Are My Fish Too Big For My Tank?

[threeeightsix]

Hi,

I posted a while back regarding my Clarias Catfish as I was concerned about the size of them. These fish have got even bigger and a few people have said I need to get rid of them or get a bigger tank. However, I have already purchased a bigger tank for these fish and I am not really prepared to go out and get another as it costs too much. There are also 4 phiranas in this tank and they are also starting to look quite monstrous.

I am including a photo which shows clearly the fish in relation to the tank, any advice is greatly appreciated.

The size of the tank is 4 ft long x 1 ft wide and a little over 1ft tall.

Thank you.



Here is another photo

 

[The-Wolf]

IMHO
the tank is a nice length for the fish but the width is not.
idealy they would need 1.5 times the length of the longest fishes body
in this case the clarius.
IE clarius = 12" long, tank needs to be 18" wide.
you do have some leeway with clarius as they are somewhat flexable
so a 4ft x 15" would be ok for a 12" clarius.

there are plenty of places to find a bargin tank
like ebay, friday ad, freeads, etc

 

[threeeightsix]

Thanks for the reply Wolf.

I have checked out various places on the internet for a larger tank, and the prices are far out of my range, for example there was one which is the same length as mine, but which is wider with a bowed front, and the cost of this was like 200 pounds on ebay! That is way out of my reach i'm a poor student

I think I might look into having a tank built for me if I can get the toughened glass that is required and have it bonded together by a professional, if it doesnt cost too much money.

 

[BigC]

Building your own is quite easy easier than you think.
Measure the space you have available and sort out your dims. Length, Width and Breadth
Use 10mm glass cut to size and build on the base. place a small smear of aquarium sealant on the glass and let that set hold the whole thing in place with tape .Once set 24 hours, you're ready to seal. A sealing gun and cartridges is best for such a large tank. Run adaquate lines of sealant down each seam then wet your finger and run it lightly along the seal making sure you get plenty into the corners. Practice makes perfect. Test for leaks after 48 hours.
Regards
BigC.
Let me know what size of tank you were thinking off and I'll sort out a cutting list. as you will need to have it braced.

Thanks for the reply Wolf.

I have checked out various places on the internet for a larger tank, and the prices are far out of my range, for example there was one which is the same length as mine, but which is wider with a bowed front, and the cost of this was like 200 pounds on ebay! That is way out of my reach i'm a poor student

I think I might look into having a tank built for me if I can get the toughened glass that is required and have it bonded together by a professional, if it doesnt cost too much money.

 

[threeeightsix]

BigC

You are a legend. Thanks for that post you have inspired me to actually go out there and get the stuff to do this

The room I am going to put the tank is my bedroom, and I have a nice corner which is about 4ft x 2ft, the height of my current tank ( the one in the photo above) is not really high enough for these catfish as their heads almost pop out of the water when they "stand up", the height of this one is 15, so for the new one I reckon a height of 18 inches would be good. So I 4ft x 2ft x 18inch would be ample size.

Just before I get ahead of myself, how much would I be looking at in cost would you say roughly? And also(sorry to be a pest), the tank I have now is on the window sill so it has lots of support from the wall which it is sat on, the new tank would be on the floor, would this be safe for the people in the kitchen below because I would imagine its going to be quite heavy.


Thanks BigC

 

[andywg]

Getting hold of glass for standardish sized tanks is more expensive than just paying to have one built. you would be better off looking into getting one made. If you avoid bowfronted tanks you can get tanks very cheap. I only paid about £170 including delivery for a 60x24x18 tank with cover glass. No way I could make all that for that sort of money.

 

[threeeightsix]

Ye man thanks for the info, Ill see what BigC is saying about this tank before I change my mind, although in your case it was a much better option Ill have to see how much it copsts once i get the quote for the glass.

Thanks AndyWG

 

[AndreaC]

Wow, what are the 2 big fish in 2nd picture??

 

[cheesy feet]

You will need a much bigger tank to house all those fish in...

 

[threeeightsix]

AndreaC The 2 big fish (the pinkish ones) are clarias catfish.


Cheesy feet, since I posted this thread I have taken one of the catfish out as it was bullying the smallist of the catfish, stalking it out 24/7 and eating the underside fine. I have also taken the two silver dollars and my guarami out of the big tank.

Would you say that makes an improvement with regard to your comment? In the tank(the one above) now, are 2 catfish, 4 piranhas and a small loach(which i hardly ever see).

 

[MojoDex]

i cant beleive no one has mentioned this but if those pirahnas r red bellies u need to do something and fast they can and will kill them eventually u cannot keep red bellies with anything one way or another they will kill tank mates!

 

[threeeightsix]

nooo!

man thanks for the info, i think another tank is deffo on the agenda now they are actually quite nasty sometimes mostly towards one another. i have seen you have quit a few tanks in your user name tag, do you know any secret places where the price is good?

 

[MojoDex]

depends where u r r u usa or uk if your uk i can help look for a guy called eddydis on ebay he sells tanks cheap and he delivers

http/stores.ebay.co.uk/zoostock_W0QQssPa...sQ3amesstQQtZkm

 

[Snake42490]

speaking of tank deals do you know any for the us ?

 

[MojoDex]

not a clue mate never lived in US so would have no idea