is this too many?

[Short1]

Hey all, I have a 55gal with cichlids, a polypterus, a spotted puffer, and a catfish(not sure what kind). I'm getting rid of the cichlids but keeping the other 3. I want to go with 1 angel fish, 1 redtail shark, 6 tiger barbs, maybe some rosey barbs, probably 6 or 7 rainbow fish(if i can find some in my area), and I'd like to have some clown loaches but i don't know how big they get or how many to keep? Is this too much for my tank, and if so how many should keep?? Any help would be great!!!! THANKS! Short...

 

[FishManiac987]

read the artcile below this about the inch per gallon rule for small fish and larger fish, and it should help.

 

[Phantom_Thief]

Clown Loaches get to 12" i think. Cant help on the others

P.T.

 

[dixaisy930]

I think the fins on the angelfish would be really tempting for the puffer to nip at, and it might also nip at the rosy barbs.

 

[Short1]

hey fishmaniac, i read that post but it doesn't help if i don't really know how big most of them get...i'm guessing maybe 3or4" each but don't really know i was told clown loaches get to be like 8"...noone at my lfs seem to know much(just punching the clock i guess), so i'm coming to you all for advice, and i was hoping for a little shared knowledge from experienced keepers as to how many of each or if they would even be good together, i can read all the other posts here and i just come away feeling confused, so i'm asking str8 out....help? ....Short

 

[Sharoane]

It's not just you--this is a confusing subject.

Maybe someone reading this will remember the link to the page that has great info on which fish go with w hich other fish.

Each type of fish has compatibility issues, water issues and size issues and it's a good idea to read up on each kind of fish to find out if they are peaceful, slightly aggressive, or very aggressive, and to find out what their needs are.

For example, those cute little plecos at the lfs can grow up to 20 inches long and put out more waste for their size than other types of large fish. Clown loaches not only get a foot long apiece, they love to be in large groups. That means that if you have a 55 gallon tank and you put clowns in it you can only really have 4 or 5 of them if you don't want any other fish.

See, there's a guideline that folks argue about in here where it's suggested that you only put in one inch of fish per gallon of water. That means that you don't just measure the fish you are about to buy but rather find out what the full-grown size is going to be and go by that.

I have a 30 gallon tank. I plan on having about 16 to 18 fish in it--none of them more than 2.5 inches long. That's pushing the one inch limit but since I'm on top of water changes and so on it shouldn't be an issue.

Some of the fish you are talking about get very large and some of them are aggressive and might attack others. What you want to do is read up on fish and figure out what kind of tank you want. I wanted peaceful and that's what I got--otos, tetras, dwarf gouramis and danios. I also want to set up a ciclid tank and I know they are aggressive. That'll be a whole different aquarium.

Anyway. Hope this helps a little...