Thoughts on my 45 gal build

PetSmart special, 45 gallon tall with lid and stand

Fluval/Aqua Clear 50 (realized after reading here that I need more and will be adding a second)

Fake plants/decor throughout with two caves

One 12" air bar with pump for circulation and visible appeal

6 Black Neon Tetras
2 Clown Plecostomus
3 Silver Dollars
5 Tiger Barbs
2 Red Gouramis
2 Bala Sharks
1 Clown Loach
5 Buenos Aires Tetras

Thoughts on combinations? Am I overstocked? Hoping not.

I've been keeping an eye on the water condition using the API Master kit and have learned a lot about filters and filter media from being here as of late. I'm removing the carbon from both filters and have purchased some Seachem Purigen to add to the media stacks in both filters.

Any other suggestions or recommendations?

 

You might have some bullying issues with the barbs because they love picking on others, but your set up looks pretty cool. Is it cycled?

 

I thought about that and have considered adding a couple more as I understand in larger groups they don't bully as much.

I didn't know anything about cycling the tanks until after the fish were in. I'm learning a lot (hopefully not the hard way). I did add some starter bacteria recently to help the cycle. I'll be continuing to watch the water quality. So far I'm at 0 for all three.

 

when did you set it up?

 

Going on three weeks now. I started with the Black Neons for a full week and then added the others. I know that's not the best method after having been reading in here for two weeks now and yet, it is what it is...

 

You're still reading zero on ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates?

 

Bala sharks get huge...like over a foot... and they do best in groups. You really need a tank that's 100+ gallons to house them properly. I think you should rehome them.

I'm pretty sure it's the same for clown loaches. They can get up to a foot as well and also do best in groups...which also requires 100+ gallons.

I'm not sure about the rest so I won't comment on those.

You're tank is gorgeous though!! It's just not stocked properly!

 

PetSmart special, 45 gallon tall with lid and stand

Fluval/Aqua Clear 50 (realized after reading here that I need more and will be adding a second)

Fake plants/decor throughout with two caves

One 12" air bar with pump for circulation and visible appeal

6 Black Neon Tetras
2 Clown Plecostomus
3 Silver Dollars
5 Tiger Barbs
2 Red Gouramis
2 Bala Sharks
1 Clown Loach
5 Buenos Aires Tetras

Thoughts on combinations? Am I overstocked? Hoping not.

I've been keeping an eye on the water condition using the API Master kit and have learned a lot about filters and filter media from being here as of late. I'm removing the carbon from both filters and have purchased some Seachem Purigen to add to the media stacks in both filters.

Any other suggestions or recommendations?

Great looking tank!!

 

If you got the sharks less than a week ago, usually petsmart will take them back with a receipt.

 

Def gonna have aggression issues in that tank... Bit too diverse for a harmonic environment!

Rehome clown loach, they need a minimum of 5 if I'm not mistaken and as previously stated they can get upto 1foot in length.

Gouramis...they can get aggressive, to each other and other fish. From experience I've had

 

So which of the four would be most important to rehome? Sharks, gouramis, clown loach or gouramis? Or all four??

 

The sharks and the clown loach

 

Wow lol, I just realized how small my tank is. I have the same fake wood in my aquarium, and here is it

 

So if I return the sharks and the loach, what would you suggest I add?

 

I think silver dollars get really large too if my memory of reading on here serves me right. Maybe return those? The setup is very nice though. TexasDomer

 

Bala sharks and loaches are not aggressive and take quite a while to get that big. If you are planning to upgrade to a large tank in the future you could keep them in there for a year.

Sometimes Petsmart has some nice stock but they often have things that aren't appropriate for the small tanks they sell.

Gouramis are hit or miss on agression. If they are dwarfs they will not pose much threat to other fish besides their own kind.

 

If they're red honey gouramis, you'll be fine with two. If they're red dwarf gouramis, they're gonna fight. Can you post pics?

And, something is wrong with those test results... There's no way all three are 0. What kind of tests are you using...?

 

I'm using the API Master Kit.I'll post pics of the gouramis tomorrow. I think they are reds, both males on the gouramis.

 

 

Yeah there's no possible way you're reading zero for all three at 3 weeks, even people with tanks running for years rarely will read 0 nitrates. After 3 weeks you should be seeing low-moderate ammonia, spiked (but lowering) nitrites, and moderate nitrates. Make sure you're reading the directions correctly, especially the nitrate bottles, the second bottle MUST be shook for 30 seconds before adding it. Also, both added to the vial MUST be shook vigorously for 1 minute. Be sure to check the expiration on the bottles.

 

Yeah there's no possible way you're reading zero for all three at 3 weeks, even people with tanks running for years rarely will read 0 nitrates. After 3 weeks you should be seeing low-moderate ammonia, spiked (but lowering) nitrites, and moderate nitrates. Make sure you're reading the directions correctly, especially the nitrate bottles, the second bottle MUST be shook for 30 seconds before adding it. Also, both added to the vial MUST be shook vigorously for 1 minute. Be sure to check the expiration on the bottles.

Maybe the OP did a really good job with caring for the water? I've had my tank for a month and it's reading 0 across the board and fish are happily swimming around with a heavy appetite. You also gotta take into consideration that some folks run their water for 6 months and still have bad water that will not support fish. There's no single way that works all the time. I've read countless times that people's water can't support fish after 6 months of following you guys cycling process, yes it's a good method but does it always work? No....

Sorry, just had to let it out because I've noticed a lot of "pros" in here that give information based on mathematical equations that they aren't 100% sure of themselves.

And FYI, I'm new to this forum but not new to fish care, I worked at an LFS about 10 years ago

 

This is science, not opinion. Fish excrete ammonia. Bacteria converts it to nitrite. Another type of bacteria converts it to nitrate. Only a few things remove nitrate: lots (and LOTS) of plants (which can remove any of those three), water changes, and potentially, long-term, anaerobic bacteria in a deep sand or dirt substrate (but that comes with its own risks). Unless the OP is doing 100% water changes prior to testing, they're doing something wrong. No one is attempting to criticize here... We are attempting to help.

 

The Silver Dollars, Clown Loaches, and Bala Sharks need to be rehomed asap. They're all schooling fish and are not suitable for a tank this size for any period of time. One of the Gourami's needs to be rehomed, as it and the other one will eventually fight. You may also have issues with the Tiger Barbs in a group that small - I'd aI'm for at least 8 of them, but would personally only keep two mid-dwelling schools in a tank this size.

 

This is science, not opinion. Fish excrete ammonia. Bacteria converts it to nitrite. Another type of bacteria converts it to nitrate. Only a few things remove nitrate: lots (and LOTS) of plants (which can remove any of those three), water changes, and potentially, long-term, anaerobic bacteria in a deep sand or dirt substrate (but that comes with its own risks). Unless the OP is doing 100% water changes prior to testing, they're doing something wrong. No one is attempting to criticize here... We are attempting to help.

Agreed, at the end of every cycle you should see some amount of nitrates or it's not cycling properly or is a misread. After the cycle it's possible to see zero but he never saw any.