Can I put neons in my tank?

I just put some new, baby fish in my tank.
These fish are: Bala/Silver sharks, Rainbow shark, Angel fish, and Plecos. They've been in my tank for a few days and they're all pretty small. I'd say my sharks are two inches long each and my angel is about one inch wide and one inch tall. My plecos are also small but I doubt they'll have compatibility problems.
I read the sharks get along with tetras but I'm not sure about angelfish. If I get neons, I'd get a school of them.
I'm done asking the people at the pet stores because when I bought these fish, I also bought cichlids. I didn't know anything about them so I decided to ask the employee helping me out if they'd do fine in my tank with the other fish she already bagged up. She said yes. I just took them out of my tank and gave them to a friend because they cut my angelfish's fins by at least half the length, nipped at my sharks fins, and chased the others away from the food at feeding time. My sharks were always hiding when I had my cichlids and now they're free roaming and eating finally.
Now I'd like to get other fish to add some life to my tank since my cichlids are gone and this time I'm asking people who actually have experience with their own tanks instead of the employees that don't care about the fish.
If neons are bad for my tank, what tetras can I get? I'd prefer some with color which is why I liked the neons.

 

How big and how long has your fish tank been established?

 

You've got a few species there that need a lot of room. What kind of plecos and how many do you have? They don't always get along with each other.

 

I have two common plecos. And all I need to know is the compatibility. I know my tank isn't big enough for them when they are full grown but I'm giving them to my friend who has a 250 gallon tank once they get bigger. It's a 30 gallon tank though. I'm just looking for a schooling fish that'll get along with the fish I have until they are big enough to transfer to my friends tank.

 

OK. Then you have issues outside of the plecos. Please understand that we are here for fish first, so I'm not too interested in just answering what you're asking and moving along. The balas need more space. So does the rainbow. And by the time you think the plecos need to be moved to a new home, it'll probably be too late for them. Their growth will be stunted, assuming they don't get completely stressed out and attack each other first. I would not even house two commons together in a 250. You asked for the opinions of people that care and have more experience and this is it.

 

I asked for experience with the compatibility of the fish. And when I bought the fish, the people at the store said they'd be fine in my tank for a month or two until I moved them. My friend will take them before that though, maybe a couple of weeks from now. I was told the plecos I got would get too big for my 30 but if I upgraded to a 55 they'd be fine so I figured a 250 would be much better. Because of the wrong information I was given, I got these fish thinking the people had an idea of what they were doing. Now it's too late to give them back but they will be moved to a bigger tank soon. I can also try giving a pleco to another friend who has several fish tanks, not sure of sizes though, but much bigger than the one I have. I need to know if the neons will be food for the fish I have or if they'll be okay. If you can't tell me that then you can't help me.

 

Nikg, first off welcome to fishlore. Clearly Adam is trying to help you as your tank has multiple issues. You are asking if you can add more fish to an already troubled tank. He is trying to explain to you through info sharing and questions that your selections you already have need more space, not only the plecos, the sharks too. So asking if you can add neons into the mix will not help anything. To answer your question, no, I would not add neons into your tank. You need to either get a larger tank or rehome the plecos and the sharks before you do anything else. I know you mentioned rehoming the plecos and that's great, but the sharks need a larger space too. After you have handled those situations you can reassess your stocking and see what sort of fish could be added.

I'm not a moderator here, nor do I speak for anyone buy myself, but here on fishlore I feel that we all genuinely try to help one another and look out for the health of the fish first and foremost. Getting defensive about someone trying to help you is not the way to go about it. So please don't take offense to anything Adam, myself or anyone else says, we are all trying to help you better care for your fish.

Also, when you have time fill out your profile so we can be better informed on your tank setup and water parameters. This will make it easier to help you out with issues.

 

I can't tell you because fish that are stressed from being in a tank that's way too small for them do not consult the fish compatibility manual before reacting. And are you moving the balas and the rainbow out as well? Because they're also not a match for a 30. If you are moving them, then compatibility does not matter because they will not be in the tank. What I can tell you, and what not a single person here will argue with, is that you have serious stock concerns. If that doesn't help you then maybe you just don't want to be helped.

 

As of now, they can't be rehomed because my friend is out of town. All the fish will be rehomed, not just the plecos. My friend said his fish have always been fine in the small tank until he transferred them to his bigger tank. I'm not sure why he held them in the small tank first but he did it to all the fish he owned, including his past balas. What can I do with these fish since I clearly can't keep them? I don't know anyone willing to take these fish right now, I've already asked and everyone I know says they'll end up as fish food because they're so small right now. The place I got them doesn't take fish back either. My dad said to just flush them or toss them in a canal near me. I already know that a canal isn't the proper home, they'll suffer until they die. And flushing is obviously a cruel idea. I'm stuck with these fish until my one friend gets home in two weeks. What can I do until then?

 

If it's just 2 weeks, then I suppose they are ok for now. But don't add anything until they get rehomed.

As for the store you get them from. Have you contacted them and told them your situation, that you were misinformed by their employees and bought the wrong fish. If you explain that, and request store credit to buy new fish that better suited for your tank once you get things fixed up, and they still don't take back fish, well that's just plain bad business. I would not go back there, and would even consider reporting them to the Better Business Bureau. It was their employees that told you to buy those fish, so due to their bad advice, I guess they want the fish to suffer, that makes no sense, any reputable fish store would take them back.

 

The "expertise" of pet stores it what gets most of us wound up...it's not your fault because you should trust a seller of whatever you are purchasing. Unfortunately, these species do not and cannot live together. I'm glad that you checked in with Fishlore...we all want what is best for the hobby - for the passion of fishkeeping. Don't be intimidated: we have ALL been at square one. Now that you're here, we can tell you what we've endured so that you won't have to. Flushing a pleco seems extreme, but truthfully, if it means jeopardizing your entire tank, it is a lesson to be learned. Hopefully you can list him as a free to good home on Craigslist or local paper. Two weeks won't be a crisis, but surely soon you will have to think of immediate future. Godspeed! We are with you!

 

I know that rainbow sharks can't be with neons for sure.

Sorry about your losses, I lost one neon in the cycling of my tank. My advice is to research and listen to what people on here have to say.

 

I plan on getting an angelfish and cannot have neons so I got Harliquin Rasbora they're colorful but bigger than neons