Please, i need help knowing which fish live happily together..

[emmz]

Hi,

By tomorrow I will have inherited the following fish, which currently live in 2 tanks:

Tank 1:
I can give dimensions in inches...
height approx 14inches (of water)
depth 12 inches
width 33 inches

1 x angel fish
2 x pearl gouramis (i think)
2 x albino corys

Tank 2:
height approx 15 inches (of water)
depth 17 inches
width 32 inches

1 x pleco (about 11inches) poor thing :(
2 x clown loaches
2 x albino corys
1 x upside down catfish
1 x zebra danio
1 x pink convict (i think)

i was thinking of putting the corys together as 2 in each tank they seem to be almost dormant and i understand that they need to be in a "school" rather than alone.
the angel in with the pleco as it is not gettin on with the gouramis
how about the others?

any ideas welcome as i need as much help as possible! Thanks

[Fish Kate]

Wow. There is so much wrong with this it's hard to know where to start.

Most of my reply is based on reading and research, and I bow to anyone with more experience.

First, you need to find a LFS to take the pleco, the angel, and the pink convict. They are not at all suited to the set ups you have. The angel and the pleco -- way too big; the pink convict is also very agressive.

The Upside Down Cat and the Zebra Danio will not thrive by themselves; they need to live with a group of their own kind. Try to find someone who will take them.

You could put the four albino corys and the two pearl gouramis together; they like similar tank conditions (make sure there are plants and hiding places). But albinos prefer a sand bottom and sharp gravel may hurt them. They (the corys) also would be happier with a couple more of their kind.

The two clown loaches could be kept in one tank by themselves, but again, they prefer to have a group of their own kind.

My advice is to keep things as they are now until you narrow this down to the fish you want to keep. Research their preferences, and find homes for the others as quickly as possible!

[emmz]

OK, thanks so much fish Kate.

Im so, so cross - because people just buy fish that arent suitable..(not that I know anything about fish, but isnt it common sense?)..they are living, breathing beings with personalities - not just objects...

The fish tanks were already at work when I got the job (2 years ago) and several fish died in that time (at least 10)...now i can identify that they wre an angel, a pleco, corys, gouramis, convicts, danios - it was horrible.

Now our workplace has closed and i have the fish - I am really stressing about how they are feeling. It must be hellish for them and I really dont want to buy more (as I dont really support the pet trade) but at the same time I dont want the ones that live with me now, to feel unhappy and unfulfilled.

If it took Pleco to the fish shop, would they sell him on do you think, or keep him? Id rather they kept him.
I do feel ever so sad for them :(

[emmz]

Someone else has suggested:

Tank 1 (the slightly smaller tank)
convict and upside down fish

Tank 2
Corys, danio and gouramis

Rehome the angel, the pleco and the loaches..

[Fish Kate]

Maybe you should post this over at "general freshwater." There are folks over there who know way more than I do. :bowing:

[Wishful]

Most LFS's will try to re-home any fish they take in. It costs money to support tanks and feed fish and most stores are always hurting for tank space for more fish. If they have a dedicated display tank and it's a particularly spectacular fish, they sometimes keep a fish for good, but it's not super common. Our LFS has a huge tank they keep for their monster fish, and it can take them years to find them a new home, but they're all for sale, or available for free adoption to the right home in a few cases.
One of the owners has a real soft spot for big catfish and lets them go at no cost if the right home pops up--pretty rare as few people have a 300gal+ tank that isn't already populated! Heh, they also like having a few monster versions of fish on hand to demonstrate why someone shouldn't blithely assume that bala shark, arowana, channel cat etc will be "fine" in their little tank. You walk around a corner and WHAM! Big FISH! HOLY COW! BIG FISH! I've seen people go pale at the sight of what that 2" little cutie they wanted to buy can grow into. :) It's the same idea that led to a LFS in Kansas decide to put their rescue tank out in public view--once you've seen a fish torn to shreds with ragged fins and open sores you take the whole "highly aggressive, must change water, not compatible!" type warnings much more seriously.

Kudo's for taking on the fish and trying to give them a good home. Don't feel at all bad about having a LFS help you rehome any you can't provide for. They'll like end up in good homes if you work with a good shop.

[Lorazoo]

From your dimensions i would think the angel would be fine. It is suggested that they have a 29 gallon or bigger. She just has to be the top dog in the tank and may attack anything new you put in. Also, it is very common for Angels that aren't bonded to not get along and even kill eachother, so do not get another one. Yours will be very fine on its own.

Put the Corys together in either tank.

The Pearls should be able to go in the other tank. You might be able to get a couple more too, b/c they do better in groups. It would be best to sex them, which you can do if you look them up. There is a big difference between Males and Females. So, if you have 2 males, get at least 3 females and they would be very happy and maybe evenm breed for you.

I am not sure about the convict, but you can look it up online and see how aggressive it is. I would probably recomend taking it or the Angel back and keep one in the tank away from the pearls.

You might be able to put the catfish in with the cory's if they are a schooling fish too. It might give him some companions.

The pleco will grow too big for the tank and you could also take it back to a LFS, but yes they will resell it if they can. If you know anyone who has a coi fish pond, it would be great in there.

You should also return the loaches if you can, although they will probably be sold to someone with a small tank anyway since they are always sold incorrrectly in fish stores. They can grow well over 6 inches, but they are sold like crazy and most people don't really have tanks suitable enough.

I agree about the Zebra Danio. They are a schooling fish and you could get more. Just watch for fin nipping on the bigger fish, but they should be okay with the Pearls or Angel.

The trick with the Angel and Pearls would be to plant the tank. Fish like that need to have places to get away from eachother and to feel secure. I have seen many tanks with an Angel and Gouramis in it. If they are well planted they get along fine. My guess is that these don't have much. If you don't want to do live plants, try the silk ones. I personally don't like plastic b/c fish can fray their fins on them. Just make sure some of them go up to the top of the water line and you will see a big difference in the behavior of the fish. Once they have hiding places they will be much less aggressive with eacother.

[Lorazoo]

ok, for some reason my post isn't taking, so i am going to try to do another to get it to take. By the way, it would also be a good idea to get a freshwater test kit and test for pH, Nitrite, Nitrates, Ammonia, and kH to see what kind of condition the tanks are in. Post the results and we can help from there. The biggest thing I have learned is that regular water changes is the key to having healthy tanks.

[emmz]

Lorazoo - thanks SO SO much for your post :)
It was huge and really informative - thank you .
Also Wishful - thank you for yours :) Both great.

I had a bad night with the fish last night - as I got the second tank only in my house yesterday, in my bedroom. The fish were really restless and pleco was having a good suck on the gravel at the bottom!! So i kept waking up as Im not used to the noise yet.

The tank with the angel has quite a few plants that reach the top - I think the gouramis have produced eggs?? Little tiny black seed like? Is it possible that the gouramis are protecting the patch from the angel?
Its the not the first time Ive seen them. I think the gouramis must be m&f.

Tank 1 the : Angel, Corys, Upside down catfish

Tank 2: Gouramis, loaches, danio, convict and plecco
(this is a preliminary measure - until i possibly find more suitable homes...)

Hows that sound?

[Lorazoo]

sounds good to me and yes the gouramis could be breeding. the males are usually more colorful than the females. They build bubble nests and the males guard it and the eggs and will get aggressive towards everyone who comes near it, even the female. In the future if you keep the gouramis you could look into getting a couple more females. Wow, that pleco is big, poor thing. Like i said, if you know anyone who has a pond (man made so he cant escape), he would love it in there.

[emmz]

Lorazoo - I posted here a week ago and was told an outdoor pond for a pleco is definately a no no, as Im in the UK and it gets cold....

My dad has Koi carp in his outdoor pond - i would love to set the pleco free in there (well, as free as it can be :( )

[Lorazoo]

Well, how do the fish survive the cold? Doesn't he have a heater? If he does i would think it would be okay.

[budrecki]

Koi and goldfish are cold water fish and can adapt to lower temperatures.

Plecos are not cold water fish, even in the wild (here in florida) when the water temp drops the plecos move up stream into estuaries feed by hot springs...

[Lorazoo]

Koi and goldfish are cold water fish and can adapt to lower temperatures.

Plecos are not cold water fish, even in the wild (here in florida) when the water temp drops the plecos move up stream into estuaries feed by hot springs...
I live in Florida and went camping in the winter near springs. There were wild pleco everywhere. However, even near the springs the water temps were only 65-70F tops. Like I said, you could always put a heater in the pond, which the Koi would be fine with. If not, as long as it doesn't go below 65 I think the pleco would adjust fine.

Maybe you can find a good LFs to take him or put out adds on local internet sites and such and find someone with a huge tank who would want it. Good luck.

[emmz]

Thanks Lorazoo :)

and budrecki! :)

My dad's Koi pond doesn't have a heater, but they seem to manage ok -(as far as I know, that is)...
I visited another fish shop and the woman was really, so helpful - unfortunately they don't take anymore "rescue" fish as they were being over run with them. But she did offer lots of advice.
I can put an ad in her shop for Mr Pleco...alternatively Ive contacted Animal Aid (who are fairly near me). Also a friend is makin enquiries as I think she has rather a large tank.
Thanks all :)