Hi New On Here And Wondering...

[lee_k]

Hi all, im new on here and was wondering if my tank is overstocked. Its a Jewel tank mesuring, 32"L x 41"H x 12"W current stock is:

(I have attached pics so people can let me know if they look healthy and also the proper names as im not sure on some of them)

1x Lep Placo (full size 13"ish?)

1x Clown Loach

1x Red tail shark

1x little cat fish

1x female fighter

2x Tiger Barb

3x Striped Barb?

1x Yellow Gourami

1x Silver Dwarf Gourami

1x mature (full size) silver fish, not sure what they are?

4x Baby silver fish same as above, had 2 adults that had babies but then one of the adults died

1x Small eel

And a couple of my full setup:

Sorry about picture quality it was done on my phone

Thanks for looking
Lee

 

[drobbyb]

Hi Lee and welcome to TFF!

Unfortunately your tank has quite a few fish in it that aren't really suitable for a tank of your size. That pleco will grow to close to 2 feet in length, and the clown loach can grow to over a foot in length and prefer to be in groups of 3 or more.

If we are going by adult size, yes you are overstocked

 

[lee_k]

Hi Lee and welcome to TFF!

Unfortunately your tank has quite a few fish in it that aren't really suitable for a tank of your size. That pleco will grow to close to 2 feet in length, and the clown loach can grow to over a foot in length and prefer to be in groups of 3 or more.

If we are going by adult size, yes you are overstocked

Hi,

i though this time of pleco stopped growing at approx 12" the pleco was 4 year old in june,
i knew the clown should be in groups but he was kinda rescued. Someone i knew had the tank in a conservatory full of algae and poor water. The 3 stripped barbs, clown loach and little cat fish were found in the tank and after a few weeks in my tank came to live and now seem happy enough even tho im not sure how old he is. Ive had him about a year.

lee

 

[Tory]

Hi Lee!

Thise silver fish look like Kribensis to me..can you get any more pics of the "eel"? Cant see its face very well, although markings are similar to my horseface loaches.

Wlcome to TFF! As drobbyb said, going by adult size yes it would be x

 

[Wills]

I think the eel is a weather loach they get to between 8-10 inches maybe 12. I agree you are over stocked I think an easy option would be to take out the pleco, clown loach, weather loach and the gouramis and you should be okay, your barbs are rhombo barbs and need to be in groups of arond 6 so maybe get some more of them same goes for the tiger barbs. So then your stocking will look like
1Adult krib
3 juvi kribs - try and rehome later
6 tigers
6 rhombo
1 Synodontis (small catfish)
1 RBTS
1 female betta
Think that sounds good

Wills

 

[lee_k]

got to admit im quite gutted, the tank doesnt look overstocked they all swim around happy enough etc and it looks nice in the living room so bit sad that ive gotta take some out, especially the clown because as i said i rescued and all his colours look much better now so when he comes out its normally a little treat (without sounding girly )

about the plec tho, ive had him since he was about 2" as a little baby and the shop i had him from said he's full size now and not to worry about him in my fish size count as they just lie on one glass or another so hes basically a rock all they said is make sure i have a good air brick so oxygen levels are high. Is this not the case? as tbh he does a real good job of keeping the glass nice and clean.

Perhaps its time for a bigger tank...even tho, mum wouldnt allow so i best get my own place first...which could make it an expensive tank upgrade

thanks again
lee

 

[chesterscot]

the eel is a weather loach i think as said above
scot

 

[lee_k]

well done a bit of research since my first post after worrying i may have stunted my pleco. I was concerned at first as i thought he wasnt the type my local shop told me he was. then after watching him tonight he didnt look uncomfortable, or in pain or struggling etc like a stunted fish would. Then i read through this site (already it has been a god send!) and found my local shop hadnt lied to me about his size/type i think ive identified him as:

http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/speci...?species_id=177

they say max size 12" mine it probably about that, ive tried to mesure him before and its around 13" but thats right too the tip of his tail so the fish is probably around 12"

So in a 3ft tank is he ok? he seems ok and as said before hes around 4year old now.

Other than that ive done some mesuring and i reckon a 4ft would fit!

Thanks
Lee

 

[drobbyb]

plecos are huge waste producers! I don't know why they told you the opposite.

 

[indigoj]

No the plec is not ok in a 32" tank. Simple. He looks like a gibbiceps which should reach 2ft. In no way shape of form is a 12"+ fish ok in a 32"x12" tank.

The 'silver dwarf gourami' is an opaline and the 'yellow gourami' are simple a colour morph of the same fish.

You are definitely over stocked and have a very odd mix of fish.

 

[Wills]

No offense but your LFS advice is rubbish. A fishes stocking is based on the amount of space they need, territory needs, how much they poo and how active they are. So for all plecs are not too active they poo a hell of a lot i mean you must see it in your tanks, an other popular stocking guide is for a fish to have a tank it can swim 6 times its length in and 2 times its length backwards in. Common plecs need a 6 foot tank, I know you have had him for 4 years but its just not fair to him in the long run its like keeping a dog in a cupboard if you see what I mean. I think a 4 foot wouldnt ideal but also wouldnt be too bad if you can get a 4ftx2x2ft but if you can get the 6ft that would be ideal.

Also if you want a replacement for either the clown loach or the plec there are tons of fish that look similar for example instead of your clown loach how about a group of zebra loaches? Or instead of your common plec there are tons of plecs that are suitable for a 3 foot tank it just depends on what you like.

I know its tough to let go of fish you are attached to to especially big ones but sometimes you have to put them first if you cant give them the home they need and deserve then there will be someone that can. Putting the fishes welfare first is the difference between being a fishkeeper and a fish-haver. Sorry to be so harsh but im just being honest I still think you either need a big upgrade or to rehome said fish.
Wills

 

[lee_k]

No the plec is not ok in a 32" tank. Simple. He looks like a gibbiceps which should reach 2ft. In no way shape of form is a 12"+ fish ok in a 32"x12" tank.

The 'silver dwarf gourami' is an opaline and the 'yellow gourami' are simple a colour morph of the same fish.

You are definitely over stocked and have a very odd mix of fish.

The odd mix is down to loosing fish etc over the years, and also as i said when i took this tank on the 3 striped barbs, little cat fish and clown loach were already in it hence them being brought in. The Gouramis i had a fair few years back but had a tank illness and lost some of them.

Might look into getting a bigger tank then, will price it all up and if not ill have take the plec to a fish shop or offer him up on here

poo wise, theres never much on the bottom of the tank or in the water, ive always thought this is just down to the filter as the tank is always clear and clean.

As said its sad with the plec as ive had him so long and since he was so small so its kind of a 'trophy' for want of the better word as some people struggle with tropical and give it up before fish manage to get anywhere near the size.

Looks like a possible trip to the hobby shop tomorrow then

any tips on getting the plec out as ive heard they can injure themselves quite easily.

Thanks
Lee

 

[indigoj]

If it helps I found my 6ft tank on ebay very cheap.

Depending where you are big tanks can be fairly easy to come by (ebay etc?)

I tend to catch plecs by hand but otherwise a large jug or small bucket is easier than a net.

For what it's worth, your tank looks clean so you must have a good maintenance regime which helps.

 

[lee_k]

its not so much the price etc its where to put it, especially the width as at the moment its next to the chimey breast which comes out 1ft, so it fits in nicely having it sticking out another ft would probably look a bit strange.

ahh well, i suppse its a good thing i came on here and got told.

Lee

 

[LiveYourLife]

Besides The Fact That You Are Overstocked, There Are The Following Problems With Your Stocking..
-Clown Loaches Need To Be Kept In Groups..4+ Being Ideal
-The Weather Loach Really Needs To Be Kept At Cooler Temperatures
-Your Gouramies & Barbs Can Both Be Fin Nippers So Not A Particularly Good Mixture.
-Plecs Produce Waay More Waste Than They Clean Up!!

Edit: Dont think we're nagging at you, we're just here to help