Need help picking new tanks

Well, we had some casualties over the weekend. Our tire track eel decided he would check out explore the water (floor) on the other side of the tank and one of our discus died as well. :sad:

The good new is we were able to find an old 75g tank with stand and canopy on craigslist for $100. I know this is just a temporary fix but it's better than it was before. My girlfriend decided to get 2 more discus to keep the one that was left company since he was very sad about the death of his friend. We'll see how that goes. It's going to be awhile until we can get bigger tanks so I hope everyone can hold out until then.:hang: thanks for all your help.

75g - tall
2 Blood Parrots - 3" ea.
2 Gourami - 3" ea.
3 Discus - 3" ea.
2 Bat fish - 4" ea.
2 Angel Fish - 3" ea.
2 Black Ghost - 3" ea.

40g - long
2 Tiger Oscars - 4" ea.
2 Pleco - 4" and 8"

20g
1 Snowflake Eel - 18"
1 Green Spotted Puffer - 3"
 
blue209 said:
Well, we had some casualties over the weekend. Our tire track eel decided he would check out explore the water (floor) on the other side of the tank and one of our discus died as well. :sad:

The good new is we were able to find an old 75g tank with stand and canopy on craigslist for $100. I know this is just a temporary fix but it's better than it was before. My girlfriend decided to get 2 more discus to keep the one that was left company since he was very sad about the death of his friend. We'll see how that goes. It's going to be awhile until we can get bigger tanks so I hope everyone can hold out until then.:hang: thanks for all your help.

75g - tall
2 Blood Parrots - 3" ea.
2 Gourami - 3" ea.
3 Discus - 3" ea.
2 Bat fish - 4" ea.
2 Angel Fish - 3" ea.
2 Black Ghost - 3" ea.

40g - long
2 Tiger Oscars - 4" ea.
2 Pleco - 4" and 8"

20g
1 Snowflake Eel - 18"
1 Green Spotted Puffer - 3"
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Gotta be kidding me..return most of them, start over.
 
llamabob said:
Gotta be kidding me..return most of them, start over.
Click to expand...

Well, like I said, this is just a temp. solution. I think it's been established in this thread that these aren't ideal condition. I've been getting some really helpful info which I greatly appreciate. So, to answer your question, no, I'm not kidding. If you have anything more constructive to say it would also be appriciated. Besides, these are much better than the conditions they were in @ my lfs. The eel was in a FW tank not much larger than the one it's now with like 7 other eels of the same size. The puffer was also in a FW tank that was smaller. The oscars where in a much smaller tank with 3 others of the same size. The others were in smaller tanks that were way more crowded. Now, you could say that they would be better off because they would go to a better home but I highly doubt it. Chances are they would be worse off. Most people would not even realize that it's a problem. We take very good care of our animals and will be expanding to larger accommodations as they grow. Some helpful info would be how to best make them happy with what we have now. Such as water conditions, decor (ie, places to hide, preferable plants, ect.), and how these species typically get along. Right now everyone seems to be doing great. The parrots are the only ones that seem territorial and that's only about 20% of the time. And all they do is just keep the others away from there little area. Anyway, I don't mean to rant. We're just looking for some real help.
 
blue209 said:
Well, like I said, this is just a temp. solution. I think it's been established in this thread that these aren't ideal condition. I've been getting some really helpful info which I greatly appreciate. So, to answer your question, no, I'm not kidding. If you have anything more constructive to say it would also be appriciated. Besides, these are much better than the conditions they were in @ my lfs. The eel was in a FW tank not much larger than the one it's now with like 7 other eels of the same size. The puffer was also in a FW tank that was smaller. The oscars where in a much smaller tank with 3 others of the same size. The others were in smaller tanks that were way more crowded. Now, you could say that they would be better off because they would go to a better home but I highly doubt it. Chances are they would be worse off. Most people would not even realize that it's a problem. We take very good care of our animals and will be expanding to larger accommodations as they grow. Some helpful info would be how to best make them happy with what we have now. Such as water conditions, decor (ie, places to hide, preferable plants, ect.), and how these species typically get along. Right now everyone seems to be doing great. The parrots are the only ones that seem territorial and that's only about 20% of the time. And all they do is just keep the others away from there little area. Anyway, I don't mean to rant. We're just looking for some real help.
Click to expand...


Dude I'm being serious, take them back. Just because a pet store had them in crappy conditions don't mean yours are helping.

You can't get large tanks for awhile? They are overcrowded as of NOW. Your species list will start fighting very soon.

Your discus, only 3", should be in a large bare bottom tank in pristine conditions, temps of 82+ being fed 5-6 times a day, with DWT. They will almost certainly die. I'm sure you are no providing those specs.

I'm not even touching the brackish fish or the fact you bought MORE fish rather than giving up the discus you cannot care for properly.

You had an 18" fish in a 20g, thankfully for the fish, it died, probly jumped out on purpose.

You have 2 oscars together. 6 months the dominant will destroy the weaker.

You have 2 ghost knifes who reach well over 15", and do not get along with their own species. You cannot mix them with oscars.

The type and pairs you picked would require almost a tank for each.

You have batfish which according to others, get MASSIVE.

Are your tanks even cycled? Have you tested the water parameters?

I'm not being a **** but I am annoyed. We all get suckered or made newbie mistakes, I did too. But I fixed it. You cannot fix it, probly ever, unless you give some up.

Be realistic, yes we all love fish, we all want to save fish with crappy lives, but you're not helping, if a $100 75g is the best you can do, which is fine, no pun intended, you will never be able to afford or find room for the many HUGE tanks you'll need.

Many have already said you will need many big tanks, and you ignore the advice and keep hoping for a magical answer.

Give some back, please.

I'm not even touching the brackish fish or the fact you bought MORE fish rather than giving up the discus you cannot care for properly.
 
Ok, first, correct me if I'm wrong, but you seem to have been in similar situtation (not as bad) and it has taken you time to get everything sorted out and you've resorted to temp solutions. Second, let's get some things straight.

1. The tanks have been cycled and I test the water almost everyday. We do water changes when needed and all the parameters are stable.

2. The Snowflake eel didn't die (it was a tire track eel in a different tank). He's in the tank with the puffer which we are adding salt to to make it brackish. I would like to move him to a bigger tank soon (probably when we move the oscars).

3. The Ghost Knifes aren't in with the Oscars. Also, it's been said that they don't get along with their own species but we've yet to see a problem with that. They do both have there favorite hidding spots on opposite sides of the tank though.

4. I see 2 oscars together all the time and in 6 months time they will have a much bigger home.

5. I realize that discus are hard to care for. I think that saying they have to have a bare bottom tank and be fed 5-7 times a day is a little over the line though. We're not trying to breed them and we're not starting with fry. The only reason my girlfriend got more discus was because he was getting picked on by himself now he's not.

6. The batfish get big but they grow slow.

Now, I agree that we should take some fish back, but maybe I didn't make it clear before. It's not totally up to me. My girlfriend won't take any back and she's the one that bought more. You could say that I should take them back anyway but I would imagine that response would come from someone that doesn't have much experience dealing with women. :) With that being said we're trying to do all we can to make it work. She's the one doing most the real work. I'm mainly just gathering info. :read: Also, don't assume that you know what we're able to afford or what kind of room we have. The only reason I can't get bigger tanks now is because of my finances after the holidays and some other unforseen events. To say that I'll never be able to afford or have room for big tanks is just stupid. And I'm not ignoring anyones advice and I'm not hoping for a "magical answer". A lot of the advice is for the long term and I totally agree with it. I do think that people on this site tend to over-react a bit. I mean, 150g tank for 8"s of fish will be required in the future but it's not right now. If I got what everyone seems to think is required right now I'd have like 1600 gallons of water for the fish I have. Is that really what I need today? I'm just trying to figure out what I need to do now (besides return everything and start over). We monitor the fish as much as we can, we test the water all the time, we make sure everyone gets the food they need, we try to arrange the tanks so there's hiding spot for everyone and room to move freely, and we're doing research and making plans on what we're going to do in the future. And that is the whole reason I started this thread. I truely appriciate yours and everyone elses input. It's helping a great deal but like many message boards people fly off the handle and start make assumptions without knowing the facts. The only reason your post bothered me is that it didn't really offer any information just an opinion. Which is fine but it's not very constructive.
 
Before I even started posting, I did a lot of research in these forums and online. I haven't even begun the hobby yet because I wanted to make sure I have great home for my fish.

From what I read, apart from African Cichlids, understocking is always a good idea.

You should definitely take the time and do some research to prevent disasters.
 
That's all I've been doing since we realized that we were in this situation. All we had before was a 5g with some barb and a pleco and a 5g with guppies. That was the whole reason for getting a bigger tank in the first place. The barbs and pleco had gotten huge. It would have been nice if the owner of the store we went to would have warned us of the mess we were getting into. I'm not trying to place blame. I agree we should have done a lot more research before buying and I accept the blame for that. Live and learn - and now I'm learning, the hard way. Trust me, if I would have known the things I know now this would have never happened.
 
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First I just wanna say I'm not picking fun at your financial situation, that was not my intention, only making a point.

Secondly, to support that array of fish, yeah you're looking at 4+ very large tanks, equipment etc. You're looking at over $2,000. Not many of us can dish that out, so no pun intended.

If you're new to the hobby, do searches for each fish you have, within 6 months, huge problems will develope.

Oscars are very aggressive. Yes, right now they are young and won't fight, trust me, in less than 6 months, as close as 2, you will have a fight. Almost everyone here recommends 1 oscar or 4+ to control aggression. The bigger WILL bully the smaller. I you saw 2, they were a breeding pair, or a very rare coincidence.

My point with the ghosts is the same, they are young, but in time they will fight, regardless of tank size. They cannot be together, nor can they be with oscars, so you're already looking at 2 150g tank min for the ghosts, and atleast 2 70's for the oscars, unless you were lucky enough to find a pair.

No I was not joking about the discus. Young discus are VERY fragile, bare bottom tanks are almost necessary, and feeding 5-6 times is important. But most of all, they need high temperatures.


I too was naive about my little rainbow shark being aggressive, he's small, passive, never bothered anyone. One day he started beating the hell out of my farawella. 95% of fish WILL fit their profile. If they are aggressive, they will be aggressive.

You'd be utterly shocked how fast fish grow, that 75 will be crammed in 2 months. And breaking it into 2 tanks will not stop the aggression.

My fear here, is you are under estimating the time you have to keep things under control. Like the first poster said, it is a train wreck waiting to happen, we know it won't happen now, but it will, soon.

Talk to your girl, take them back, get set up, re-purchase. You'll be glad you did. I've made my point so I won't continue to post in your thread, but please just think about returning them.
 
blue,if you are serious about keeping the fish you will need several larger tanks.

discus do not need to be kept in a bare bottom tank nor fed 5-6 times per day...they should be but don't have to be. be aware that you may not get great growth in this situation.

that said..young discus will fare better when fed multiple times per day. 4-5 minimum for best growth..this means that there will be more waste and will need frequent water changes..if you can't do them everyday then every other day with 3X per week atleast. calculate 15 gallons per discus(minimum is10 galllon optimal 15) keep discus in groups until they pair up.

they do fare better in pristine water. and you can stop the multiple heavy feedings after about 5-6 months.

I keep mine in planted tanks and when young fed them 4 -5 times per day..but I also know that mine will not likely reach dinner plate sized tho realisitcally they will easily exceed 6".
you can keep the angels in with the discus since they are already there. keep them in the 75.
you will need to get a much larger tank for the oscars so move the oscars and the plecos in to that large tank(over 100 gallons)
i have not much experience with ghost knoives nor the others you have mentioned..search for info on them.

good luck

step back and rethik your list and do the appropriate thing..
 
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