Community tank suggestions

Common, Comet, "Pond Fish" reach longer than 6"...I'm sorry, but they do. Sometimes pond life is rough on goldfish. By pond, I mean ornmental ponds. In the wild, they get huge. If you have single comet in a controlled environment such as a 100 gallon tank, I promise you he would reach more than 6". It is not 'natural' that these fish to stay at 5" and this has been proven time and time again.

If this poster has all these fish in such a small tank, it is VERY possible that some fish were stunted.
 
They were just placed in this tank, before the goldfish were in a 29g, which would not have stunted them. I believe that if the parents of these fish, and those fishes' parents had maybe been stunted, that by now that is just what size they grow to.

About the sharks, I have been told and I have read that these sharks do not reach more than 6". I do not have any of the sharks that reach the huge over 1' numbers. These are the ones mroe closely related to cyprinids, such as goldfish and minnows according to the species directory on this site, and I am pretty sure are not supposed to be over 6".

EDIT: I double checked the length that it lists for the sharks in the database here and it said they only reach 6".

The pleco will surely have more room in a 65g with Red Bellies.

Anything else that hasn't been touched on?
 
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While there are contradictions going on here...

Goldfish are coldwater fish, meaning they like temps usually below 70F. Platies, rainbow sharks, chinese algae eaters, bristlenose plecos, and swordtails are all tropical and should have a heater in their tank. Figure 8 puffers, as already said, are aggressive and brackishwater fish, he needs a new home where his needs can be met.

The rainbow sharks are cyprinids, but that doesn't mean that they like the same things as goldfish. It's almost like saying that a discus and a lemon cichlid are okay together because they are both cichlids. Nore does it mean that they grow to similiar size, for example, otos only get a max of 2.5'' but gibbiceps plecos can get 12'', they are both armored catfish.

Your tank is overstocked as is, so a shoal of tetras is out. I think that you should commit the 65g to the fish you already have, I am sure your goldies would really like it and you could get a few more. RB pirahnas should be kept in groups of 4+ I believe. Being able to reach a size of 12'', a 65g, in all reality, is too small.

BTW, how often do you do water changes in that 40g?
 
Still agreeing with the people who say your tank needs revision. No matter what you decide with the goldfish, PLEASE remove the Figure 8 Puffer. He will not survive long term in freshwater. Also, as has been mentioned, a 65 gallon tank is really not suitable for a shoal of piranhas. You could probably keep a small shoal in a 75 gallon tank. What are the dimensions on the 65?
 
Erik, believe it or not....we are trying to help you. As nothing more than a poster, it seems IMO that you are merely justifying your actions rather than heeding our advice. We are not here to judge you, or your current situation. What we are trying to do is help. We can scream directions into your ear until each and every one of us are blue in the face but thats not what we are doing, and I feel its safe to speak for everyone on that matter. ;)

When I tell you the things that I've told you, it's not based on AC's facts, or any other website. Its solely my experience as a fishkeeper...more so as a goldfish keeper, being that I have kept these fish longer than any others. I have kept large amounts of goldfish and when I had more energy (and time) I actually bred these amazing fish. Rarely did any stay below 6" for more than 2-3 years.

Again, I say MOST Goldfish (esp. commons) grow to near a foot or longer. It wouldn't be such a big deal because as I say there are exceptions but you reported that all the "big guys" in your tank are rather small. This is not normal, and I am confident in that respect.

I wish you and your fish all the best. Hopefully you can get a handle on this. All I will add to this post is that you will learn fact from fiction when you gain some experience. Then...it wont matter what someone says, if you know for yourself what happens. Thats all we are doing, trying to spare you the heartache of problems we have already encountered in the past. :)
 
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question please!

I was reading this thread of posts and I do agree that this 40g tank is way OVERSTOCKED. I have a 40g SALTWATER tank and I know the general rule of thumb is "1 inch of fish per 5 gallons of water" and I thought I read somewhere that for FRESHWATER it was like "1 inch per 1-2 gallons of water", is this correct? If so this tank should only be housing (at MOST) say 35-40 INCHES of fish but I think it would be safer to go with the "1 inch of fish per 2 gallons of water" end of the rule and that would limit this tank to 20 inches of fish. Far LESS then it currently houses. Please advise on this rule of thumb. Thanks!
 
could a goldfish perhaps be stunted by living at high temps? i had a goldfish when i was a little kid that was 5 or 6 inches in a tropical 10g...i mean...whoops, so that alone tells me they get larger than that in proper conditions. and then there's all those sources...which confirms a theory from my experience as a 6 year old.

the puffer and the goldfish really need setups other than this. outside of those fish, the setup is not too bad. the pleco will get big, yes...but you can move him or exchange him at a fish store later. same with the CAE, which i find effective as an algae eater until 5 or 6 inches in size.
 
The 1'' per 1-2g really only applies to small tetras.... The most widely used example is that you wouldn't keep a 10'' oscar in a 10g aquarium, or even a 20g.

My LFS has 4 red bellies in a 125g with NO other fish... just to give you an idea of their needs.
 
Originally posted by snakeskinner
I am a firm believer in the fish only reaching the size his surroundings will allow up to a certain point. Kyle
Click to expand...

I'm sorry snakeskinner but this is the very definition of stunting the growth of a fish. Im guilty of it myself in the past. I can admit that.
 
I have always been very interested in those mathematical relationships between fish size and gallonage. I deal with mostly larger fish, and the little system I use is this:

1) (Fish size in inches) raised to the power of 1.7 = A
2) (Fish size in inches) raised to the power of 1.6 = B
3) (A+B) / 2 = Approximate gallonage

The estimates have worked well for me, and they tend to be a little on the conservative side. I just wanted to share what method I use, of course it is by no means a scientific truth =).
 
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