can these fish get along?

[kyoto tig]

currently i have 1 koi, 2 goldfish, 1 molly, 1 pleco, and 1 minnow... don't have high hopes for the minnow (it was meant to be a feeder fish, really, but it managed to survive a turtle tank), since the koi's already been harassing it.

my husband wants to get glofish, a red clawed crab, silver dollar fish and damsels. they will all be in a 55 gallon which we're working on building up for the fish right now. i just want to make sure all of the fishies can get along with each other before we commit to anything.

 

[Aquarium1]

woah, that is pretty overstocked as it is. A koi needs a pond, and depending on the goldfish, they might actually need one too. Also depending on the species of pleco, it might need a larger tank. Do you have any pictures of them so we can help you ID them?

 

[kyoto tig]

they are comet tail goldfish, this is the best picture i can get of the koi for now, i'm waiting 'til the tank's set up to take more.

the boy bought me the koi, i was rather surprised at the purchase! but currently the koi is the largest, at about 4" and the pleco... i do not have any pictures of him. he is black spotted, about 2½"

 

[Aquarium1]

For some reason I can't see the pic, but comets need ponds as well. Once that Koi grows to around 2 feet he could be worth a good $3000 lol. They sound beautiful but to reach their full potential they need a pond. And the pleco could be a common pleco (although without pics theres no way to tell for sure) and they can get like a foot and a half or so.

 

[kyoto tig]

i don't know why the picture's not working =(
the husband says if the koi gets too big we'll sell it.

 

[jsoong]

The koi & the comet are not compatible with any of your proposed tankmates. It really is tricky to mix tropicals & cold water fish like koi & comets. <They have different food requirements for one.> At any rate, the koi & comet will eat any fish that can fit into their mouth. <And you'd be surprised at what a 6" koi can take in ....> So the minnows, molly, glofish, et al will simply be snacks for your koi as it grows .....

You might start looking for a pond now, as the comets & kois are going to exceed 18" within a year or so .... Once you find a home for them, you can plan the 55 as a strictly tropical tank.

 

[JustOneMore20]

I agree with jsoong. You will have options if you go ahead and rehome the Koi and the Goldfish. Also they will grow properly and won't get stunted. Despite the popular belief, fish don't grow to the size of their tank. They get stunted and that will shorten their lifespan. The pleco is most likely a common pleco and those can reach 2ft or greater. Definitely not a good fish for a 55g. But, there are other pleco species out there that stay small and look similar to the Common Pleco. Bristlenose plecos are good algae eaters and good general bottom feeders. They are pretty cool looking too. The pleco is tropical so you might try trading it in to a pet store/fish store in the area. Common Plecos are another one of those fish that really shouldn't be sold in this hobby.

Do you know anyone with a pond where you could put the Koi and Goldfish in there and atleast go visit them/feed them occasionally?

 

[kyoto tig]

i know someone that's building a pond, yes. he hasn't done so yet, though. but i'm sure i could talk him into speeding up the process.

i bought the pleco at petsmart, i have no idea what type he is. but he hasn't grown in the time that i've had him.

eta: i just told the hubby what you said about glofish being snackage for the koi, and he said he decided against getting them. like i said before, don't really have high hopes for the minnow. he was bought as a feeder fish anyway, to be honest i'm surprised he's still alive, he was in a tank with turtles for some time.

but i do have to ask: i've had ghost shrimp in my tank that have a tendency to disappear. do you think it's possible my goldfish were eating them?

 

[Crepe]

Whoever said the koi would eat the smaller fish is utterly wrong. Koi are mostly vegetarian for the most part so expect any plants you have in there to disappear soon. They won't grow too fast in a tank, but once in a pond will literally explode. They are all compatible fish-wise but tank wise you are going to have space problems.

 

[DragonFish71]

Whoever said the koi would eat the smaller fish is utterly wrong. Koi are mostly vegetarian for the most part so expect any plants you have in there to disappear soon. They won't grow too fast in a tank, but once in a pond will literally explode. They are all compatible fish-wise but tank wise you are going to have space problems.

I beg to differ. We have 3 koi in our pond and they have eaten smaller fish. They've munched down on baby comets and rosey reds.

 

[kyoto tig]

i'd rather not take my chances.

 

[Crepe]

I beg to differ. We have 3 koi in our pond and they have eaten smaller fish. They've munched down on baby comets and rosey reds.

I have 2 24" koi in my pond and about 6 comets they've bred and we haven't had any casualties or disappearing small gold fish ever before.

 

[jsoong]

i've had ghost shrimp in my tank that have a tendency to disappear. do you think it's possible my goldfish were eating them?

Shrimps are a goldfish's favorite snack. <instead of buying expensive ghost shrimps, get some salad shrimps, chop em up & feed them ....>

 

[DragonFish71]

I have 2 24" koi in my pond and about 6 comets they've bred and we haven't had any casualties or disappearing small gold fish ever before.

Yours must be the exception then. Ours suck the comet babies right off the surface of the water, hunted smaller roseys and gulped them down. We had to move what was left of the roseys to the lower pond (koi can't go over the waterfall) and any comet fry that survive the feeding frenzy go over the fall and grow in the bottom pond.

 

[kyoto tig]

lol the ghost shrimp were a quarter each, but it is nice to know i won't be finding shrimp corpses when i move the small aquarium. thanks for letting me know!