Beginner Tank Questions

[johnmoss]

Please forgive the long pre-amble.............

I have had one 30 gallon tank for about a year (freshwater only) that I basically didnt nothing to maintain, just added water ocasionally and changed the fluval 305 cannister about every other month (never added a chemical in over a year, never lost a fish, no issues!). and just bought a 55 gallon tank.

Over the past month my son got really into the fish and I WAY overstocked the 30 gallon aquarium. At one point I had all these fish in the 30 tank:

1 - large Anglefish (size of my palm)
1 - Green Scat (same size as Anglefish
1 - Blood Red Parrot (Same size as Angle fish)
1 - Pleco
5 - Danios
3 - Tinfoil Barbs
2 - Tiger Barbs
2 - Rainbow Sharks (3-4 inches)
2 - Rainbow Catfish
1 - Albino Frog

I ended buying the 55 gallon for two reasons
1- the 30 gallon tank was way overstocked
2- something was eating my Angle's tail and dorsal fins

So now I got the 55 Gallon and moved the following fish in:

1 - large Anglefish (size of my palm)
1 - Green Scat (same size as Anglefish
1 - Pleco
2 - Tiger Barbs
1 - Rainbow Sharks (3-4 inches)
1 - Albino Frog

And because I just couldnt help it I just bought

2 Rainbow Gouramis
2 Medium Size Angle's
The tank also about 6 misc. tetras that I got with the tank.

Here is my questions......
1) Have I now overstocked my 55 gallon tank?
2) What should I be most concerned about with upkeep/ fish compatability?
3) What fish would you recomend to add more color (love the gouramis by they way!), I was thinking of rainbow fish. I also like schooling fish, other than my two tigers I dont have any.
4) Should I really be adding some type of chemicals to the tank/testing it?
5) I have only ever fed me fish the tropical flakes, should I vary the diets?
6) Will my Angle fish regenerate its nipped tail?
7) Any other tips/suggestions?

When I said I didnt do anything to my 30 I wasnt kidding. When I told the guy at the fish store he looked at me like I was stoned when I said I never had an issue and never checked ph,nitrates changed water etc.

So hit me up and let me know your tips.....any expertise you can pass on would be great!

[emc7]

1) Probably. We need to know what filter(s) you have on the tanks now and if you are willing to do more water changes. Also if your tank has plants. You can do less work if your tank is lightly stocked. You can keep a huge amount of fish if you change all the water twice a day.
2) Upkeep, I bet your nitrates in your 30 gallon tank were sky high. Your fish may have developed a tolerance over time, but I bet your new fish don't have it. The remedy for high nitrates is water changes and/or plants. Compatibility. Watch for the Red Parrot to bully and fish he can catch, and the large angel to pick on one or both smaller ones. Watch the barbs for fin-nippers
3) tetras are schooling fish. But you need about 6 of a kind to see them act that way. Lay off on new fish until your sure your tank is not going to do a "new tank syndrome" .
4) yes, the only essential chemical is dechlor, and that only if your tap water has chloramine. Its a good idea to test ammonia, nitrite & nitrate of any new tank or tank with new fish added. If you don't the fish are your test and you first know you have a problem when dies. With pH, the trick is to keep it steady, so you should compare your tank to your tap water. Very high nitrate can lower pH drastically thus making large water changes shocking to your fish.
6) yes, if he stops getting nipped and the fleshy part of the tail is undamaged. Either the barbs or the parrot could be the culprit. So watch them until you know who's been nibbling.
7) Use some of the media from the 30's filter in the 55.

[johnmoss]

Thanks for the reply.

I guess I left this out....

On the 55 Gallon I have two filters

1) Whisper 40
2) Whisper 60

I am planning on getting a Cannister filter for the tank. (I have a Fluval 304 on the 30 gallon that was great)

Also, I didnt transfer the Parrot fish, the danios or the tin foil barbs to my 55 gallon. Mostly because I think the parrot was responsible for the tail nipping!

As for plants, I dont have live plants...........but I am open to the idea. What do I need to do to prepare the tank for live plants?

[FishHead]

barbs are probably the ones going after your angelfish. they are nippers. i actually had to move my red tailed shark out of their tank because they were beating him up. Barbs are also schoolers and should have at least 5 together. An odd number will allow for one to be the "alpha" and help with aggression. If you are putting them into a 55, I would try getting 7 in there.

for feeding, variety will help with the fishes diet. flakes, granules, pellets, crisps are a good variety. bloodworms or krill would make a nice little treat for them.

your angelfish should grow back its fins. you can get melafix to help that process along. its very great and is natural, or so it says

I personally wouldn't add any more different fish to your stock. I would up your barbs to 5 or 7 and add the gouramis in with them. your rainbow shark and pleco would be good in the 55 as well. FYI, plecos get very large..if you get some time post some pics of the tanks. I would love to see your fish..

[johnmoss]

Thanks Fishhead.......

I will work on the pictures.

I was thinking of selling my Scat and replacing it with a Discus. mostly because at some point the Scat will need to have more brackish water.

So I am probably ok to add some more Barbs and a couple of Gouramis to round that tank out?

Also.......here is one more issue......I just noticed what I will refer to as a "fish smell" in my house now that I have the 55 gallon. I never had the (nor do) in the room where the 30 Gallon is.

Is this due to the tank water.....or because I dont have a canister filter like i do on the 30 gallon. And how the heck do I get rid of it?

[FishHead]

Barbs should be in a minimum of 5. tigers, greens, and albinos school together nicely. two smaller gouramis should be ok as well with the them. your rainbows should adapt well with them.

the fish smell could be from the filters or the media in the filters. Is there any build up of algea on the filters, under the hood? That could be from where the fish smell is coming from.

bob

[Clerk]

I don't know if anyone said this yet, but the green skat is a brackish fish, it can tolerate freshwater, but it is not good for it. I am also fairly sure they get to large to be kept in a 50 gallon.

[Obsidian]

Psssssst Clerk... he said hes gonna give that one away cus it needs more brackish water

Sometimes smelly water comes from the nitrites ammonia etc all being high. Since it is a new thank that is a possible answer to the smell. Read about the cycle and follow directions to deal with it. Make sure you are testing the levels regularly until the tank is fully established, and then that you are checking water quality at least weekly. The smell will dissipate as those numbers come to normal (But only if that is the actual cause!)

[johnmoss]

Ok.....I didnt say "giving away" my Scat......but I am open for reasonable trades if you live in South Jersey.

But back to the "smell" and number of fish.

I have had the tank up an running for about 4 days now........

I put tap water in and treated it with all the usual chemicals (ph neutral, aquasafe water conditioner, amonia and nitrate neutralizer etc)....let it run for 48 hours and in went the fishies...........

The water seems very clear (80% and PH at 7.5) and I just put fresh filters on my pumps (whisper quiet 40 + 60 pumps). There is no algae in the tank and it is spotless clean.

My son did WAY overfeed the fish on the second day.......tank got pretty cloudy for about 3-4 hours but is fine now.

I was thinking that it was A) the filters (check when I get home) B) the air pump that is in the gravel (thought is that it is pushing up all the yummy crap)

I was going to buy a canister filter because I love the fluval 304 I have on my 30. (any suggestions of canister filters?)

Thanks for all your feedback!

[JustOneMore20]

Good advice given so far!

Question, do you have a test kit? You need one that tests for ammonia, nitrIte, and nitrAtes. I'd pick one up and test for all 3. I agree, that usually when you have ammonia present or high nitrAtes, you can have that fishy smell. Your tank is going through the nitrogen cycle now, building up good bacteria to take care of the waste products from the fish. You should monitor the progress and do water changes as the levels get high. Its really not recommended to start a new tank with as many fish as you have. The cycle is really hard on fish and more fish is more waste. You may have to do daily water changes, but that is what's best for the fish.

K, now onto your stocking....so the 55g has:

1 - large Anglefish
2 Medium Size Angel's
1 - Green Scat
1 - Pleco
2 - Tiger Barbs
1 - Rainbow Sharks (3-4 inches)
1 - Albino Frog
2 Rainbow Gouramis
6 misc. tetras

I'd definitely get rid of the Scat, since they are brackish. If you can't provide a large brackish tank for it, you really shouldn't keep it. I know thats harsh, but keeping it in freshwater isn't good. If you can provide a 75g or so tank for it or devote a 55g to brackish water, then I'd recommend keeping it.

I would not keep the Tiger Barbs with Angels. That is a no-no. Tiger Barbs are notorious fin nippers and possibly what ate your angels tail....either that or the Blood Parrot, but I wouldn't keep either of them with the Angels to be sure.

If the pleco is a Common pleco, it will eventually outgrow your tank, but will take awhile.

Watch the Albino frog, they are notorious for eating whatever fits in their mouth. I'd be worried about the tetras when the frog gets bigger.

The gouramis and Angels may or may not get along....just watch for aggression. I'd personally keep one or the other. If 2 of the angels pair off, you're going to have a problem, but I'd cross that bridge when you get there.

Tinfoil barbs get incredibly huge and should not be kept in a 30g. They can get over a foot long and need around a 90g for a school IMO or larger. I wouldn't keep them in the 30g or the 55g as one tank is too small and the other is stocked. If you can't provide a tank that will be large enough and have enough room for them, then I'd consider taking them to the LFS.

I agree, that if you keep whats in the 55g now, don't add anything else. You could have issues with the angels and gouramis and I wouldn't add anything else, unless you bring the numbers down to maybe 2 angels and the 2 gouramis, and then get rid of the Scat.

I know you jumped in head first and might have gotten some information from the lfs on your purchases. I just want to stress the importance of researching before you buy from now on. Thats what we're here for and we're glad you found FF! I'm sure you don't want to get rid of any of your fish, but some of them aren't being properly kept, so you should really consider taking them to the LFS.

[emc7]

You need to seed the 55 to jumpstart the cycle. Open the canister and take a few ceramic things or a handful of charcoal and put it in nylon in the larger of your new filters. Repeat in 10 days. Count your fish. Smell is the best way to tell if you have a corpse.

[johnmoss]

First and update..........

Had a bad fish day yesterday...........

My air con in my house died and so did my 55 gallon tank.......support broke and the tank cracked while I was at work...............

Bought a new tank and saved the fish.......however, I had to move all the fish into the 30 gallon overnight to set up the new tank (and delouse my carpet from the fish water)

Since I had em all back in the one tank I decided to "Re-Sort my fish at it were"

I moved into my 55 gallon the following fish:

5 Danios
3 Angels
2 gouramis
2 rainbow catfish
3 tetras

In the 30 gallon I now have

1 blood parrot
3 tinfoil barbs
2 tiger barbs
2 rainbow sharks
1 pleco
1 albino frog
1 Green Scat.

At the very least I am trading in the following:
Green Scat
1 rainbow shark
2 tiger barbs

I am looking for your assistance with the following:

advice on further stocking the 55 since I want more color
advice on any other fish I should trade

Basically I want to add color to may tank, so I was thinking
Discus
Rainbowfish.

But I would like your suggestions.

Your help is apprecited................




The t

[emc7]

support broke and the tank cracked

My sympathies. Do you mean the center brace? What is it with 55s these days.

[FishHead]

Hey John, whereabouts in NJ do you live? If close by zip 08070 I can take the tiger barbs...

Rainbowfish can go with a barb tank as well. I have been looking into them when I upgrade to my 55 next month.

[johnmoss]

Hi all,

Yes the center brace in the 55 went and the back of the tank cracked.

Put all the fish in my 30 overnight (Talk about overstocked) Damn Parrot nipped just bout every fish in the tank.

I returned the Parrot (pretty fish, too damn aggressive), one rainbow shark, two tigers and the Scat.

I am looking to find new homes for the tin foil barbs and then re-stock the smaller tank with more peacefull fish.

And by the way I am in 08043.