stocking question! THATS RIGHT!

[Pointy_kitty]

i'm always giving people advice on stocking and now the shoe is on the other foot!
these are my tanks: (i clean them 10% once a week)

20 gal community tank (planted):
with aqua clear 150 filter (for up to 30gal)

1 marble angel (6")
3 platy (2") x 3
1 female betta (2")
1 white cloud (1") - i know he needs buddies but he doesn't like schooling!
2 bronze cory (2") x 2
1 peppered cory (2")
1 spotted cory (2.75")
****23.75" of fish

20 gal semi-aggressive tank (soon to be planted)
with aqua clear mini filter (for up to 20gal)

1 blue gourami (3")
1 gold gourami (3")
1 dwarf gourami (2.5")
1 flying fox (5")
1 red tailed black shark (4.5")
****18" of fish in total


the problem is that i don't have an algae eater in my first tank and i DO have algae in it
i can either wipe everything down every week with an algae sponge or i can get an otto (they stay small) to clean it up
the problem is, although it is completely balanced and doing great
the tank is already 3.75" overstocked
should i maybe put the female betta in a bowl and get an otto in her place or should i just add one?
OR i could just do the extra cleaning

please help me oh holey fish experts

 

[marks69]

i'd say get the otto and bump the water changes to 20%.
just my thoughts.
gl
mark

 

[FrankSlapperinni]

well, you might need to find a new home for the angel, or at least buy him a taller tank. They grow much taller than they are long, and a twenty gallon is not tall enough for a full grown one.
As for an Otto, you should realy get at least 3, preferably 6, because they are schooling fish. Most of your fish are bottom dwellers anyways, and they do not produce too much waste, and neither do Otto's.
The 1 inch per gallon rule doen't quite work, especialy on fully developed systems (tanks older than 6 months), where you can overstock a little.

 

[CFC]

Really you should consider swapping the two tanks for one large one, the fish are all compatable and 20 gallons isnt really enough for the angel, shark and flying fox. With a tank of say 40 gallons it will give much more room for slight over stocking so you can get 3 or 4 ottos which will be far more effective than just one on its own.

 

[kribs mate]

i agree. your first tank is far too overcrowded IMO

the inch per gallon rule is nonsense and it really is down to the types of fish you keep. the angels are far too big for a 20 gallon tank and so is the shark. I'd be thinking what i can remove, not what i could add.

just my views

 

[Pointy_kitty]

Really you should consider swapping the two tanks for one large one, the fish are all compatable and 20 gallons isnt really enough for the angel, shark and flying fox. With a tank of say 40 gallons it will give much more room for slight over stocking so you can get 3 or 4 ottos which will be far more effective than just one on its own.

how can you just "swap" two tanks for one?
for one thing i could only buy a 40 gal setup and then hope to god that someone around here picks up a new hobby cause i don't know alot of "fish" people around here that would buy my aquariums!
the worst part is that i can't afford to just "dish out the dough" and buy a tank in advance BEFORE i am paid for the other 2......

kribs mate "i agree. your first tank is far too overcrowded IMO"
"the inch per gallon rule is nonsense and it really is down to the types of fish you keep"

sorry but i'm a wee bit confused by your response..... the 1" of fish per gallon rule is nonsense..... but you said that i am far too overcrowded..... so would you agree that it should be LESS than 1" of fish per gallon?? or are you just saying that because of my angel??
i'm so comfused!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and one last thing CFC,
you say al my fish are compatable?
how about the platy, white cloud and the female betta
my gourami would terrorize them, or at least eat the smaller of the bunch (they have been know for swallowing things whole, like whole algae cakes )
i didn't really check your sig but have you tried these combinations?
i have always advised against in but once you get more experienced new doors open up

 

[Cheese Specialist]

I can't believe you keep a 6" angel in a 20gallon tank!

I don't think much of the inch per gallon rule and I have never calculated how many inches I use etc but IMO your first tank is overstocked by what should and should not be in the tank. You don't need to go on inch per gallon rules to know that a 20gallon is never going to be big enough for an adult angel.

 

[Adrinal]

 

[Pointy_kitty]

well, you might need to find a new home for the angel, or at least buy him a taller tank. They grow much taller than they are long, and a twenty gallon is not tall enough for a full grown one.
As for an Otto, you should realy get at least 3, preferably 6, because they are schooling fish. Most of your fish are bottom dwellers anyways, and they do not produce too much waste, and neither do Otto's.
The 1 inch per gallon rule doen't quite work, especialy on fully developed systems (tanks older than 6 months), where you can overstock a little.

well thats an honest answer
crushing, but honest


well, my tanks dimensions are:
(length x width x hight)

community 20gal:
24" x 12" x 16"

semi-aggressive 20gal:
24" x 12" x 17"

so just how "tall" is tall enough
i guess i won't get the otto,
i wasn't getting them because they are "cute" and i wanted more fish, i was getting them cause the plant fertilizer in my tank causes algae and ever since i had to move my flying fox to another tank, the algae is starting to build up

so yeah if you don't mind i'll ask one more thing of ya,
on my sig there is a link to my sig picture (it wouldn't let me put it up)
there you will see a small picture of both my tanks,
the breeding net was when i was treating my betta for lethargicity but its gone now

this sux
i came here for advice on how to rid myself with algae and left knowing that i have not supplied a suitable home for my beloved marble angel alfred
the only way i can fix it is by giving him away or having money (which i do not)
i don't think i know ANYONE who could take good enough care of him.
he was so spoiled

 

[Cheese Specialist]

Perhaps you do not need to get rid of it, if it works for you. Do you feel it has enough room? Could it go into the 17" and change the tanks round? That would be better.

Sorry if I/we made you upset. Perhaps 16/17 is tall enough but I am still not sure about the full size. My angel is massive and I can't imagine him in that size a tank. However, if there's nowhere better for him then you keep him. Are you sure you could not save for a slightly bigger tank? I get mine second hand, often on eBay for really good prices.

HTH

 

[tstenback]

In an established tank i usually dont care about inches of fishes but take careful stock of the water chemistry if the nitrates are rising too quickly then i know that something must be moved. So if your testing confirms that everything is indeed stable then i would add a few ottos to look after the algae. they wont add agreat deal to the bioload of the tank and will do an exceptional job of cleaning the algae. Also you might want to up the filtering capacity on the second tank.
Good luck with your dilema

 

[Pointy_kitty]

Perhaps you do not need to get rid of it, if it works for you. Do you feel it has enough room? Could it go into the 17" and change the tanks round? That would be better.

Sorry if I/we made you upset. Perhaps 16/17 is tall enough but I am still not sure about the full size. My angel is massive and I can't imagine him in that size a tank. However, if there's nowhere better for him then you keep him. Are you sure you could not save for a slightly bigger tank? I get mine second hand, often on eBay for really good prices.

HTH

your sweet
but i only want the best for alfred you must understand
if i knew someone with a big tank who could take care of him i would be crushed but i would let him go
he was my first fish you see,
before i knew ANYTHING
my very first tank was overstocked and only half cycled
it was a tragic week as my fish all died but him
then i got into fish research and took on so much fish/animal information that i was being hired in pet stores

and about the tank size,
i never really thought about it
he doesn't look crammed and he is happy with his tank mates
i said he was 6" cause he might grow up to 6"
he is only 4"

as for the saving up for a new tank,
i will do that!
you have my word
i usually save 40% of my paycheck to pay for college
i guess i'll dip into that a teensy bit at a time
noone has to know if i make it over a long period of time......
i'll put it in an "alfred charity jar" and come next year i will get him a bigger tank (and then maybe i could sell just one of my 20 gallon? )

 

[CFC]

how can you just "swap" two tanks for one?
for one thing i could only buy a 40 gal setup and then hope to god that someone around here picks up a new hobby cause i don't know alot of "fish" people around here that would buy my aquariums!
the worst part is that i can't afford to just "dish out the dough" and buy a tank in advance BEFORE i am paid for the other 2......



and one last thing CFC,
you say al my fish are compatable?
how about the platy, white cloud and the female betta
my gourami would terrorize them, or at least eat the smaller of the bunch (they have been know for swallowing things whole, like whole algae cakes )
i didn't really check your sig but have you tried these combinations?
i have always advised against in but once you get more experienced new doors open up

You would only need to buy a glass tank and a plastic condensation tray since you could combine all the bits from your other tanks to heat filter and light it, i dont know where in the world you are (UK or US) but with standard size tanks the tank is usually the cheapest part.

and one last thing CFC,
you say al my fish are compatable?
how about the platy, white cloud and the female betta
my gourami would terrorize them, or at least eat the smaller of the bunch (they have been know for swallowing things whole, like whole algae cakes )

In my experience gouramis are not extreme predators and only very small fish like live bearer fry are in any danger of being eaten, the white cloud is already in with the angel (i think ) so if it hasnt been eaten by now its not going to be. Fish behave very differently when placed in larger tanks, a gourami that is a aggressive in a 20 gallon will probably be a completely different fish in a 40 or 50 gallon tank.

 

[ryan]

I have kept White Clouds with several species of Gourami, Blue, Moonlight, Kissing and so on all of which are about 6 inches and the White Clouds are fine.

Good Luck

 

[silver]

My blue gourami doesn't have a big enough mouth to swallow anything??? But they will get up to about 6 inches someday, so you might want to account for that too.


I know I've told this story before, but here it goes again. When I was 17 my mom got me a 10gallon tank kit for Christmas......I thought it was sooooooo cool and BIG!! So of course I filled it up with water, unconditioned, and went right out and bought four Angels for it. They lived happily in there for almost 2 years .

I know, I know.........I'm a monster, but I really didn't know any better and the LFS people are as dumb as rocks sometimes.

Just thought I'd share. I do believe them to have been very happy too ) Wouldn't do it again, but I think they really were!


Good Luck on saving for your NEW tank!!!

Silver