JRunyon21

I have seen a lot of people complain about the size of peoples tanks and the fish they put in them. I just had a very simple question.

Is there anything wrong with putting fish in smaller aquarium(say 29 Gallon) until they get too big for it. Do you have to have a 150 Gallon tank for some fish that will only start out at 2 inches big. I just want to start out small and wait to I get a different apartment or my own house but I do not want to fill my tank with fish that I dont like.

susitna-flower

HI, WELCOME TO FISHLORE!

Setting up any size of fish tank is a huge chore...fun to plan, not so fun to do.....we have two reasons for telling people to stock their tanks AS IF the fish are adult size.
Do you know about the nitrigen cycle?

#1....your new tank doesn't have the bacteria to be able to complete the nitrogen cycle for a fully stocked tank. Buy the number of fish the tank can hold as adults, and let them grow in the tank, the bacteria will be able to handle the tank better without crashing.

#2....as well intended as most people are in providing a larger tank for the fish as they grow, 9 times out of 10 it won't happen.....the fish will be crammed into a small tank, with polluted water, they will be stunted or die...it is as simple as that. If you are wanting to move into a different apartment, wait to get the fish you really want till you are in a space to have the tank you really want. It will all happen faster if you don't spend your money on a tank now that isn't what you want, or is sick because you tried to keep fish in a tank not suited to them.

Allie

You can start with a 29g and see how your fish are in it until they grow it out. But a lot of fish can be stunted from growing up in too small of a tank. If you can affrod and have the way to keep a 100g plus...do it. The options are endless. T=You never have to say, I like to keep this fish but don't have the tank space for it.
All you have to do is research the species of fish you are interested in, find out if they are fast growing or slow growers. Google is a fish keeper's best friend

GothicCandle

what kind of fish are you wanting to get?

COBettaCouple

Welcome to Fishlore.

If the fish has room to grow, they can be kept in a smaller tank for a time, depending on their growth rate, but you just want to be careful to avoid growth stunting.

JRunyon21

Thanks everyone for the input. I am planning to get a couple columbian sharks that are about 2-2.5 inches big as of now. I plan to put a powerhead in the tank as well because I did a lot of research and found out they like strong currents. I know people think I will not upgrade but I will. My lease is up in 7 months and i will get a larger tank. Even if it has to sit on the ground until I get it a stand. Also, if I was somehow unable to get a bigger thank I would never let there growth be stunted I would find a pet store that wanted them and buy new small fish. Thanks again everyone!!

kg4pvowife

Columbians grow quickly and need brackish water to thrive, then full marine as they reach maturity. They also do best in groups of three or more, so they would crowd in a 29 gallon for seven plus months (because it will take a few months to get your larger tank set up when you move). You could probably get away with a 55 gallon for seven months, but they will eventually need a 150 gallon marine tank, so may not be the best choice.

With that said, my columbians started in a 16 gallon freshwater (because the pet store sold them to me that way) then moved to a 55 brackish and finally to 150 gallon marine. If they start spending a lot of time "hovering" in one place in the tank, its time to move them.

Ryno

That is some serious commitment there. I would suggest getting another type of fish at least until you have a huge tank. Even getting stuff used would end up costing thousands. Does your LFS have any other fish that caught your eye, maybe some rainbow sharks or a smaller cat?

fishpie

some good fish to avoid is plectosmuses they get way to big red tail catfish can grow 6 feet long some chiclids get to bigand look for small bred fish

Shaina

You can certainly keep baby fish in a smaller tank, but the very frequent water changes required to keep them from getting stunting is a lot of work, and depending on the type of fish, maybe will need that bigger tank within a few months...may as well just have it ready to start. It's easy to fool yourself into thinking the tank you have is big enough for now for longer than it really is, simply because the fish growth rate starts slowing as they are stunted.

Unless you'd really like a Jaguar Cichlid, like me, and need more like a 180 gal lol

Fish Addict

Actually there are lots of great plecos for tanks... just make sure to research which type you are getting, since you are right that there are some that get HUGE, like common plecos...