Is My Tank Over Stocked?

[heavenly_d3vi1]

I've recently re-homed a load of rescue fish from my aunty.. now i'm a bit worried that i'm over stocked and i'll run in to water condition problems! Current stock is listed in my sig, I'd like your opinions please!

 

[bitteraspects]

to put it simply. yes. you are very overstocked. the bala and common plecos alone are not going to work.

 

[heavenly_d3vi1]

Sorry.. the bala?

 

[bitteraspects]

silver shark

 

[heavenly_d3vi1]

silver shark

Oh right, yeah he's one of the rescues! How big do they get?

 

[bitteraspects]

realistically, 14" in an aquarium is average, however in the wild they can get larger then that, you should see about donating it to the LFS or an aquarium nearby if you have a local aquarium.

 

[mwood2]

well they get to be 12+ in and need to be kept in groups so to keep them you need 100+ Gallon tank. Pleco also get very very big and need a similar sized tank.

Basicly anything with shark in the name needs special conditions. I dont know alot but simply you need as larger tank or to give them away to better homes.

Now also the Bettas need there own thank or they may end up killing themselves or others too.

I would say try to find homes for the 2 common pleco and ALL the sharks and then place the male betta into a heated 3-5 gallon tank and you should be fine.

 

[bitteraspects]

actually red tailed sharks are very small when full grown.

 

[mwood2]

well the red tail may fit in the tank but with all the longed fined fish and the fact that a\s they grow old may terrorize the other fish I would find a good home and look into a small shark after the tanks stock becomes more manageable.

Just personal opinion

 

[heavenly_d3vi1]

The LFS said the red tail and albino sharks would only grow to af ew inches? Not that I trust them at all! As far as the bettas are concerned, I am fully prepared to get them seperate tanks if needs be, but, they have lived together quite happily for 6 months or so now, are they still likely to suddennly turn on one another?

There is an aquarium near by that I can give the silver sharkand plecs to, which I do think I'll need to do fairly soon, they're already massive compared to all my otehr fish! While I do plan on upgrading my tank at some point.. I dont think my apgrade will be large enough to comfrotably house them 3 still! Quite annoyed about the plecs, I only bought them coz when I first went to get my stock the LFS, which I've now learnt NOT to listen to, told me that I'd NEED these!

Thanks for your help!

 

[bitteraspects]

whoa. i completely missed the fire eel at the bnottom of the list. that thing will easily reach 2 feet in length. also depending on the cat fish you have, you could be looking at another monster.
you never "need" plecos. while they can help cut down visible algae on glass and decor, they produce more waste then they remove, and increase your bioload substantially. also, nothing cleans algae better then good ol elbowgrease and waterchanges (with the exception of a uv sterilizer)

 

[heavenly_d3vi1]

lol.. yeah! I've already got a new home sorted for the fire eel! Theres no way I coud even try to accomodate that lil monster, as beautiful as he is!

heres a pic of the cat..

 

[mwood2]

The betta should be fine buuuut it would be safe to have an extra tank prepared at any given time for it to prevent bloodshed if possible. 3-5 gallons with a small filter and heater would suffice. Just move a small amount of your current media if needed.

But yes, the eel needs to be moved as well as the Pleco/Shark due to size. Your keeping an eye on your water stats too right? this massive of a bio load must have created a new cycle right?


EDIT
The catfish while I cant ID seems to be one I have seen before. If memory serves me right I think its requirements are 30-50 gallons and needs groups.

 

[bitteraspects]

thats a pictus cat. they stay pretty small and are relatively peaceful, however as mentioned, they do much better in larger groups. shouldnt be hard to find a couple more though. theyre very common

 

[heavenly_d3vi1]

The eel, shark, and cat only went in yesterday.. atm stats are all ok, but yes.. I am keeping a close eye on them! The good thing is, when I had my first tank, my LFS sold me 'bacteria in a bottle' and said I could throw fish straight in... So, I have lots of practise at fish-in cycles!!! I'm going to give a local aquarium a call now tho and see if they can help me out.

thats a pictus cat. they stay pretty small and are relatively peaceful, however as mentioned, they do much better in larger groups. shouldnt be hard to find a couple more though. theyre very common

Yeh I've noticed them at the lfs before, just never payed attention to their name! Think I'd best sort out these larger fish before I get him some friends tho!