14 Gallon Overstocked?

[aka0019]

Hi there, i'm new to fish keeping and have a lightly planted 14 (us) gallon tank. I am pretty sure people are going to say straight away that it's overstocked so here goes...

6 Neon tetras
2 Angel fish
2 Clown loaches
2 Glass cat fish
1 Siamese fighter (male)

If I have to get rid of some which should it be? The angels?

Also the larger of the 2 angels often picks on the smaller one and sometimes the figher picks on both of the angels. It all seems a bit tense in there which I obviously don't want. I just got a bit carried away when buying all my new things (as you do).

Any help much appreciated.
Andrew

 

[evilchild]

Clown loaches grow quite large and may be a little crampt in your tank, and Siamese fighter should be kept on there own so i've told as they can be aggresive or picked on.

 

[Spooky76]

Angels like a tall tank...
Clown loaches really need a large tank, they grow up to 12" and like alot of hiding places, so get them out.
Betta will be picked on and probably killed, so best get him out too.
If you ever want advice on fish just post before you buy, someone will always be happy to help. Saves all this hassle and makes life cheaper and easier for you too

I usually go to a shop, see what fish I want, then come back and research them to make sure they are compatible, espesially in a community tank.

Angels can nip and like different food from tetras. Saying that they can be fine with tetras in the right tank. As with all cichlids, they like good quality water, so make sure you keep up your weekly maintenance.

 

[scappaflow]

Hi there, i'm new to fish keeping and have a lightly planted 14 (us) gallon tank. I am pretty sure people are going to say straight away that it's overstocked so here goes...

6 Neon tetras
2 Angel fish
2 Clown loaches
2 Glass cat fish
1 Siamese fighter (male)

If I have to get rid of some which should it be? The angels?

Also the larger of the 2 angels often picks on the smaller one and sometimes the figher picks on both of the angels. It all seems a bit tense in there which I obviously don't want. I just got a bit carried away when buying all my new things (as you do).

Any help much appreciated.
Andrew

That is a similar size to the one I am setting up at the moment. From talking to friends with experience and reading threads on here - I would never have considered Angel fish, clown loaches or Bettas in a tank like mine.

Probably best bet is to take these back to a dealer, who will hopefully be able to swap for some other tetra variation or livebreaders (which is what I will be looking at when stocking mine).

 

[aka0019]

Nooo I love my loaches lol. I'm not going to keep them though if there are not going to enjoy being in my tank. I think I will also get rid of the angels as well since they nip each other a lot and fight with the fighter.

I am usually good with things like this but I got ahead of mysefl and in the excitement of getting the tank I got carried away.

Thanks for all your replies, i'll make sure to research my fish before I buy in future.

 

[Spooky76]

Haha - dont worry - I use to do it. Its hard not to.

You have the right attitude though.
Sounds like your well on your way to being a good fish keeper

 

[mrbudgie]

clown loaches wont be a problem if your going to upgrade you tank in a year or two as clown loaches are very slow growers as i keep a large group of clowns and cant wait for them to get big lol.

your betta should be fine with them fish as i've got a betta in all my small community setups and they are fine and like to interact with the other fish, so if your betta's got nice healthy fins and isn't being nipped dont rock the boat and leave him be.

as long as your angels are not adults they will be ok but they will need a taller tank soon though,

as long as your keep the tank over filtered and do regular water changes you'll be fine for now, you'll know if your water quality is bad very quickly as keeping clowns as the black on them goes dull very quickly if there is any water problems.

 

[aka0019]

I already want a bigger tank! I'm not going to rush out and but one though as I want to learn first. I may keep the loaches then as they are my favourite!

Thanks again for all your advice, and thanks for your comment Spooky!

 

[rabbut]

Good to know you are considering a new tank. You may get away with keeping the clowns until you get a new tank, but the angels will grow too quickly for that. For that reason, I would adise you to move the angels on, especialy if they are being aggressive towards your fighter. For clowns you will be looking at a minimum of a 75gal, and if you want to keep angels too, it will need to be 1foot wide, and 18inch tall. Keep an eye on the glass catfish, as they can be sencitive, and need a group of 6+. I wouldn't add to the group though, as you may then be too heavily stocked for your filters to cope. Have you seen the glass cats eat yet? they can be picky, and often only eat frozen or live foods, in the current from your filter outlet.

All the best
Rabbut

 

[Hollymolly4]

My experience with male bettas is to keep them all by themselves! Mine hates anyone being in the tank with him and will even flare at me! However, my friend had a male betta in with guppies (lots of fry that would pick on him, not hurt, but like an annoying little brother! lol) Her betta did fine. Didn't get upset at all. So it really depends on the betta. Hers was in a 20gallon.
Lots of great info out there and on this site. Good luck to you! Start planning now on where the next two tanks will go!

 

[Luketendo]

6 Neon tetras - Fine
2 Angel fish - Need a minimum of a 20g tall.
2 Clown loaches - Need a minimum of 55g.
2 Glass cat fish - Not sure.
1 Siamese fighter (male) - Could get angry and murder everything in the tank.

 

[JimShorts]

You're going to want to lose the angels, they'll get too big too fast and may start picking on your betta's long fins. And if you're planning on getting a new, larger tank in a year or so then you should be able to hold on to your loaches until then, but they will surely need a larger tank in the future.

Your betta may be alright with just the tetras, loaches, and catfish, but if not you'll have to move him to a separate tank.