Community tank suggestions

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
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i'm a firm believer in this, too. a fish will only reach a certain size given the conditions within an environment-- these conditions are usually very relative to the size of said environment. i'm also a firm believer that courting this phenomeneon is borderline-cruel. we shouldn't be trying to make fish fit the aquarium; rather, the aquarium should be set up to fit the fish.
 
I guess I'll add my 2 cents with everyone else. I have to agree with the sentiment that the tank is overcrowded and out of balance. I know nothing about Gold fish except that they never seem as happy in a tropical tank as they do in a goldfish tank. I do know from adverse experiences that a Puffer is a bad Idea in a tropical Tank. They will live (most of the time ) in Freshwater, Brakish, or saltwater. But they only thrive in Brackish. IMHO 4 Pihrana's will need at least a 150g and bigger would be better. You really should have four or more together. Once again they might live in less but they will not Thrive. We are all in this hobby because we enjoy beautifull fish. We all would love to have more fish and bigger tanks. I BELEVE if you stick to the suggestions here you and your fish will be happier. Find a good home for the puffer or a new tank, put the Golfish in the big tank, leave the rest as it stands and see what you have in a year. I would bet you'll like the results. Also pick up a 20 or 30 and get 3 or 4 cories and a school of neons. They are fun to watch in a big school, but not nearly as mush fun in a crowded tank. BTW 'll have to try that formula, I always go with sq inches of surface are divided by 6 = inches of fish, and usually leave some room. Abviosly Tank shape effects almost any formula, but they are rules of thumb that give you a starting point.
 
Another problem with the Goldfish is that he has two different kinds. Fancy goldfish are much like Tropical fish in the respect that they thrive in temps at or around 75 degrees. Comets, however prefer tank temps at or around 68-70 degrees. This is a big difference. Also, fancy Goldfish are slower and general have poor eye sight when compared with comets. This makes for a challenging time trying to access food at feeding time when you get fully grown fish fighting for food. I won't even begin to go into detail about the fact that comets are more aggressive and rough on fancy goldfish. Generally, this setup just doesnt work out. :(

It's a hard pill to swallow...I know. We are telling you that all these fish won't work out. It will take some work to get tanks for all these fish, and more than likely you'll be giving some of these fish away if you follow through with the best interests of the fish.

Maybe you should start off with simple fish like livebearers or other fish such as minnows, danios, bettas...etc. You jump from this disaster to red bellies...and you'll be overwhelmed.
 
Ok, first off, I know you are not trying to yell or any of those things, I respect and need constructive criticism, but I will also tell you where I am coming from and why. Now that that is cleared let me explain where I am coming from and why I believe the certain things I do.

If the goldfish stayed in a nonheated tank, with just the two of them, for the year or so that they did, and it was a 29g, without growing anymore than they have, then they cannot possibly be stunted, they just aren't getting bigger. 29g is plenty for two goldfish to have gotten bigger than 6". Granted, if they had stayed and kept growing then, yes, the 29g would have stunted them from getting to 9" and 12" but since they stopped this early I do not think it is a stunt, I think that is just how big they will grow. Also, the fancy, if that is what he is, controls the comet, if that is what he is, because the fancy has been around for around a year more than the comet so when the comet came around the fancy was already the boss of his lone aquarium.

When I got the puffer the store I got it from had him in with a few tropicals and the only judgements they had were that he wouldn't have enough room to hide at times, but since he has plenty plants and such, he would be fine they said. I have read that they do not require brackish water, it is just where they came from in nature. Also he hasn't been fin-nippin yet because he is only around 5/8" right now.

You also have to realize that these fish have just been moved into this 40g within the last week. Before there were just the goldies and sharks in 29g. They may grow now that they do have a little mroe room, but as stated above I do not see them growing.

Also, I am a person that sees expansion as a good thing. IF any of them do get larger and need the extra space I am there and willing to provide, this is just a time based thing. Since the room is available right now, I want to get the full sight out of it. In the future the goldies will probably have their own tank, while the tropicals would use one and the RBPs another.

I have also read that with the RBPs that a 30g is plenty for a shoal of 4-5 until they reach around 4" each. If anyone could confirm that it would be of great help because I plan on having a 65g and I figure it would last until they hit around 6" each.

Please keep the replies coming, I am loving them.

Until next time,
Erik Cooper
 
I think you have enough room for the fish in the 40.

BUT---> either the goldfish

or the brakish puffer

or the freshwater fish.

NOT ALL OF THEM! Hehehe. Tank size is not really a big issue right now because you have clearly stated you are getting bigger tanks and space is not an issue. But keeping warmer water fish with coldwater fish is not good! You could either stress one or the other or both if you try and make a 'midrange' temperature.

There are freshwater puffers i believe, but i've only ever seen brackish water ones. What are you planning on doing with the puffer when it grows bigger and starts nipping at your other fish?

What are you planning on doing with the pirahnas once they get too big for the 65g? I think they could live in the 65 for a while but the small space might make them more aggressive.

Everyone here is just saying the combo of fish is all wrong.
What i suggest:

Move the platys and swordtail and algae eater and snails back into the 29g. This will be your freshwater tank. (i dont know about the rainbow shark though he might be too big)

Keep the goldfish in the 40g and make this your goldfish tank, lowering the temp to accomidate them. Maybe add some white cloud minnows or something. You could keep the bristlenose pleco with them i think (do they mind colder water i dont know).

Get pirahnas if you want for the 65. I would say get three..... four might be pushing it if you plan on keeping them in there for a long time. But be prepared to move them if they grow really big.

That would mean you'd have to get the puffer his own tank or give him away.




This is just what I would do.... i think that would be a good way of moving fish around and allowing you to keep *most* of the fish you have. And of course making them all happy and able to live long happy lives! :D


HTH,

Diana
 
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Ok, I figured I would post this since afg has raised goldies a lot. This is descriptions of the goldies, you tell me what actual kind they are cause I do not know.

The "fancy" looks like an Oranda, but no bumps on his head. He is mainly gold, a little white, and has a fat body with the split tail on bottom that comes together on top. No bug eyes and no bumps, just a normal head.

The "comet" looks like any normal goldfish but he has a rather large flowing tail, not to big, but much longer than a normal stump tail seen on koi and the like.

Are they still what we suspect them to be?
 
Could be a ryukin but more than likely, its just a plain old Fantail. Never the less, its still considered a fancy goldfish. The other does sound like a regular Comet. ;)

About the Goldfish and stunting...you mentioned they were in the other tank for a year or so. This isn't long enough for them to grow to their potential, so therefore you cant be sure they were "done" growing. Its quite possible that they were stunted, as I have said numerous times.
 
I wasn't saying that they absolutely were not, I was just saying that not growing at all in the 29g for a period of like 8 months was kind of wierd.
 
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