36 gallon tank questions

T

thoptiger

Registered Member
Jan 16, 2006
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Newbie - is tank overcrowded?

I have a 36 gallon corner tank on stand - I have two clown loaches, no more than an inch to inch and half long; a rainbow shark; a bala shark and a spotted catfish with long whiskers. None of the fish are more than an inch and a half long right now. Plus, I feel like my one bala shark needs some schooling buddies.
Have I already overcrowded the tank?
 
Naw, thats not so overcrowded for the moment. Your Bala Sharks will get bigger and bigger, and like jade said, you need to consider the adult size. I personally have 4 clown loaches in my 37 gallon, plus a gaggle of other fish. My tank is rather overcrowded, but the different species inhabit different strata, so I have to watch it all carefully and change the water regularly. Your Clown loaches will reach 6 inches or so in adulthood, and the sharks will not stay small I'm afraid. I dont know what peoples infatuation with sharks are, but they diserve a very big tank to show well. The moral of my story is that the tank will do fine for now, and if you want to add shoaling buddies, that will probably work too, but in the next year or so, you might want to think about a bigger home, atleast for the sharks.
 
thanks on overcrowding question

I do agree that the bala sharks need their own space to show off and my husband and I are already talking about it. Thanks for the great advice.
 
It would be great to upgrade ASAP, I would not go smaller than 125 for a couple of balas, when they get bigger they are VERY skittish and it is pretty common for them to get injured hitting the sides/top of the tank
 
With weekly water changes and good filtration you should be fine for a while. But in about a year you will def. see the need for a bigger tank. The Bala will grow 12-14" himself. Loachs can get 6-10" The spotted cat I believe you are talking about a Pictus cat which will grow to about 8-10" The rainbow im not sure about but I thinks its like 5".

Add them all up = 37" - 49" of fish

You have 36G tank as you can see will be good for a while but not a forever solution. Also it is a cornor you will see as they get longer they will want something a little longer so they can swim a little more freely instead of just turning in circles.

Hope this helps!
 
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