Sigh- Bad Fish Owner.

[BlackArchFish]

I think I'm a bad fish owner, I have a ten gallon tank, and have alot of fish in it. I want to upgrade soon to a 55 gallon tank if someone would ship to Orlando, FL and sell a kit for less then $164. Anyways, I have:
1 Ghost catfish, 2 Comet Goldfish, 1 Rainbow Albino Shark, 3 Rosy something feeder fish, 1 Pleco, 5 Fancy guppies, 2 Black Mollys (Babies).

I think I have over crowded my tank. Please tell me do you think it is as crowded as I do? All of them are really small fish. About 4'' or less, the biggest one is a Comet goldfish.

I am also having problems lowering my Ph level. I have 7.6 Ph but every time I go to lower it it always reads as the same, how long should I wait to read between treatments, should I wait 24hrs. They have lived in the tank for about a month. I only had one fish die (Long Finned Rosy Barb, he was a cannibal to the others.) But everyone else lives happily even my Albino Rainbow Shark.

Um... I've always read comments on this place trying to educate myself but I decided to sign up. Fish rock?

[Gracie6363]

OMG you are beyond overstocked... ****It's good of you to seek advice, but the comment you will recieve is what you already know... overstocked and either upgrade or take the fish back to the store! ****

They have no room in there!

The 2 comet goldfish alone are too much for a 10 gallon tank. ****They are wastemakers!

the rainbow shark will be stunted or die an early death. Too large, same with catfish & pleco.

5 fancy guppies and the 2 baby mollies would be the absolute max I would have in that tank.

I dont even know where the rosy's would fit in to that mess.... gosh.

PH of 7.6 is the VERY least of your problems.

[Lexus]

yes um... overstocked... please try and find new homes for the fish or donate them or bring them back to the pet shop.

[fish_doc]

First off Welcome,

And I would not say you are a bad fish owner. You did come here looking for ways to help them. Bad fish owners just give up and let all the fish die off.

You can check out the local wal-mart. They carry 55gal tanks usually for 150-160 dollars. The local papers sometimes carry them also.

The comets and pleco are your biggest concern as far as outgrowing the tank. As they grow your guppies and rosys will become feeders for them. If you are able to get a 55gal I would move the comets, pleco, and albino shark into that tank for the short term and leave the rest in the 10 gallon. In the long term you would need to work on a way to get the comets their own tank. Goldfish in general are a messy fish and do best in a species only tank.

And at this point I wouldnt worry about adjusting the pH until you have the other tank set up and are ready to move the fish.

And glad to see you finally decided to sign up instead of just reading.

[BlackArchFish]

My brother is going to buy the 10 gallon from me for $50 plus I'm keeping the guppies and mollies in there.

I want to buy a 55 gallon tank setup from Wal-Mart for $164 but I find tanks with stands that are the same price or cheaper. I really do know I need to upgrade and this was meant as a temporary home. They WILL be moved by next week at least. I'm sure I seem like a jerk to all of you putting all those fish in there. ^_^' Ahaha... ehhh..... Sorry. I was new and sadly thought more about the pretty fish instead of the live fish. Tell me this: 55 Gallon
Albino, 2 Comets, 1 Ghost catfish, 1 pleco, 1 Telescope eyed gold fish? would they be ok?

[fish_doc]

Like I said your not a bad fishowner just a under educated one. But you are searching for correct answers which makes you just like all of us were at one point. Many here are pasionate about fish and come off as agressive toward the newbees. Most of that is because you cant hear the tone of their voice in posts but only read words. Everyone here is great to work with and learn from just dont take anything personally.

Tell me this: 55 Gallon
Albino, 2 Comets, 1 Ghost catfish, 1 pleco, 1 Telescope eyed gold fish? would they be ok?

That would be a great setup. It would allow you to use what you have while releaving the overstocking issue.

Then you could start thinking on a longterm plan. Would you be intrested in a tropical or coldwater tank in the longterm?

[MyraVan]

Well, here's my opinion. Comet goldfish don't belong in tanks at all; they belong in ponds. They get really huge if well taken care of -- we're talking well over a foot long -- and if they are kept in too small a tank they will be stunted and die an early dealth. So my first bit of advice would be to find someone with a garden pond and give them the comets.

In your last post you suggested putting a Telescope eyed gold fish in your 55 when you get it; I think this is a really bad idea. Those fancy goldfish don't swim very well, and so when you geed the fish the faster ones would get all the food. Fancy goldfish and fast-swimming fish are a really bad combo. So I'd suggest not getting the fancy goldfish when you get your new tank.

OK, then you're left with:
1 Ghost catfish, 1 Rainbow Albino Shark, 3 Rosy something feeder fish, 1 Pleco, 5 Fancy guppies, 2 Black Mollys (Babies).

I'd move these ones:
1 Ghost catfish, 1 Rainbow Albino Shark, 1 Pleco
to your new big tank and leave these ones:
3 Rosy something feeder fish, 5 Fancy guppies, 2 Black Mollys (Babies)
in the 10 gallon. This is still alot of fish in the 10 gallon. If you give away one of the goups of fish the rest would feel more comfortable. Especially as the guppies and mollies will breeed (asl ong as you have both sexes) and the babies will crowd your tank much further.

Now after that is all accomplished, and your new 55 gallon is all set up, running, and FULLY CYCLED (that is, ammonia and nitrite are 0), you can have a good think about what else you might want to put in there. You can have an awful lotf of fun with a 55 gallon tank, if you choose the inhabitants correctly! (And I now start dreaming about what I would do with a 55 gallon tank.....)

[BlackArchFish]

Thanks for the advice, yeah I bought the gold fish thinking they'd be cute lil' goldfish you keep in a 5 gallon bowl. Noone alerted me at Pestmart that putting them in a 10 gallon tank would be bad. :: Sighs :: Then the guy at Jack's Aquarium told me they get up to 18'' long. Well the 55 fell threw on EBAY but I am going to go to Walmart now (The one on ebay was near me and had a stand, deco, sand, etc.) Thank you every for all your help, and I'm glad noone is really..... a jerk, I know I was uneducated when I read how much room was in your tanks. I will be transferring within the week! ( SWEET! )

[fish_doc]

Sounds like you got a plan. Congrats and feel free to stop by again and again any time you have questions.
55 gallons are awsome, They are fun to work with and you can get a nice community set up in one.

[Shaggy]

Good of you to join up BlackArch.

Make sure when you get your 55 gal tank going, it has been cycled for at least a few days to a week before you put any fish in it.

[Pac-Man]

once again, i am unclear when ppl say let it cycle for a few days to a week. cycling can take well over a month for a 55 gallon!!! well, if u used biospira it wont, but sometimes the regular cycle does take that long. and also, cyc;ing a tank dosent mean lettiing your tank sit for a few days to a week, it takes as long as it takes. first u need an ammonia source, blah blah blah i dont feel like writing the whole process blah blah.... nitrites and ammonia are zero.

[fish_doc]

What I think Shaggy is referring to is letting the chlorine cycle out of the tank. The actual Nitrogen cycle will not start until a source of waste is added to the tank. Either ammonia, Fish, or food.

[ron v]

Black arch, fish doc touched on it earlier. I just want to make sure you noticed it. You might find a 55 gal tank in your local newspaper cheap. Check the classified ads for used I've bought several like that.

[BlackArchFish]

Originally Posted by ron v @ May 7th 2005, 5:45 pm

Black arch, fish doc touched on it earlier. I just want to make sure you noticed it. You might find a 55 gal tank in your local newspaper cheap. Check the classified ads for used I've bought several like that.

Yeah, I've been checking my newspaper weekily, looking in the classifieds, but I think my brother and I are just going to run down to Wal-mart.

Sadly I think my fish have fin rot, or ich, but I think it's fin rot, my goldfish have it and I'm afraid soon the other fish will show signs of the same problem. I don't want my fish to die. So... yeah, I am going to try and find the goldfish a home I know someone where I used to live who had a pond I wonder if he still does.... Thank you everyone again for all your help and advice. I will be sure to continue my use of this site in order to educate myself. If I got the 55 tank set up and then put the tap water safe thing in it and then waited 24hrs do you think they would be ok? I use an expensive, good, brand. I have water clarifier and stuff. Also do you think it would be better if I had 2 filters on the 55? and I need an undergravel filter too right? Would I want to get 1 or 2 of those? My dad encouraged me to get one but I used my gravel syphon. Also, how many times should I replace/clean my 10 gallon tank right now? And how many times should I add sea salt to the tank?(Not like PH stuff but you know what I mean releives stress, helps prevent disease) Daily, weekly, when new water is added? It didn't tell me.

[BlackArchFish]

Originally Posted by fish_doc @ April 28th 2005, 9:25 pm

Like I said your not a bad fishowner just a under educated one. But you are searching for correct answers which makes you just like all of us were at one point. Many here are pasionate about fish and come off as agressive toward the newbees. Most of that is because you cant hear the tone of their voice in posts but only read words. Everyone here is great to work with and learn from just dont take anything personally.

That would be a great setup. It would allow you to use what you have while releaving the overstocking issue.

Then you could start thinking on a longterm plan. Would you be intrested in a tropical or coldwater tank in the longterm?

Ummm, I think I'd prefer to stay with a freshwater. I mean what's tropical, is that saltwater? lol I know I don't want Angelfish (Evil, and ugly) and I know nothing about coldwater either. I prefer freshwater/brackish fish.

[fish_doc]

they are both freshwater.
Tropical is more along the lines of tetras, guppies, barbs etc.
Coldwater is more like goldfish, carp, gar, perch, etc...

[buddah101]

Originally Posted by BlackArchFish @ Thu Apr 28, 2005 8:53 pm

My brother is going to buy the 10 gallon from me for $50"

Hly smokes! Thats an expensive ten gallon! Tell him I have a 240 gallon Long for sale...mmm say.. $20,000.. haha j/k. Thats was very nice of him. I hope you make out ok. I was just pickin on ya'.

[osteoporoosi]

Well first of al it is good that you know you have a problem. As said, comets belong into ponds and grow over a foot long. They are also coolwater fish, the others are tropical.

My ideas;

55g
the pleco(find out what species, probably will outgrow)
1 albino
rosy feeders(find out the specie)

10g:
guppys
mollys.
(need harder and alkaliner water than the others)

[BlackArchFish]

Well my biggest goldifsh died, and I think my other one is going to. Noone told me you weren't really supposed to feed them tropical fish flakes the lady at Petsmart said it was ok. Gah'd I love Jack's Aquarium. But they came too late. The goldfish now have a vitamin and mineral diffenciency(or however it's spelled) So one died, and one is probably going to die But everyone else seems to be doing great. Do you think a 29 gallon would be ok? (55 is too expensive)

29:
Albino, Ghost, Pleco, and 3 rosy feeder fish (They gunna gets eaten...) No but they're a good size (Well one is, the rest are growing) 3'' long I think they are maybe 4''. But I might donate them...

So 10 gallon:
5 Guppies
3 mollies.

[Lydia]

sorry about your goldfish....i think the 10 gallon setup sounds ok...i dont know about the 29, though