My New Fish

[Gilli]

Those poor fish - have you ever read any articles on fish keeping? Its a recipie for disaster!

 

[NinjaSmurf]

Ok, I'm not sure if I'm looking in the right place, but exactly how many tanks do you have, how big are they and what is the stock in each?

 

[angelsdelight]

thanks for all the replys an advice,

my tank is 48"x20"x16"(18" in middle,bow front) with lots of thriving plants

the largest angel in my tank is about the size of a 50pence smallest 5pence, most off them a 20pence,

the tetras are less than 20mm in lenght

the largest plec is around 3" body which is my L18, and for my last buy the adonis which is 2" body, if this purchase is so bad why did the LFS have 50+ in a tank if its cruel to keep them, then maybe they shouldnt have so many or have a warning on the tank there in

WATER TEST's

pH=6.8
NO3=<5
NO2=<0.1
NH3/4=0

Just so you all know, im putting a deposit on a 5x2.5x2ft tank which is over 700 litres and i will be taking delivery in around 5 weeks, along with an FX5 filter coming next week

ive no intention on fish cruelty, ive owned lots of tanks, shapes an sizes all which were well stocked an some of the best looking aquariums ive seen, an never had any issues with my tank setup's

 

[Wills]

The reason the shop has 50 tetras in one tank is because they are there for sale. With intention to sell them in batches of about 5-10 not all 50 at once, they would only be in the shop a matter of days or weeks because they will sell to a lot of people.

Even in the big tank I think you are going to have issues 46 angels just wont be able to live in a tank I mean if we go on the basis of people saying 10g per angel sometimes (due to territory etc) thats 460 gallons but at 700 liters I still dont think it will be enough. Realistically I would probably have said maybe 15 max in the 5x2x2 if they were the only cichlids in there. And when the angels do get to adult size those tetras are just going to get eaten. Also with the adonis it just seems such an odd mix its a monster of a fish that will even outgrow your upgrade. As you stand your upgrade will only improve things but not make them acceptable.

The only thing I can reccommend is for you to seriously thin your stock and if it was your LFS that gave you that advice then think about changing to a different one because they really are just out to make money off you. Im not critisizing you I just worry you have been misled by the LFS. If you are genuine about caring about the fish I would take the forums members advice because thats the only reason we do this.

Wills

 

[angelsdelight]

taken on board wills,

the neons come from a private breeder no LFS,

as far as my angels go, my last tank 4x2x2 running x2 fluval 405 externals,i had around 20 or more angels that where in there for a couple of years, around 5-6" body size, with cardinal tetras an they never eaten any of them, or any other fish i may have had at the time, an also got 2 proven breeding pairs from them, my current angels will have the best treatment i can give and if an when there fully grown or there looks to many in the tank they will go to other angel lovers, and theres looking like i may have 2 dominant pairs of angels that will be going into breeding tanks very shortly

the adonis, i carnt get over how much stick ive got over 1 fish, like i said they had around 50+ in the tank at the LFS, an if im so bad, could you tell me how many people will have a 8ft+ tank to home these, id think not many with the average tank being 2-3ft an when the day comes it out grows my tank, then it will go to some1 who has the space to look after it

WATER TEST's

pH=6.8
NO3=<5
NO2=<0.1
NH3/4=0

 

[Assaye]

taken on board wills,

the neons come from a private breeder no LFS,

as far as my angels go, my last tank 4x2x2 running x2 fluval 405 externals,i had around 20 or more angels that where in there for a couple of years, around 5-6" body size, with cardinal tetras an they never eaten any of them, or any other fish i may have had at the time, an also got 2 proven breeding pairs from them, my current angels will have the best treatment i can give and if an when there fully grown or there looks to many in the tank they will go to other angel lovers, and theres looking like i may have 2 dominant pairs of angels that will be going into breeding tanks very shortly

the adonis, i carnt get over how much stick ive got over 1 fish, like i said they had around 50+ in the tank at the LFS, an if im so bad, could you tell me how many people will have a 8ft+ tank to home these, id think not many with the average tank being 2-3ft an when the day comes it out grows my tank, then it will go to some1 who has the space to look after it

WATER TEST's

pH=6.8
NO3=<5
NO2=<0.1
NH3/4=0

Do not make me laugh. It's beyond absurd to imply that because an shop made the epic **** up of having a lot of monster fish for sale that some how justifies those fish being put into bad environments.

Mate, I work at a fish shop and I know exactly why they sell these huge fish - because saps who don't both to do their research will buy them. Simple. They can sell them, so they stock them. They don't really care if they go to a good or bad home. Usually as long as they mumble "by the way that fish might get quite big", they feel they've done their bit for animal welfare.

A shop doing something stupid does not give you an excuse to do something stupid. That adonis needs more than a 5 foot tank. I don't care if you've been keeping fish for 5 years or 50 years - it's straight up cruel to keep a 3 foot long fish in a 5 foot tank.

Owning a fish with a view to maybe giving it a bigger tank at some point in the future is also really irresponsible. I wouldn't by a horse if I didn't have a field and I wouldn't by a dog if I couldn't take it for walks. I wouldn't wait until something bad happened and then say "oh, I'd better be a better owner" . . . Sheesh.

Actually, that goes for all your fish. You don't have the luxury of over stocking your tanks and putting fish in with bad tank mates just because it has worked for you in the past, because it's not just money and time which are at stake, it's lives. If fish keeping enthusiasts with decades of experience between them as telling you that you're being an idiot, it would be wise to listen. Waiting until something goes wrong and some of your fish end up duying is not OK. As someone who is choosing to own animals you have a duty to provide them with a suitable environment by their standards, not yours.

You need a 600 gallon tank, not a 700 litre one. You need a 10 foot tank, not a 5 foot one. Having a "big tank" doesn't mean you can put whatever you want in it and only change your ways if some poor creature loses it's life due to the mistakes of it's keeper.

 

[SchottayB]

And there I was worrying about adding 6 fish at once...

Hope your fish are ok

 

[angelsdelight]

yea all my fish are fine, SchottayB


my adonis is berly 2" so i got plenty of time yet, an i didnt say id keep a 3ft fish in a 5ft tank did i? also im aware its not just money an theres lives at stake, there will be some new life soon as its looking like i might have x2 pairs in the tank so im getting some breeding tanks set up shortly,

also can you explain what you mean

putting fish in with bad tank mates

Owning a fish with a view to maybe giving it a bigger tank at some point in the future is also really irresponsible

there is no maybe, they are getting a bigger tank, which has always been my case, an before the year is out il probly have a bigger tank again

 

[Ferg1985]

I was at seeing 50 fish go in at once, then I saw everyone talking about the other livestock Surely you are losing fish on a regular basis, irregardless of what you're saying. If you were such a fan of angels, you'd surely treat them with a little more respect

 

[Assaye]

yea all my fish are fine, SchottayB


my adonis is berly 2" so i got plenty of time yet, an i didnt say id keep a 3ft fish in a 5ft tank did i? also im aware its not just money an theres lives at stake, there will be some new life soon as its looking like i might have x2 pairs in the tank so im getting some breeding tanks set up shortly,

also can you explain what you mean

putting fish in with bad tank mates

Owning a fish with a view to maybe giving it a bigger tank at some point in the future is also really irresponsible

there is no maybe, they are getting a bigger tank, which has always been my case, an before the year is out il probly have a bigger tank again

What I mean is that just because you've kept angels with cardinal tetras, which are a bad mix due to the angels' penchant for eating them, doesn't mean that it's wise to keep doing it. It's just tempting fate! And as I have said, adonis plecs are super active and don't do well with other bottom feeders because they can be very boisterous and when they get larger they can quite easily kill smaller fish.

What are you going to do when your plec gets big? Seriously? Saying "oh, I'll give it away" or "I'll get a bigger tank" isn't enough. What happens if you can't find someone with the 18 foot tank required? What happens if you find you suddenly can't afford a bigger tank, or can't get one for some other reason? Small upgrades here and there are not going to get you anywhere. Your fish don't just need an extra foot on their tank size - they need something twice the size and soon!