36 inches of fish in a 30 gal

[jbarr]

Do you think that 36 inches of fish is acceptable in a 30 gallon?

It has 2 HOB's, a 30 and a 10, along with an undergravel filter and a growing community of MTS.

It goes like this
1 zebra danio 2 in
2 tiger barbs 4 in
1 rosy barb 2 in
1 sen. bichir 5 in
1 amer. killi 4 in
1 tiger oscar 3 in
1 g.t. cichlid 4 in
1 pleco 6 in
1 columbian shark 6 in
total:

Is that too many fish?

I am upgrading to a 75 gal this x-mas season. Planning on a 90 actually, but a 75 is the smallest I think I'll be getting.

I know that this is probably bad please don't be too harsh, but criticism is expected and accepted.

 

[Jarred Darque]

Yes, it is too much fish, and some of those fish will probably be getting very agreeisve soon..like the oscar and green terror.

Even if you move all the fish to a 90, the oscar is likely to eat most of them eventually.

Senegalus Bichirs often grow kinda slow, and will also eventually become food the the oscar plus the bichir will evenatually eat anything the oscar doesnt if he where to live.

 

[rkilling1]

I would not call the bichir a slow grower. both of mine grew 8" in 6 months. anyways. yes that tank is way too over stocked IMO. and the columbian shark not only should be transfered over to saltwater as it grows, but it, along with many of your fish, will become too large for your tank.

my first community tank I had a columbian shark, 3 bala's, 3 tinfoil barbs, pleco, 4 aus rainbows, 4 tiger barbs, 1 rainbow shark, 2 african knifes, and 1 bichir. all this in a 28 gal tank. sounds pretty close to yours. I wanted everything that grew big and fast. I have learned a lot since then. I ended up having to do water changes almost everyother day just to keep the NO3 level below 100PPM and I am not kidding. I ended up with a 75 gal tank. the tinfoil barbs have been relocated awhile back and the rest are happy now in the 75 and some am I. Weekly PWC suits me fine.

With that much fish load in that small of a tank, if you do not maintain it regularly, or should I say continuously, your fish are going to suffer. (been there done that) you will be much happier if you offload some of the fish or upsize that tank.

sorry, i should have read the upgrading to a 75!!!!!! looks like you and me are one in the same

you will be tempted to add more fish when you get the 75. be very careful or you will end up in the same boat you are in now!

 

[severum mama]

A 75 is a bare minimum for just one adult oscar, but you also have the green terror, which will grow as large as the oscar, and the bichir. A 90 is a little better, but with the same footprint as a 75 it will not give your cichlids any more room to claim territories- the added vertical space won't really matter to them. I don't know enough about the shark to advise there. When your large fish get big enough to eat your small fish, expect it to happen. When they hit sexual maturity, I think the GT will start WW3 in there. They are known for being very aggressive.

IMO a 75 or even a 90 will still not be large enough to keep the fish you have.

 

[jbarr]

:-/ Hm. I should have known that the Green Terror was aptly named. I think I'll transfer the danio and killi into a ten gallon... I'm not sure... I suppose I'll ask my aquarium possesing friends if they'll accept any donations...
If I upgrade my 10gal to a 20gal Long, do you think any of these fish will be better off in there? I would be placing my current 10 gal inhabitants in there, which include 2 female guppies, 3 xenotaca eiseni and some eiseni fry.

Christmas can't come soon enough,
Does anyone know an approximate price difference between a complete 90 and a complete 115-125gal??

 

[clubsuperduty]

a 20 gallon long would be better than the 10 gallon for sure but for the oscar and Green terror I would get a 90 gallon or larger. Preferably a 6 foot tank.

 

[BrianNY]

Upgrading tanks is fun and exciting. If you have room for a 125g, get it. Bargains are usually available as used. Check your local papers, Craigslist, etc.

As rkilling1 discovered, even with massive filtration, an overstocked tank will result in excess nitrates. This is because the end product of the nitrogen cycle is nitrates. The only way to remove NO3 is with pwcs.

All of the healthiest and most successful aquariums I have seen have one thing in common. Stability. They are planned around a centerpeice species and stocked accordingly. Once the stocking goal has been met no new fish are added. Assuming regular maintenance these tanks remain healthy and vibrant for the lifespan of the fish.

The first step towards becoming an experienced aquarist (as opposed to a hobbyist), is research. Avoid buying fish on an impulse. You don't have to own every species at the same time. This will not only save you money, but be less aggravating and more rewarding in the long run.

 

[7Enigma]

As rkilling1 discovered, even with massive filtration, an overstocked tank will result in excess nitrates. This is because the end product of the nitrogen cycle is nitrates. The only way to remove NO3 is with pwcs.

Or massive amounts of plants!

But yes, I would definately decrease the fish number you have in there. A lot of aggressive fish housed together with vastly different growth rates = bad things. I'm actually surprised you don't have ammonia/nitrAte problems right now....a 6" columbian shark is much different than 6 1" danio's!!

 

[triazole]

also, the 'inch per gallon' rule is loosely based on the adult lengths of fish.

 

[jbarr]

UPDATE: So I traded in my two tiger barbs, and found a home for the rosy barb. The danio sadly has been munched, thought he was big enough to make it but I guess shame on me .
So that leaves:
Green terror 4 in
Tiger oscar 3 in
Columbian shark 5 in (re-measured)
Pleco 6 in
Senegal bichir. 5 in
TOTAL: 23 in.

I'm still planning on something >90gal for X-mas.
I'm also still contemplating upgrading my 10g to a 20 long... Do you think that's necesary, I'd prolly only be able to move my bichir into that, if anything.
Anyways, just an update, fyi.

 

[physicsdude]

Well, the one inch per gallon rule is really an archaic measurement. More important is the type of fish you have, their size, and the feeding amounts and number of feedings per day, which ultimately leads to waste.
So, at this moment it seems to me the tank is barely adequate with those sizes. The oscar, pleco, terror and shark will grow quite large, so a bigger tank would seem to be in order. But, it seems you have that base covered already. I would recommened a tank wider than taller, as it would give some nice turning room for your fish as they grow and get larger. But, thats all my two cents. I hope I help you!