Thoughts Urgent

[Gavinfleury29]

I need to know i have a 36 gallon now i have 15 inches of fish left i have 2 filters and a huge bubbler i want to get

1X Bristlnose Plec 6 inches
2X Upside down catfish 4 inches X2
1X Rainbow Shark 6 inches

but 6
4
4
+ 6

is 20 can i go five gallons over and also can the UPside down catfish servive in a tank with aquariam salt and can PetSmart Special Order BristleNose Plectomuses

 

[Tuxyu3]

Never use aquarium salt with scaleless fishes, it burns them.

That is a lot of bottom dwellers for a tank of this size and I would definitely not have the Rainbow Shark as they can be territorial and agressive, not something you want. The one inch per gallon rule is pretty useless to be honest, it's all to do with the fish temperament and the conditions it needs as well as where in the tank they will go.

 

[DrRob]

I may have missed something, but why are we salting this tank?

I don't know petsmart as a store, but any store can, in theory, special order fish. It's just whether they're willing to.

 

[Tuxyu3]

Good question on salting the tank. Are you using it as some kind of health tonic (i know some people who have been told it is a good idea)? It really is not necessary unless there is a specific need and i think i have heard fish just become used to it anyway so it becomes useless.

 

[Jenste]

The larger the fish, the larger amount of waste out put - it is not a ratio of inch per gallon, but waste output and bioload capacity of a system.

Rainbow sharks need larger systems (I would personally recommend 4+ feet in tank length) and get aggressive as they age.

You should rehome the shark and possibly plan a suitable stocking around the bristlenose and upside down catfish. Maybe a shoal of tetras or a group of male livebearers for movement and color.

 

[Gavinfleury29]

i have livebears and ironically mine are pregnant

i was using salt but i only did it once about 1 month ago, i bought a rainbow shark yesterday he loves me he fallows me every were he is about 1/2 an inch hes adorably he is getting along with the other fish and one of my long finned minor tetra has become his friend they hang out in his terretory.

thanks for the help

 

[bmonki]

Just as a side point, the inch per gallon rule only applies to fish whose adult size is a maximum of 3 inches, so none of the ones mentioned above would fit into that anyway.

The plec will be an absolute waste machine, as all plecs are, but he'd be a much better fit in that tank than the shark.