Some More Fish

[Spikey1007]

Okay well, it is decided that i definatly want and need a pleco for my tank. So im getting one of them after a recent finrot infection is taken care of.

My tank is 60L

And I have

5 Neon tetra (the origianl starter fish all survived ^^, only had this tank for 4 months.)
3 Harlequin rasbora
3 Cherry Barb
3 Glowlight tetra
3 Emerald eye rasbora (tetra)
2 Silver sharks, will be getting rid of them in a few years when they grow big...

So that makes 19, make that 20 when i get a pleco. I was wondering if i could get a pair of coolie loaches, for gravel cleaning. Becuase i read coolie loach should not be kept on thier own so a pair.

After that i would only want small fish (such as tetra). But is my tank a bit small for more than 20 fish? So will i just have to make do?

But bearing in mind the previous owner of this tank, had 35! fish in this tank mostly Pengiun, glowlight and neon tetra but when the algae problem got bad (probably because of the massive Nitrate levels) he said he got 3 pleco to clean the algae.

I would of liked to discuss more about the history of his tank but he was the type of forgetful person lol. His 17 year old son was able to tell me more about it than him. I would of like to know what happened to those pleco, he said they lasted about 5 years they must of been monsters!

Anyway all and any answers will be cool thanks.

 

[AdAndrews.]

bearing in mind the size of the tank add up the total length of all the fish that you expect them to reach in a years time, do this in centimetres and then you can have 1 cm per litre so 60 cm of fish. this way you can see if you can fit in any more, what plec u thinkin of getting Bn is the only suitable, if you want algae eaters go for a trio of Otto's

 

[tez2k007]

Depends what type of pleco and the reasons for getting it. If its just to cure Algae then thats not enough reason to get one. Others may advise differently though but also I am not sure if it will be overstocked with the 2 sharks in their also.

 

[Littlemonkey]

I'm with AdAndrews on this, I've just got 4 ottos. Only grow to 5cm, mine are youngsters and all have healthy round stomach's, also to help with the Algae problem I have also got 6 Apple snails. The otto's are at ease with the fellow tank mates. Note though, ottos have been known to be fragile, so you go to get any make sure they have nice round stomach's. Also they will need supplement green's to keep them healthy and to survive.

 

[rdd1952]

I would say you are already competely stocked to overstocked. Best guide for new tanks and those new to the hobby is 1" of adult fish per gallon of water. Your tank is approximately 15 gallons so you could have about 15" of fish. Currently, I figure roughly 29" if fish not counting the sharks. That's not to say that you can't have that much. With proper filtration and a good maintenance schedule you will be fine. I would steer clear from any type plec since they are huge waste producers. Even a small BN will create a lot of waste.

As for the sharks, they will be much harder to rehome once they have gotten large. The LFS most likely won't take them back unless it's a true fish store. The otos mentioned are nice small fish but need a mature tank. They are prone to sudden deaths anyway and don't do well in a new setup. If you decide to go that route, ask the LFS how long they've had them before you buy. If they haven't been there for a couple weeks, expect some loses.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

agree with the above, the silver sharks need a new home asap and then you are fully stocked and should not add any more fish.

 

[Spikey1007]

Hmm, ok. From your advice it seems like i might have gone a little crazy fish buying . But really i have just gone with advice from books and the fish shop owner.

The fish shop did say they would take any large fish you have no room for. This becuase they have some massive tanks with fish the guy said these were ethither donated or sold to them. One was a Ciclid tank with heafty amount of ciclids, the other was tank with 5 Silver Sharks, a 1.5 ft long pleco, and 2 arawana.

I trust the shop, i only recently got fish but i have always gone there to have a look at stuff becuase they have a garden section aswell. The shop has been there for about 10 years now. I will see if i can get pics.

If the fish shop decides they don't want my sharks then i can give them to a friend who has a nice 3 foot tank. and 2 spare tanks. That taken into account. i was thinking of getting a bristle nose pleco, i just dont want one for algae, thats only half the story. It was discussed with the fish shop man he did say a pleco should be fine in this tank but once again if it gets too big then i always can rehome it.

I don't really want to remove any fish, but if you guys insist that im stocked then. I'll pass on a pleco. But i would rather have something eating the algae than me having to put the cleaner in there alot of the time. What would you guys say about getting a marble loach? I know i may sound like a bit of an overconfident beginner. But i do alot of homeowrk on this stuff...and i closley monitor my tank. So if any spikes or problems arise i try to sort them Asap.

 

[rdd1952]

One of the problems with rehoming fish is that you get attached to them. My son gave us a plec a couple years ago. He was taking the tankit was in down and he had no place for it. I had a 75 gallon so I had room at the time. I really didn't want a plec but really had no choice. Now my wife is so attached to it that I couldn't get rid of it if I wanted to without a fight and I really don't like sleeping on the sofa.