tko187

Hi this is my stock list as follows, its 50 g tank which is 180 ltrs.

10 - very small neon tetras
5 - zebra danios
1 - cory albino ( 1 died )
2 - clown loaches
1 - betta
2 - silver sharks
1 - pleco

This is what my lfs sold me on the same day as i bought the tank!! I know.....i have just completed the nitro cycle and was just wondering if this is too much or if there is still space available.

Im thinking of maybe returning the betta as it has started being agressive towards the silver sharks, also im trying to add a lot more colour to the tank and fish that swim all around the tank. Im happy with the bottom dwellers and the danios.

I know your probably thinking there is way too many fish (is there??) im not sure!!! But if they do get too big i will obviously transfer when it needs to be done when they outgrow the tank, now they are small!

Thanks for any help.

COBettaCouple

That tank would be quickly outgrown by the pleco and clown loaches. They could experience growth stunting and shortened live spans as well as have more risk of disease, before they look like they're too big for the tank.

The Betta Splendens would be best suited for an individual tank, they're one of the species that aren't good community fish.

Your Danios would be happiest and less nippy to other fish with 6 or more. The Cory is a social fish, so I'd recommend at least 3 of them, but 6 or more for a more proper school. I've found that the more of the corys that you have, the more fun they are to watch.

Ryno

Hello tko,

To answer your question yes there is too many fish. But mainly because some of them can get so big. That is a pretty odd combination of fish they sold you. Although since they sold them to you the same day you purchased the tank the store was either ignorant or didn't care if some of them died so you would come back and purchase more. IMO you need to decide if you want to have small community fish or larger ones. Those Silver Sharks, the Pleco and Clown Loaches can get quite large, up to 1 foot long. The basic rule of thumb is to have one inch of full grown sized fish per gallon of water.

I would suggest taking the Clown Loaches and the Silver Sharks back to the store and getting a couple more Corys, they like to have some friends. The other option would be to take back all of the fish other than the Clown Loaches and the Sharks. In this case I would get one more Clown Loach. This might be overstocking as well though. Like I said those fish can get really big, although it should take some time for that to happen.

As for the Beta I would either recommend getting it its own tank or taking it back as well. These fish can be very territorial and may end up either killing your other fish or getting picked on itself. Is it a male? (does it have long flowing fins?) Some people have been able to keep them in a community tank but that is rare, sounds like you are already having some problems with him.

From the way it sounded in your post I think option number one would be the best for you. Take the Beta back, along with the sharks and the clown loaches. If you want to add more Danios and other smaller community fish like tetras I would take the Pleco back as well. Common Plecos can get huge (well over a foot long). If you are concerned about algae, there are other smaller fish that can do the same work. Most people here recommend Otos.

When you take the fish back see if you can just get some store credit for them. If there are any other fish that you are interested in write down the names of them (the scientific name too if they have that). Then come back here or do some searches on the internet to research the fish before you purchase them.

Hope this is helpful.

Great looking tank BTW.

tko187

Thanks for the replies guys, yes the betta is a male and also it does have big fins!!
I want to add colour to the tank as the loaches rarely seem to come out, but when they do they really brighten up the whole place. I want to add fish that swim all over the place. I think i might give the loaches back ang get some assorted corys. Also the sharks are very jumpy. The betta maybe needs to go aswell, ill think about what im gonna do and let you know. Thanks.

Barbrella

By "silver sharks" I assume you mean Bala sharks? IF so, your tank is not anywhere near large for them as they can grow to 16" as can the loaches, which also need to be kept in groups.

And the betta certainly doesn't belong there. He's likely to end up ripped to shreds.

The best thing is to research fish before buying them to find out if they grow too large or are just unsuitable for your tank. Just bringing home anything that catches your eye usually ends in disappointment and/or disaster.

Evelyn1919

hi! here is what i would do:
return the clown loaches, the betta, the silver sharks and the pleco because they all get way too big for your tank. like someone here suggested get like 3 ottos for the bottom, you can get red tail rasboras which are very peacefull fish and they like to swim all over the tank ( i have 10 of them), and maybe get some cherry barbs. before getting any more fish do a research on each kind to see if they can be in your tank and how big they get.
like CoBettaCouple said before "They could experience growth stunting and shortened live spans as well as have more risk of disease, before they look like they're too big for the tank" so you should take out all those fish that are going to get too big for your tank.


good luck and keep us posted!

ps: please don't trust the people at your LFS they usually don't know what they are talking about even if they tell you they have tanks or that they are marine biologists.