I'm Hooked... I Want More Tanks!

[Skyelah]

OK... so I am hooked!! We started with the 29 gallon. We've been fighting the ammonia and now my nitrates and nitrites are going up. So it's starting to do it's thing.

A friend of ours gave us a 55 gallon tank.... we have it set up now. I was going to do a fishless cycle but after reading here that I should seperate my red fin sharks I decided to put one of those guys with my 2 mollies into the 55 gallon to cycle it. My mollies seem to be the most active guys plus they were the first 2 I put into the 29 gallon tank.

I will not add anymore until it's cycled. My husband really wants bala sharks. I like them too. I know they can get huge. And I've read that I need at least 3 of them.

So here is are my questions.

Is the 55 gallon OK for 3 of them?

Will I be able to add more then just those 3 bala's to the tank? I don't want it to be just them in there!

When the time comes and I can add the sharks, the mollies have to come out right? The Bala's will eat them?

Now for the idea part.... I am right now loving the puffers. Especially the leopards. They're ugly but cute at the same time and they look like they are smiling at you!

Could I do a 10 gallon tank for just puffers? How many could I put in there?

Thanks for you for all the help you have given me! Hopefully one day I will be able to help others as much as you've helped me!!

 

[Ryandsimmons]

I can't really comment on the fish situation, but I'd recomending moving some mature media from your old filter into the new one in order to really kickstart the cycle. Otherwise you could have issues.

 

[mr130gallon]

bala sharks need a 6ft tank because they are very active, so the 55 gallon wouldnt be sufficient.

 

[ellena]

You could have the pygmy puffers in a 10 gall. I think 2 or three, but it would have to be very heavily planted and filtered.
I know what it feels like to have all these ideas about fish and what you could have but try to rein yourself in a little and keep the fishes' welfare as priority

 

[Wills]

Hi! Wow it sounds like you really have been bitten by the bug

What I would do right now is put all your fish in your semi cycled tank and do a fishless on the big tank. If the red tailed sharks are small at present they hold no little threat to each other compared to the levels of ammonia and other toxins one is facing right now.

As for the Bala Shark afraid its a no they get really big and are incredibly active so personally I just think short of a huge 10 foot tank I dont think they belong in home aquarium. However there is a fantastic substitute!! The rose line shark or denison barb google them, they are almost identical or at least similar apart from a yellow and black striped tail and a bright red strike down the side And they only get to 5/6 inches (I say only but it is still suitable for your tank)

Also these will be okay with your red tailed shark and the platties

Puffers are a no no for community tanks usually. There is a true expert on here who has a puffer community tank but its a community built around the puffers, maybe post in the oddball section and see if you can attract him In the 10g though you could do 2 dwarf puffers or 2 red eye red tail puffers its recommended to have 1 puffer per 5 gallons and after breaking the rule and having to rehome them I can fully understand they are really messy and pretty aggressive though I went for the red eye red tailed which I think are a bit more peaceful than the green dwarfs but yeah just stick to 2 in a 10g Lots of plants maybe some ottos and keep a good supply of snails for them to crunch their beaks on in your big tank then move the snails to the puffer tank and they will just chomp them down


Wills

 

[GrubbyGirl]

Puffers rarely get one with other fish, even there own kind. You can even have problems with dwarf puffers as they are agressive little blighters. Puffers are really single fish critters. The only exception is the MBU who will live happily with smaller fish, but unless you plan on getting a 1,000 litres minimum tank you can forget them as they grow huge and very quickly

 

[Assaye]

Ammonia and nitrites are far more dangerous than another baby shark. Please seriously consider moving your stock back to the 29 gallon and doing a fishless on the big one. With fish in both you'll have to be doing 60 gallons or so of water changes a day . . . eeek! Much easier to keep an eye on stats in your smaller tank and fishless with the big one, and safer for the fish.

Silver/bala sharks hit 12 inches with ease and need 6 foot tanks as a minimum. As Wills said, many people advise to go even bigger and they are active, huge and will bang around your tank when startled. I had to catch a 10 inch 'baby' at work the other day and he was insanely fast and powerful. When my manager had a go the shark leapt out of the tank and (fortunately) straight into the box of water we were trying to get him into. Close one!

 

[Skyelah]

WOW! Thanks everyone for all of your replies!

I am off to google the rose line shark and denison barb!

Sorry I didn't get back to you guys sooner.... We've been busy.... water changes and life.... we need more hours in the day sometimes!

I really have to think about the puffer thing. I knew they like to munch on other fish, but I didn't know they could have issues with eachother!

The 55 gallon tank we have is 4 feet long. So I guess the bala's are a no go!

Ry and Simmons mentioned moving some media from the little one to the big tank.... even if the ammonia is high still? Or is this just to help it along?

Thanks again everyone... I really appreciate it and I am sooooooooo glad I found you guys here!

 

[Assaye]

If you remove media from an uncycled tank (as your older tanks seems to be), you'll just set that cycle back even further. As I said, unless the sharks are already fighting they'll be fine for a month or so while you fishless cycle the big one. If they start bickering you can always convert to a fish-in cycle.

If you can manage two sets of large water changes a day then that is good, but you need to make sure you can keep the the ammonia and nitrites at zero.

 

[Theplayboy]

How many rose line sharks could you get in a 60 litre? I saw them in a LFS and really liked them but forgot to ask what they were.

 

[Assaye]

How many rose line sharks could you get in a 60 litre? I saw them in a LFS and really liked them but forgot to ask what they were.

Given that they reach 6 inches - zero. They need 3-4 foot tanks as a minimum. Due to their high activity levels, 4 foot is by far better than 3.

 

[Theplayboy]

Ok thanks looks like if i want any they will have to go in my 75g when i rearrange my stocking

 

[jennybugs]

I know what it feels like to have all these ideas about fish and what you could have but try to rein yourself in a little and keep the fishes' welfare as priority

It is perfectly possible to maintain multiple tanks at the same time and keep the fishes welfare at the forefront of your mind/efforts you just need to be dedicated and not have any form of social life outside of the home