got my first tropical fish today

[tmdavies]

ok iv finally got some tropical fish, never had tropical before just wanted to ask a few questions
my tank is 63 us gallons.
this is my stocking atm are these all ok together? 2 silver sharks, 2 angel fish, 7 rummy nose, 5 neon tetra, 2 otto's, 1 hillstream loach and 1 bamboo shrimp.
Also my tank is at 25 degrees celsius but it fluctuates from 25.1-25.8 degrees is this to small for the fish to notice?

previously i have been keeping common gold fish in this tank and doing 60% water changes once a week will i still have to do 60% once a week or can i do less now i have tropical?

lastly while my tank was empty of fish i decided to do 100% water change and i dug up all the sand to look for dead roots from plants now my tank is very cloudy (bacterial bloom maybe?) its has been over 24 hours since and is still cloudy but is getting better slowly
thanks everyone

 

[jcolon]

The Silver sharks ... aka Bala Sharks ... really should be in a 125 us Gal tank in all honesty. They can get up to 12+ inches and are VERY active fish. Unfortunately, they are often kept in small tanks at LFS's and employees don't always tell you they really need larger tanks. Also since they are shoaling fish they should be in a group of 3 or more ... another reason for a 125gal.
I wanted a pair when I first started but after seeing a 1 foot long one and then reading up on it ... I knew my 75gal would be too small.

If you can return them, a "shark" that I think would work as a good substitute would either be a Redtail Shark ... or ... if you want more than one ... Denison Barbs ... aka Roseline Sharks. Either the RTS or the Denisons grow to 6 inches max. The RTS can really only have one per tank ... they are VERY territorially aggressive as they mature. With the Denison's 3 would be the minimum to have ... 5 would be a bit better.

Aside from the Bala's and hillstream loach (maybe ok, just not familiar with it) the rest of the stock look fine. Your temp fluctuations should not matter ... it's when you go through 10 degree temp swing like from 72 F to 62 F in one PWC can you get problems. The cloudiness sounds like detritus that inevitable settles between the sand substrate. It should clear up in another day.

Good Luck!

 

[LyndaB]

A redtail shark will eat your smaller species. The tank's a bit too crowded for a shark, in my opinion.

You mention your tank being empty. Did you cycle the tank before you got the tropicals? Or did you just plop all those fish in at the same time once you restarted the tank?

 

[tmdavies]

tank has been cycled for about 5 months, my filters is fluval 305

i shall research the other sharks now

thank you both

 

[abrahamavelar]

also the angels will eventually eat theneons

 

[CleverBs]

Angels will eat the Neons when they are full grown, Cardinal tetras (very similar to neons) are their food in the wild. Some kill them some dont just depends i guess.

 

[jcolon]

If you can return them, a "shark" that I think would work as a good substitute would either be a Redtail Shark ... or ... if you want more than one ... Denison Barbs ... aka Roseline Sharks. Either the RTS or the Denisons grow to 6 inches max. The RTS can really only have one per tank ... they are VERY territorially aggressive as they mature. With the Denison's 3 would be the minimum to have ... 5 would be a bit better.

Oops. Meant to say Rainbow Shark (not as aggressive) .. not Redtail Shark.
A redtail should be in a 75gal minimum ... and then they need plenty of territories set up for them ... caves, plants decor etc. Rainbows are not as bad.

Personally .... I'd say go with the Denison Barbs ... you would NOT be disappointed!!!!!

 

[tmdavies]

thanks everyone looks like ill have to do rethinking about my fish lol can anyone answer my question about the water changes please?

 

[jcolon]

I do between 25% - 33% pwc a week ... so far so good.

 

[abrahamavelar]

when u have planted tank u can do a 50 every week

 

[librarygirl]

Yes water changes are still needed, particularly in a tank with a lot of fish. Fish make waste and there's always uneaten food that should be cleaned up. Also fish use up the minerals in the water so water changes replenish these minerals for the fish. Also depending on how fast nitrates climb you'll want to keep those below 20. So yes water changes weekly, you could do 1 larger (50%) change or two smaller (20-25%) changes. And vacuum the substrate regularly as well. I won't comment on your stocking; the others have covered it well.

 

[NoMoreGoldFish]

If you're gonna do two smaller water changes, I'd recommend changing 30% of the water. Two 30% PWCs = doing a 51% water change, number wise.