Advice on Stock

Wills said:

I mean if your small tetras pick two species to keep and have groups of at least 8.

The tank size is an issue with big plecs like that try and go as big as you can the problem is they are so common it’s hard to tell people to stick to minimum tank sizes as so few will get that kind of home. A big 5-6 foot tank should be the target for them though

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Ahh alright, thank you!
Thanks so much for your help.

Wills said:

I mean if your small tetras pick two species to keep and have groups of at least 8.

The tank size is an issue with big plecs like that try and go as big as you can the problem is they are so common it’s hard to tell people to stick to minimum tank sizes as so few will get that kind of home. A big 5-6 foot tank should be the target for them though

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Would you say that keeping the rummy nose tetras and black neons is a good idea?
Out of the fish I would be willing to rehome I would be most reluctant to get rid of my clown loach and sailfin plec, so any advice on how I can make the right amount of room to keep these two would be very much appreciated.
Aside from this I'd be happy to rehome the angel, gourami, neon, glowlight and Congo tetras as well as the guppies - where possible I'd rather keep the fish with a bit of character to them.

The sailfin gets along very well with the other fish, nobody really harasses him and he doesn't harass anyone else.

It’s a really tricky one because clown loaches and plecs are so common and end up in small tanks all the time so it’s great you want to do the best for them. The loach and the plec will both get to over a foot long a good guide I like to use for fish I keep is 6x length and 2x width of their adult size and if they are big at least 18 inches tall. For an idea on how big clown loaches get google Marge clown loach she was the biggest ever recorded in a tank but you can see the others she lived with just how big they get. Clown loaches are very very slow growing though so you do have time with them the plecs less so as they should get over 10 inches in their first year.

In a big tank you wouldn’t have any compatibility issues so in theory you could keep all the fish you have but increase some of their numbers.

A big tank is a big commitment in terms of time and money though so you have to be sure you want to go down this route and that you can dedicate this much time to the tank for a number of years.

If you wanted to keep the smaller tank you could get a smaller plec species like bristlenose or bulldog or a fancy one like king tigers? Same with the loach instead of the clown you could get dwarf chain loaches or zebras? If you are attached to these specific fish it’s not so easy but if you just like that kind of fish there are better options for tanks like you already have?

Josh752 said:

Oh man your stock needs a lot of work... rehome both Pecos they get 18 inches a piece not even suitable for your tank. Clow loaches get 10 to 12 inches need a group of 6 to be truly happy and a bare minimum of a 6 foot 135 gallon tank. Remove those 3 to start. After you get them out of your tank add at least 3 more cory catfish and 3 more of each tetra then you could add a bristlenose pleco and that would be a full tank. Do not get that featherfin catfish they get 8 inches and say goodbye to all your tetras and other bottom feeders he will bully the cory catfish to death and eat the tetras and guppies. I have one with a tiger oscar and the featherfin even bullies him.

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Think you would be pleased to know that the clown loach died of white spot; got two cycled tanks now; got three more corys; getting a bristlenose for my 54L in the next few weeks-months and lost the angel fish and black neon tetra to white spot as well haha. The current plecos are doing very well.

No one will be pleased by that at all really sorry to hear you are having a tough time with your tank

Wills said:

No one will be pleased by that at all really sorry to hear you are having a tough time with your tank

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No worries! Everything is doing well currently... White spot medication been done for nearly a week now, all gone away with no further casualties!

Wasn't happy to hear that I really don't know what you think I am man. I hate hearing about people losing fish its unfortunate. Once again your plecos are way to big for your tank I don't know why you are adding more fish but you do you. But do not ever think I want your fish to die that's such a disgusting comment to make man I'm honestly dissapointed.

Josh752 said:

Wasn't happy to hear that I really don't know what you think I am man. I hate hearing about people losing fish its unfortunate. Once again your plecos are way to big for your tank I don't know why you are adding more fish but you do you. But do not ever think I want your fish to die that's such a disgusting comment to make man I'm honestly dissapointed.

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Haha whatever you say man.

You've gotten some good advice so far.
I'd advise bookmarking this stocking tool for future reference. In the meantime, use it to ascertain your current setup.

Slaphppy7 said:

You've gotten some good advice so far.
I'd advise bookmarking this stocking tool for future reference. In the meantime, use it to ascertain your current setup.

http://www.aqadvisor.com/

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I have no idea what I'm finding so hard about this, it feels like my brain is fried lol ? I'll keep trying.

Update: YAYYY I got it to work!! Aren't I a smart one?

Good job!
It's a little intimidating at first glance, but once you get used to using it, it is a very helpful tool; it's a little conservative, but nothing wrong with that.

So, what were your results?

Slaphppy7 said:

Good job!
It's a little intimidating at first glance, but once you get used to using it, it is a very helpful tool; it's a little conservative, but nothing wrong with that.

So, what were your results?

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My results were a big kick in the teeth, haha. Well, this is definitely why you don't rush into this sort of thing.

I can't get it to show the proper amount that my tank holds... It's 170L but won't let me change it from 220.7L. But all the dimensions are right, so... Not sure.


My grandparents are thinking about getting a tank again... Maybe I could give them some of my stock.

"My grandparents are thinking about getting a tank again... Maybe I could give them some of my stock."

Always nice to have options like that

Slaphppy7 said:

"My grandparents are thinking about getting a tank again... Maybe I could give them some of my stock."

Always nice to have options like that

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I tried to get my sister to take my common pleco actually... She said not right not, and now she's getting a kitten instead haha! I'll be moving some of my male guppies into my 54L and rehoming the rest though, so that takes care of a very small part of the issue... Might rehome the gourami, too. They... Sort of scare me.

PlasticGalaxy said:

I tried to get my sister to take my common pleco actually... She said not right not, and now she's getting a kitten instead haha! I'll be moving some of my male guppies into my 54L and rehoming the rest though, so that takes care of a very small part of the issue... Might rehome the gourami, too. They... Sort of scare me.

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LOL...even the ones in the GIF of your sig?