

 

[catxx]

definately get more corys, you have bronze corys (that also come in the albino form) you could get some normal and some more albino if you fancy something different, they LOVE company of their own kind, best in groups of 4-5+

 

[windtrancer]

use the 1 inch of fish to a gallon rule.

blue gouramis grow to 6", barbs to 3-4".

 

[rdd1952]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is whether the tank is cycled or not. How long has the tank been set up and have you tested the ammonia and nitrite levels? If not, you definitely need to get a good, liquid master test kit so you can keep a check on them. With that many fish to start, if the tank isn't cycled, you’ll have a massive ammonia and nitrite spike. Both of those are toxic to fish and will kill them.

As for stock, windtracer mentioned the 1" per gallon rule. It is a very good guide for beginners. The premise is that you can stock 1" of fish (adult size) per gallon of water. So you could have 10 fish that reach 3" when full grown in a 30 gallon tank for example. If you are overfiltered and have a good maintenance program you can exceed that but for starting out it is good to adhere to. Find out what type/brand the filter is and post it in the Chit Chat or Hardware sections and someone will be able to tell you the flow rate. The minimum flow rate is 5 times the water volume per hour, So for a 30 gallon tank you need a filter that is rated at least 150 gallons per hour.

One other thing, find out what species the sucking fish is. Plecos grow to over a foot long and will be too big for your tank. Chinese Algae Eaters (often called sucking loaches) grow to 8" to 10" and also become extremely aggressive as they get older. They will try to suck the slime coat off other fish, especially flat-bodied fish like gouramis.

Last but not least, I see that your Group is "Validating". You will need to go to the email you received when you registered and click the link in it to validate your membership. Until then, you will only be able to post in the Newbie and Beginners sections. If you didn't receive the email, check your bulk folder or spam blockers as sometimes the email is perceived as spam. You can also have it resent to you by going to "My Controls" at the top of the screen and clicking the link there. I believe it is in the upper right corner.

 

[camaroguy357]

sounds like u got alot fish 10 so far id say u can probly get away with maybe another 3 to 5 at most depending on the size of the fish ur putting in there and plecos are amazing im going to be getting a blue phantom and green phantom pleco this week been looking forward to some nice colors but just take it easy on how many fish you get dont wanna over due the tank and have to get rid some fish or upgrand alot more then u wanna i got lucky finding my 55 gal for free on craigslist well enjoy ur fish and a cool fish to put in there is a upside down catfish