Overstocked?

[TomShootsPhoto]

Hi everyone,

just recently i asked about my fish, who is now dead. Some people told me I was massively overstocked.

Size:
I have a 60 liter tank, with the size dimension (in inches) H12 x L24 X D12.

Fishes:
I have a nearly full grown angelfish, with the size H10 x L3.5
2x 3 inch clown loaches
and a 3.5 inch bristlenose catfish.

Equipment:
I have a Crystal R05 filter, with minimum 400L/Hour and maximum 650L/hour. I had a smaller filter that came with my tank, but that couldn't cut it.
I have some wood, a stone with a hole in it, and a plant. Put besides each other, they cover about a fifth of the tank.

About my fish:
My angelfish shipped all the way from Brazil, and yes, he was caught in the amazon river. I payed about 600 US dollars to get him here.

I tried:
When i heard I was massively overstocked, I took my fish back to the store where I bought the loaches. I offered them all the fish for free, and told them that the angel was from the amazon river. They didn't belive me, and told me to get out of there. I went back the next day, with the shipping information for the angel, and the receipt for the clown loaches. They told my fished may have bacteria, and will not take them.

What should I do? I don't have any money, and can't offer to buy them a bigger tank. No one will buy them.


Please help!

Sincerely, Tom

 

[This Old Spouse]

Where are you? If you can afford to pay $600 for a single fish, why can't you afford to get a tank big enough to house it? Look around the classifieds to find a bigger tank.

 

[ZoddyZod]

you paid $600 for a wild angel? Why?

You say you don't have any money for a bigger tank, but you were willing to spend $600 on a single fish that is innappropriate for your tank?

 

[Tizer]

Paying $600 for a fish and you cant afford a larger tank? Troll alert! ding ding!

 

[TomShootsPhoto]

Where are you? If you can afford to pay $600 for a single fish, why can't you afford to get a tank big enough to house it? Look around the classifieds to find a bigger tank.

I live in London. I had a job when i got the fish, and now I am doing my second PhD. I can barely afford rent.

 

[TomShootsPhoto]

you paid $600 for a wild angel? Why?

You say you don't have any money for a bigger tank, but you were willing to spend $600 on a single fish that is innappropriate for your tank?

Paying $600 for a fish and you cant afford a larger tank? Troll alert! ding ding!

I am not a troll, I came here to get some serious help and not be laughed at. Looks like this forum isn't that evolved.
Yes I paid that much. Why? Well because of the origin, and how beautiful it is. If I can, I'll put a picture of it so you can see.
I had some angels before, but none of them where as beautiful as this one. And it's really big too.

So can some of you give me some advice or help, or should I just turn to someone else because everyone is so unserious?

 

[ZoddyZod]

if you can not rehome the fish, the only option would be to purchase a bigger tank.

Your tank is only currently 2" taller than the angel - very cruel, not much room to swim.

Clow loaches will eventually reach over 1' in length and are not appropriate for a 60L

.....there's not much help or advice we can give I'm afraid.

I'm still intrigued by this $600 angel. How did you come to know about it? Was it advertised somewhere? I can buy wild caught discus at my fish shop and they go for nowhere near that price so I'd love to know why this fish has been deemed so expensive.

 

[CezzaXV]

Sorry if it seems we're not being serious, but you have to wonder firstly who pays that kind of money for a fish, and secondly who in their right mind buys a fish that can barely turn sideways in their tank? We've all made beginner's mistakes but that's a doozy.

If you can afford a bigger tank I would highly recommend that you get one. You can find some bargains if you go second hand. If you can't afford a bigger tank then you'll need to either give away or sell the fish. If you make a post in the marketplace section of this forum you might have some luck.

 

[coldcazzie]

Tom, good places to look for second hand tanks are eBay, gumtree, Aquarist Classified, or you can ask on your local Freegle group - someone may be able to help you out, although large tanks come up very rarely in my experience.

If you want to rehome the clown loaches (which you really should), and probably the other fish as well, then you need to be offering them for free to someone who already has a minimum 6x2x2 tank. You can offer them on here, we have several London members who may be able to help you out. Another option might be to offer them to one of the London aquariums - they may have a tank which the fish can be added to.

However, this does not detract from your lack of care as a fish owner. You have been here on this forum before asking for help about your tank. You were told then that angelfish were not a suitable fish for the size of tank you have. The smaller fish you had were not suitable then, and this bigger fish is even more unsuitable now. What happened to those fish, may I ask? As someone who is entering into post-grad education, and one must assume is therefore reasonably intelligent, I'm struggling to understand how you cannot see that you've made bad choices in your fishkeeping history.

Regardless of the beauty of a fish, paying $600 to have a wild caught specimin shipped from Brazil, to then place it into a horrifically small tank (an angelfish at 10 inches from fintip to fintip should be in a tank with an absolute minimum of 24 inches between substrate and water surface, preferably more), is quite frankly cruel and thoughtless. They are tall fish, which need lots of room to move up and down through their environment, and yet you have put this fish into a tank that is so shallow that it's anal fin trails on the subtrate while it's dorsal fin pokes above the surface. That speaks to me of a serious lack of foresight and duty of care on your part.

Additionally, a wild caught fish will require very specific water conditions: soft water with low pH, tannin stained, probably utilising a UV filter to maintain a low level of free-floating bacteria, and with a large shoal of other angelfish. You are providing none of those, showing that you have very little idea of how to appropriately care for your fish.

While I do not agree with the statements of you being a troll, I would suggest that you are not suited to the hobby of fishkeeping as you've consistently showed that you are unable to provide appropriate environments or care for your pets, and you've repeatedly failed to listen to the advice of those who are trying to help, not for your sake, but for the sake of your fish.

You yourself have stated that you cannot afford to buy them a more appropriately sized tank. In fact, you've stated you're struggling to even pay the rent. If that is indeed true, then your only option really is to give the fish away and sell the tank to fund other parts of your life, like keeping a roof over your head and feeding yourself.

 

[ZoddyZod]

harsh but fair.

 

[TomShootsPhoto]

Thank you for your answers.

Here is the honest answer, why i payed that much for a fish. (The other reasons are true, I didn't want to talk about this one because it is so personal)
My best friend caught the fish, when he was in Brazil. It was really small, barely above 2 inches in height. Back then, it fitted my tank of course.

My friend called me and asked if I wanted it, because I just got my tank. (2009 Dec)
I said of course.
2 days later, on his way home, he died in a car crash. I had no one in Brazil, so I had to pay some one to recover the jar with the fish in it, and ship it to me.
And yes, that cost that much.


Ok, so if a new tank is bought, what size would be appropriate?

 

[coldcazzie]

Unfortunately the truth hurts sometimes.

If you were to keep the stock you have... I reckon a 6x2x2 would work well for the time being. You may be able to find a tank that size on eBay for £100-150. People tend to have trouble shifting them for any more than that as many people can't house them.

You'd have to hire a van to pick it up too though, unless you have a handy friend who has a large van to lend you?

 

[Tizer]

You dont have to go that bananas, a 4 foot 240/300 litre tank would suffice for a good few years im sure, but you will need to step it up again in size a few years down the line. Clown Loaches do grow slowly and you would have plenty if time to research them if you were that set on keeping them and you would be abel to keep a few more of them, as they like to be kept in larger groups. Keeping two is just cruel in itself. The same goes for the Angel, just make sure the tank has height. The Juwel Rio 300's for example are not a bad shout.

 

[TomShootsPhoto]

Unfortunately the truth hurts sometimes.

If you were to keep the stock you have... I reckon a 6x2x2 would work well for the time being. You may be able to find a tank that size on eBay for £100-150. People tend to have trouble shifting them for any more than that as many people can't house them.

You'd have to hire a van to pick it up too though, unless you have a handy friend who has a large van to lend you?

Thank you. 6x2x2, is that in feet or meter ?

 

[Tizer]

oh my word