How Many Fish Can I Have??

[ZacheryyRayy]

I recently bought a 38 gallon tank and I was given a clown loach, a pleco and 2 kissing gouramis. What else could I add and any tips for taking care of them??

 

[bizaliz3]

Welcome to fishlore!!!

I hate to be the bearer of bad news....but none of those fish are appropriate for a tank that size. The kissing gouarmis get up to a foot in size!

The clown loaches can get as big as a foot too. And belong in groups as they are shoaling fish.

And if the pleco is a common....it can get 18+ inches.

My best advice would be to try and rehome them all and start fresh. Which I know is not the news you want to hear. :-(

 

[Bru]

Yes, sounds like someone gave you fish that I wouldn't even keep in my 100 gallon, like said above I'd try to rehome them and start from scratch. A 38 is a great sized tank to get a community of smaller species going. I'd recommend going to a local fish store over petsmart/petco as they tend to have more variety and healthier fish.

 

[manning7987]

Welcome to fishlore!!!

I hate to be the bearer of bad news....but none of those fish are appropriate for a tank that size. The kissing gouarmis get up to a foot in size!

The clown loaches can get as big as a foot too. And belong in groups as they are shoaling fish.

And if the pleco is a common....it can get 18+ inches.

My best advice would be to try and rehome them all and start fresh. Which I know is not the news you want to hear. :-(

You should only keep fish for the size tank that you have but I have always heard that fish will only grow to the size tank that they are in.

That doesn’t mean you should keep an oscor in a 5 gallon tank.

 

[bizaliz3]

You should only keep fish for the size tank that you have but I have always heard that fish will only grow to the size tank that they are in.

Sure...that is called stunting. And it is not healthy for the fish at all!

 

[manning7987]

Sure...that is called stunting. And it is not healthy for the fish at all!

Like I said only keep what you should.

 

[lilirose]

"Only keep what you should", in the context of this thread, means that a 38 gallon tank is an inappropriate home for two kissing gouramis, a clown loach, and a common pleco. There is not enough room for those fish in that tank- they might fit right now but they need room to grow.

Personally I agree with the recommendation to rehome. Then look into something like parrot cichlids, apistogrammas, kuhli loaches, or a large group of smaller fish, depending on what the tank owner likes.

 

[MissNoodle]

Welcome

Sorry to say, but that is pretty small for the fish you were given. They will outgrow it, or stunt themselves (which affects their health and lifespan) inside.

If you want to keep these ones, upgrade to a suitable size for all of them plus their requirements (example, clown loaches do best in groups--so youd need to buy more and accommodate those into the new tank). A 30 is too small. New proper sized tank, cycle it, move these big guys in use your 30gal for even more fish better suited for a 30

However, you could do a lot with a 30 for other species, depending what you like.

 

[johnbirg]

I work on the principal that if you fill the tank with as many fish as your platinum credit card will buy and there is some room for water which you don't need to change you probably have about the right mix.

 

[Crimson_687]

I work on the principal that if you fill the tank with as many fish as your platinum credit card will buy and there is some room for water which you don't need to change you probably have about the right mix.

That’s a perfect mix to kill all your fish very quick

Once you rehome your current fish, some fish you could consider are small schooling fish. Schooling fish will allow you to observe their schooling behavior, which is often found as relaxing.

Some tetras compatible for 30 gallon: rummy nose, cardinal, neon, green neon, ember.

Some rasbora compatible for 30 gallon: harlequin, lambchop, galaxy, emerald, scissor tail, blue axelrodi

If you want something unique, you can do killifish, just beware they are not always the best option for beginner aquarists, but with good maintenance and a trained eye to tank setting you could make it work.

Some centerpiece fish are small gourami, such as dwarf, opaline, pearl, or honey. If you intend to keep more then one gourami, do honey. Any other type you are better off with only 1. More then that will be territorial, and depending on personality and tank setting separating may be needed

 

[pagoda]

@johnbirg

There are some who might take that advice and run with it....then get into deep trouble with fish passing away, fighting etc

Hopefully you were showing typical Aussie sarcasm.....if not, that was seriously insane advice to give a newby (or anyone else for that matter)

 

[Guppygirl88]

Welcome to fishlore!!!

I hate to be the bearer of bad news....but none of those fish are appropriate for a tank that size. The kissing gouarmis get up to a foot in size!

The clown loaches can get as big as a foot too. And belong in groups as they are shoaling fish.

And if the pleco is a common....it can get 18+ inches.

My best advice would be to try and rehome them all and start fresh. Which I know is not the news you want to hear. :-(

None of the things you cited in your post are going to happen anytime soon or for years, Common plecos can get 18 inches plus but not for years - most of the fish available for sale to the average hobbyist will one day get too big for the tanks they will be put in- but we all can't just keep Bettas - experience has to come from somewhere.

 

[bizaliz3]

None of the things you cited in your post are going to happen anytime soon or for years, Common plecos can get 18 inches plus but not for years - most of the fish available for sale to the average hobbyist will one day get too big for the tanks they will be put in- but we all can't just keep Bettas - experience has to come from somewhere.

I am not the only person on this thread that gave that same exact advice.

I welcomed the new member and then I gave them the bad news that the fish they ended up with will all get very large and aren't really suited for that tank. The OP wanted to know if they can add more fish....but with the stock they ended up with, I don't believe any further fish should be added. Which is why I suggested rehoming them and starting fresh to give them more stocking options. No new hobbyist should have to start with fish that were given to them (not chosen by them) and are not suited for their tank. That's no way to start.

If the OP had googled each of those species, they would have learned that info themselves. If I was a brand new hobbyist and ended up having someone gift me that stock of fish and I came to the forum and asked about their care and what fish I could add with them....I sure hope people would be honest with me about their needs.

@ZacheryyRayy Good luck with your new tank and fish. I wish you the best!

 

[Coradee]

Some posts have been edited or removed.
Rather than responding to each other let’s get back to helping the Op.

 

[Rich johns]

I’ve been keeping fish for many years and while I agree with what the rest of the people on here are saying don’t freak out and get rid of your fish right away if you don’t have to. Depending on their size you may have plenty of time to find them a new home. If you have a local fish store near you that would be the best bet to rehome them. Some of the larger fish chains may take them but the odds of them winding up in the same situation are pretty good. Also a local fish store would be more helpful with helping you pick out the right fish for your aquarium. Best of luck welcome to the crazy Aquarium hobby!

 

[Vibs]

I recently bought a 38 gallon tank and I was given a clown loach, a pleco and 2 kissing gouramis. What else could I add and any tips for taking care of them??

IF THE FISH ARE SMALL IN SIZE..you dont have to rehome any of them right away.. keep the current stock for about a month or two.. like a grow out tank.. but keep changing at least 50 % of the water every three days.. dont worry about how big theyll get right now.. after a month or two pick one fish amongst all if them and give the rest away.. or move them all to a bigger tank.. like a 75 gallon.. which again will have to be replaced by a 125 in about 16 months..

 

[TalulahMae]

Finding a new home after you fish are already huge might be difficult, so I wouldn't wait that long. But like others have said, you don't have to be hasty in finding a new home, as they're not going to balloon in to huge fish overnight.

 

[Ulu]

It is pretty easy to find a an aquarium here, because when people have to move, it's a boat anchor! They get stuck having to sell big ones too cheap.

At our LFS you can buy a 60g with basic stand for under $200+tax new. It drives down the price of used gear & people are just giving away those 30's!

That 30 gallon will make a nice future sump for a 50~150 gal tank. In the mean time any clean plastic garbage bin will make a good DIY sump for the 30 & you'll greatly reduce water changes.

And, yes, change that water frequently! 90% of the folks coming here with sick fish have bad/dirty/unsuitable water and don't know it.

 

[marshall1019]

I recently bought a 38 gallon tank and I was given a clown loach, a pleco and 2 kissing gouramis. What else could I add and any tips for taking care of them??

I

I recently bought a 38 gallon tank and I was given a clown loach, a pleco and 2 kissing gouramis. What else could I add and any tips for taking care of them??

One of the beautiful things available both here and other sites is an aquarium stocking calculator. Its easy to use. You simply enter the size of your tank and filterand then the kinds if fish. It will tell you if what you are doing is okay or not okay. Then if you’ve overstocked, simply donate the ones you cannot keep back to the fish store and buy the right kind of fish. That’s fair to the fish and humane. Make sure if you buy schooling fish you buy at least 5 or more. A happy community tank is much nicer.

 

[RyeBreadNBudda]

You should only keep fish for the size tank that you have but I have always heard that fish will only grow to the size tank that they are in.

So very untrue. This is only considered true because fish die before growing too large for a tank or stop growing out of depression essentially. They will not live to their full potential and will die early. To say fish only grow to the tank size they are in is essentially saying, "fish die when they grow too big for your tank but thats ok cuz they stopped growing"