Overcrowded Or Not?

[5teady_2012]

by the sounds of that he shodnt be fish keeping. bad case of newbie not doing reserch.

He maybe didnt do is research, but that does not mean he shouldnt be keeping fish, he has come on to a fish forum for help and is asking for guidance, nobody starts off a fantastic fish keeper, we all gotta learn by our mistakes.

 

[murphyk32]

ahaha yup oh my ive learned from mine lmfao thanks to this forum

 

[Sparnon]

I should add that the people who come on here for advice are the rare 5% of good fishkeepers who care.

The rest just use fish as ornaments, or don't know and don't care. The fact that you came here and asked says a lot about you and I'd say you'll be a good fishkeeper once you get yourself set up with a decent cycled tank.

 

[Million]

well said that man

 

[Wrams]

How long have you had this tank? Is it fully cycled? If it is then why not buy a bigger tank and use the media to establish that then problem solved.

 

[AdAndrews]

I have had my tank for about 8 weeks, i started off for the first two weeks with minnows and then a water test said that the water was ok so i added 1 goldfish, a week later i added two more and a plec, and on sunday my first goldfish died(the one i had 6 weeks ago)

i appreciate your answers, i asked the question because i didnt know if it was ok to add another goldfish to replace the dead one, anyway the tests are fine fish are healthy so i dont understand why this is wrong

is it th lack of space making a tank overcrowded, lack of oxygen or too much waste be produced by the fish, i do a 45-50% water change every week and clean my filter which already has carbon and beneficial bacteria in it.

i have decided not to get another goldfish but am reading about tropical fish, i hve been looking at the Aquael brillux 72 litre tank, i plan to keep a couple of red tailed sharks a silver dollar, 4 mollies, 2 platies, couple of corys and a couple of dwrf gouramis, is it k when i get it to use my minnows to cycle the tank and then leave them in there or will they die from the temperature difference after being n a 18-20 degrees celcius tank for 3 months.

thankyou everyone

 

[Wrams]

I have had my tank for about 8 weeks, i started off for the first two weeks with minnows and then a water test said that the water was ok so i added 1 goldfish, a week later i added two more and a plec, and on sunday my first goldfish died(the one i had 6 weeks ago)

i appreciate your answers, i asked the question because i didnt know if it was ok to add another goldfish to replace the dead one, anyway the tests are fine fish are healthy so i dont understand why this is wrong

is it th lack of space making a tank overcrowded, lack of oxygen or too much waste be produced by the fish, i do a 45-50% water change every week and clean my filter which already has carbon and beneficial bacteria in it.

i have decided not to get another goldfish but am reading about tropical fish, i hve been looking at the Aquael brillux 72 litre tank, i plan to keep a couple of red tailed sharks a silver dollar, 4 mollies, 2 platies, couple of corys and a couple of dwrf gouramis, is it k when i get it to use my minnows to cycle the tank and then leave them in there or will they die from the temperature difference after being n a 18-20 degrees celcius tank for 3 months.

thankyou everyone

For 1 always clean your filter media in old tank water, also just swirl it round don't scrunch it up and get every single bit out of it. You can also buy another bigger tank and use some of that media to get your seccond tank established.

As for the over-crowding that means to many fish in a confined space, eventaully the weeker fish will become stressed and die. Also oxygen comes into it and other factors. You can pick up a tank these days for very cheap, look for a second hand tank with accessories theres some great bargains out there.

Search round the forums and do some reading up and if your not sure then ask your questions these guys know what there talking about even if i don't

 

[Davo86]

Hi AdAndrews

is it th lack of space making a tank overcrowded, lack of oxygen or too much waste be produced by the fish, i do a 45-50% water change every week and clean my filter which already has carbon and beneficial bacteria in it.

TBH its all three, which are making the tank unsuitable, when you test the water, what are you testing for?

i have decided not to get another goldfish but am reading about tropical fish, i hve been looking at the Aquael brillux 72 litre tank, i plan to keep a couple of red tailed sharks a silver dollar, 4 mollies, 2 platies, couple of corys and a couple of dwrf gouramis, is it k when i get it to use my minnows to cycle the tank and then leave them in there or will they die from the temperature difference after being n a 18-20 degrees celcius tank for 3 months.

Again i'm sorry to say that those fish will not be ok in that sized tank, 72 litres equates to 19USG,
red-tailed sharks need at least 50USG per shark and most people will tell u that you should only keep 1 per tank to avoid them killing each other.
Also the Silver Dollars are large fish which should be kept in shoals and again shouldn't be kept in anything less than a 50USG tank.

I realise that when you buy fish they are small and seem to get lost in the aquarium, however 99% of the fish in any LFS are very young fish but need plenty of space in order to keep themselves healthy with a constant growth rate, think of it like this, if they don't have room to grow they don't have room to live and will only live for a fraction of the time that they would do in a larger aquarium.

thankyou everyone

 

[Jodiem]

my advice would be research before u start thinking about adding fish,

Jodie

 

[n3ont3tra]

I have had my tank for about 8 weeks, i started off for the first two weeks with minnows and then a water test said that the water was ok so i added 1 goldfish, a week later i added two more and a plec, and on sunday my first goldfish died(the one i had 6 weeks ago)

i appreciate your answers, i asked the question because i didnt know if it was ok to add another goldfish to replace the dead one, anyway the tests are fine fish are healthy so i dont understand why this is wrong

is it th lack of space making a tank overcrowded, lack of oxygen or too much waste be produced by the fish, i do a 45-50% water change every week and clean my filter which already has carbon and beneficial bacteria in it.

i have decided not to get another goldfish but am reading about tropical fish, i hve been looking at the Aquael brillux 72 litre tank, i plan to keep a couple of red tailed sharks a silver dollar, 4 mollies, 2 platies, couple of corys and a couple of dwrf gouramis, is it k when i get it to use my minnows to cycle the tank and then leave them in there or will they die from the temperature difference after being n a 18-20 degrees celcius tank for 3 months.

thankyou everyone

What exactly are you testing for, and what do they read? You should be testing for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate for now. Ammonia and nitrite should ALWAYS be zero.

What is making the tank overcrowded is a combination all three things. The minnows and goldfish really are active fish - they need room to move around and 15 liters really can't provide that. In addition, as other posters have told you, the pleco and goldfish will grow far too large for your tank. And they produce more waste than your average fish, which makes them completely unsuitable for your small tank.

It's good that you do a water change every week, but unfortunately I think your tank is too far overstocked that the water changes can't fix the problems.

A 72 liter tank is a good upgrade, but the stocking you have proposed is unsuitable. Red tailed sharks are solitary fish. They will NOT tolerate others of their species. They get to about 5 inches and are semi-aggressive bottom feeders. Silver dollars are schooling fish that get up to 5 inches. When they aren't in a group they tend to be very shy and unhappy. They need groups of at least five, which is more than your tank can accommodate. The mollies and platies are great for beginners and are very hardy. Cories are fun too, but they are slightly more delicate so make sure your tank is stable before adding them. The same goes for dwarf gouramies. The minnows probably won't die from the temperature difference, but they won't really like it either. Also, four minnows isn't enough to completely cycle a 72 liter tank.

 

[murphyk32]

just to add about the dwarf gouramis, best kept as one male and 2+ females.. 2 males in a small tank will become territorial and fight, seen it personally, and heard it a lot on this forum.

 

[GShorty1981]

I wouldnt bother with Dwarf Gourami's if your a begginer they are very very weak...also if you add a silver dollar and a red tail shark you will be back where you started with over stocking/incompatable fish etc.

Start off with 2 Platys after a new cycle then add accordingly.

In a 72 litre i wouldnt add anymore than 24" of fish (dont add them all at the same time,2 a week max or 5 if they are shoaling fish)

 

[jonnyf84]

overstocked

 

[GShorty1981]

overstocked

I think hes gathered that hence why he is moving to trops.

 

[n3ont3tra]

I think your best option would be to rehome all your fish at this point. Buy your new tank, and use this method of cycling:
http/www.fishforums.net/content/New-to-t...shless-Cycling/
It is easy, and forces you to be patient, which is important. While you're waiting you can research the fish you want and find a suitable stocking list.