How many fish can I fit in here?

dorkfish

dorkfish

AC Members
Jul 25, 2005
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Windsor,Ontario,Canada
Hi all, the 20g tall I'me voulentaring to take care of has three fish that grow to big for it. these include two common pleco's and a melontea sp.(at least I think) the common plecos are about 2-3 inches long and about the same for the rainbow. the tank also holds two mollies. I have been given $50 to spend on new fish and stuff for the tank as well as 2 fish for my self. the question is, with the addition of a male betta, maybe a pair of peacful drawf cichlids and 2 more rainbows to keep them happy, how many neons or rummy noses could I add?

Note: I know the rainbows and plecos get to big for this tank, but somebody else bought the rainbow and they said the rainbows were just right for this tank (so it will probably end up in a tank this size if I brought them back) and the plecos could end up in anything, but most likely nothing big enough. so every things staying under my care, but don't worry, I will get a big enough tank and before they out grow / get stunted in this one.

sorry for the long post, and ask for a simplification if this is to muck for you to follow.
 
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you know the rule 1 inch per gallon . . i love that rule . . . i should follow it . . . hmm . . but yes it also depends on how often you do water changes . . if you decide to go over the 20 inches then just do more frequent water changes until you get a bigger tank . . . sounds like a plan
 
The 1 inch per gallon rule doesn't always apply, either. While you may get away with keeping ten guppies or white clouds in a 10 gallon tank, you can't put a ten-inch oscar in the 10g. If you're dead set on keeping the ones you already have, I wouldn't add any more.

Mark
 
dorkfish said:
Note: I know the rainbows and plecos get to big for this tank, but somebody else bought the rainbow and they said the rainbows were just right for this tank (so it will probably end up in a tank this size if I brought them back)
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Which is wrong, and I think you know that. So, why would you want to stick two more of them in a tank that is too small for even one?

Melanotaenia is just a rainbowfish family. It's not what type of rainbowfish they are. There are no rainbows in the Melanotaenia family of rainbowfish that should be housed in a 20g tank. They need to be kept in schools of six or more and 20g is *way* too small. They are schoolers and need room to swim. Minimum tank for the smallest of that family, Melanotaenia praecox, would be 30" long.

I'm also very confused. If you know these fish are going to get too big for the tank, then why are you buying more of them? As it is, the tank is severely overstocked with what you have in there already.

Roan
 
yes but an oscar is round and if hes ten inches across you should count his height also so that would be more . . . im just saying thats a general rule . I like to give my fish more room then they need. . but hey its a good rule but your judgement should help you out
 
Ok, I won't get any more fish, and I will see what I can do as far as housing goes. Currently this is the biggest freshwater tank I deal with, and know of nothing big enouh for the plecos. so does anny one else know of somone who could properly house these guys? As far as the rainbows go, Im'e getting a 55g soon instead of a new bike, so they will share that tank with my fish. I could'nt even get a common name from the person who bought the rainboow so the closest I came to identifying them was M. australis, but Im'e not sure.
 
i got a 220g thats big enough for pl*co's :)
theres too much hype about how to house pl*co's
you can keep it in a 20 gallon for at least a year, and in that time you said youll be getting a 55g? then you can get another few years in that.
they dont grow like weeds like oscars etc unless you constantly feed him bulk foods.
some people here claim their pl*co's reached 12" in less than a year, i find that bs
ive kept pl*co's for over 20 years now in various sized tanks. i always do water changes weekly and water quality is always excellent. amonia is always zero, nitrite 0, and nitrates i wont let it get above 30 ppm
their growth rate all depends on how you feed them, if you just let them graze they grow slower, if you feed him all pellets and wafers then in a year a 2" will prob grow to a 6"
they werent meant to be rapid growers and anything exceding 4" of growth per year will lead to a shorter life
get what you want dude, just keep your water quality 0,0, and under 40 ppm at least for nitrates. when fish start to outgrow the tank youll know and move them to bigger quarters
at least weekly 30% changes is a must
 
vaderbanger said:
i got a 220g thats big enough for pl*co's :)
theres too much hype about how to house pl*co's
you can keep it in a 20 gallon for at least a year, and in that time you said youll be getting a 55g? then you can get another few years in that.
they dont grow like weeds like oscars etc unless you constantly feed him bulk foods.
some people here claim their pl*co's reached 12" in less than a year, i find that bs
ive kept pl*co's for over 20 years now in various sized tanks. i always do water changes weekly and water quality is always excellent. amonia is always zero, nitrite 0, and nitrates i wont let it get above 30 ppm
their growth rate all depends on how you feed them, if you just let them graze they grow slower, if you feed him all pellets and wafers then in a year a 2" will prob grow to a 6"
they werent meant to be rapid growers and anything exceding 4" of growth per year will lead to a shorter life
get what you want dude, just keep your water quality 0,0, and under 40 ppm at least for nitrates. when fish start to outgrow the tank youll know and move them to bigger quarters
at least weekly 30% changes is a must
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I'll have to agree with none of this. Keeping a fish in a tank that is too small and not allowing it to grow as normal is inhumane. You're suggesting starving and stunting fish is OK.

I had a pleco grow out to 8 inches from 2.5 inches in less than a year. He was only fed once a day, and at a proper level. If your pleco is only given the algae on the tank to eat he is most likely very unhealthy, they graze all day in the wild.

Please don't anyone follow the above suggestion. It is poorly researched, and flat out wrong thinking. The poster obviously cares more about having fish to amuse them than in taking proper care of their pets.
 
Vaderbanger

Please, stop giving BAD advise.

If a common/sailfin pleco is not growing, it is because it is not being feed properly. My pleco is 16+ inches, and is less than 2 years old. He grew close to 1 inch per month for the 1st year of his life and has started to taper off now. Fish have a natural growth rate, if yours are growing slowly, there is a reason why. Like last of nutrition.
 
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