Help!! I think i'm overstocked.....

[boozybears]

My poor husband is trying so hard to be supportive and get into this fish-keeping business but I think he did a very bad thing...

Last weekend he bought me two baby angelfish and 5 beautiful cardinal tetras. Ok.. I have a 25 gallon tank (long) and already had 5 platies, 4 mollies and 1 rubber-lipped pleco. I figured I was safe with the new guys and they were all so pretty!

Yesterday one of the angels died . I'm pretty sure it was swim bladder so today Nick went out and bought a replacement as well as 5 more cardinals.

So I now have:
10 cardinal tetras
5 platies
4 mollies
2 marble angels
1 rubber lipped pleco

How bad is it? What can I do? The store won't take them back. Please help!!!

Val

 

[wrs]

i think apart from the angels and plecs ur fine, but i have an angel in a 15 so i woulnt worry about it. i dont think ur overstocked @ all.

 

[Sharoane]

Angels get to be huge...they really ought to be in a larger tank.

 

[karrihug]

you are right, you are definitly overstocked. do you think he would be supportive enough to let you have another tank? was your tank cycled when you started? you have to expain to him that they can't all stay in that tank.

 

[cometcattle]

What kind of filter are you running?

With that many fish, I'd add another filter.

 

[boozybears]

to answer your questions...

-my tank has been cycled for about 1 1/2 months now. amonia and nitrites are 0 and nitrates are around 20

-i am using the penguin bio-wheel 125 filter (for up to 30 gallon tanks)

-we did discuss last week how the angels will eventually get way too big for this tank... he had already agreed to upsize when needed. Just today when i mentioned that we might be overstocked he told me that he saw a 40 gallon that's the same length as what we currently have but much taller and deeper. I think i could twist him arm pretty easily to get that one now. Would I be ok with everything I have right now if it were in a 40 gallon?

thanks for your responses!!!

Val

 

[karrihug]

you should be ok in a 40 for now, but the angle will get really big and they recommend 10 gal per angel. not sure how big the rubber lip plec will get. maybe get the 40 and keep the other going as well. hth

 

[DrOizo]

How are you able to keep Cardinals and angels together, Arent tetras the prime food source for angels, I read somewhere that its not a matter of if they eat them its a matter of when!

 

[tmlhaus]

Maybe you could start checking the classified ads in your neighborhood papers for used fish tanks and stands. Thats how I got my 55 gallon. You just have to keep reading every week. You should be able to find something cheaper that way.
Neon cardinals are the natural prey for angels in the wild. They're smaller than cardinals. You should be ok with both cardinals and angels together. I would be concerned, however, since you have 2 angels. If they are both males they could wreak havoc on your tank over territory. I think I would take one back. Good luck.

 

[DrOizo]

Cardinals are pretty identical to neons I wouldn't think that the angel distinguishes between the Two!!

 

[Weirdfish]

Neon cardinals are the natural prey for angels in the wild. They're smaller than cardinals. You should be ok with both cardinals and angels together

How many are gonna be eaten before the angels realise they dont taste like neons?

 

[boozybears]

Angels eat cardinals??!!! Stupid, stupid lfs!! They told my husband that they're all fine together. He was told that the marble angels are very passive and non-agressive and perfect for a community tank. Ok.. so looks like I'm going to get my 40 gallon tank after all! Right now my angels are very tiny..... both are only one inch if that and we got the jumbo cardinals so I'm pretty sure they can't eat them yet if they will at all. In the week they've been together the cardinals have never gone near the tetras........

so... can i keep my platies, mollies, cardinals and pleco (he gets to be 6 inches max) in the 25 gallon if I move the angels over to the soon-to-be 40 gallon?

thanks!

Val

 

[Shizat]

Just because angels eat neons and other small fish in the wild doenst mean they will eat your fish in your tank. I've had neons and angelfish together for a long time and never had any problems and others on this forum have had the same positive results.

 

[DrOizo]

Ok don't listen to my advice then. I Don't mind

 

[DrOizo]

Posted by Alien anna a very long time ago

"nd don't ever keep angelfish with neon tetras - neons are their natural diet in the wild and will get eaten (it's not if, it's when). If you can train angelfish not to eat neons, for your next trick you could train tigers to eat salad."