have i jumped the gun?

[goodogcarl]

i had my 75-gallon aquarium set up on august 27 . . . a few days later i bought my first fish: three red-tailed sharks (in the meantime one of them has been hounded to death by another). yesterday i just couldn't wait anymore and bought three little rainbow sharks and two gouramis . . . have i done a disservice to my fish by adding more fish than my tank can support?

 

[BBradbury]

Jumped The Gun

i had my 75-gallon aquarium set up on august 27 . . . a few days later i bought my first fish: three red-tailed sharks (in the meantime one of them has been hounded to death by another). yesterday i just couldn't wait anymore and bought three little rainbow sharks and two gouramis . . . have i done a disservice to my fish by adding more fish than my tank can support?

Hello good...

I don't think you made a mistake. Just carefully monitor the water chemistry for ammonia and nitrites, test the water daily. If your testing shows a trace of either of these pollutants, then remove and replace a minimum of 25 percent of the tank's water. Don't put any more fish into the tank, though. 75 gallons is a lot of water and it will help dilute the waste the fish produce.

Also, get some floating plants into the tank. Anacharis, Pennywort, Water sprite and Water wisteria are some good ones. They'll help filter the water by removing some of the waste.

Just a couple of thoughts.

B

 

[Cichlid Kid]

Did you cycle the aquarium? If so do you know the parameters? Rts are highly territorial especially to their own kind and other minnows so putting all of those redtails and rainbows together even in a large aquarium will cause issues imo.

 

[Sharkbait54]

Did you cycle the aquarium? If so do you know the parameters? Rts are highly territorial especially to their own kind and other minnows so putting all of those redtails and rainbows together even in a large aquarium will cause issues imo.

Agreed I think you should get rid of all the sharks but one!

 

[tamtam]

i had my 75-gallon aquarium set up on august 27 . . . a few days later i bought my first fish: three red-tailed sharks (in the meantime one of them has been hounded to death by another). yesterday i just couldn't wait anymore and bought three little rainbow sharks and two gouramis . . . have i done a disservice to my fish by adding more fish than my tank can support?

as far as water quality goes I don't think you will have a problem. Just watch your levels and do changes as needed.

Though I think your stock may pose problems. I would be surprised if you managed those sharks in that tank long term. RTBS are pretty nasty guys as you've experiences with yours. I probably wouldn't try having more than 1 in your tank as they will only become more aggressive as they mature. I'd also bet the rainbows are going to face troubles as well. Though they are more peaceful than the RTBS you have a lot of sharks in that tank and I can't see that ending well.

What is the decor like in your tank? If you don't already I would have a lot of cover. Plants, rocks, driftwood, anything you can use to break up the sight lines around the tank and also give your sharks places to claim as their own so they will be less likely to fight over territory. Again this may not solve or prevent aggression but it certainly won't hurt.

 

[goodogcarl]

then i may have jumped the gun insofar as testing the water is concerned. i haven't received my water testing kit from amazon yet . . . i thought for sure it would be here by now. maybe it'll arrive today. when i replace the 25 gallons or so (is that 25% of 75?) do i use conditioned tap water? does it need to sit overnight or anything? (i also have a book wending it's way towards me -- i could sure use on)

many thanks for your advice

 

[tamtam]

then i may have jumped the gun insofar as testing the water is concerned. i haven't received my water testing kit from amazon yet . . . i thought for sure it would be here by now. maybe it'll arrive today. when i replace the 25 gallons or so (is that 25% of 75?) do i use conditioned tap water? does it need to sit overnight or anything? (i also have a book wending it's way towards me -- i could sure use on)

many thanks for your advice

25% of 75 gallons is 33-35% ish. You want to use conditioned tap water and it doesn't need to sit over night. Just add your conditioner and you are good to go. If you are using a water changer then you want to dose conditioner directly to your tank for the whole volume of the tank, not just what you removed. If you are using buckets than you can dose the water before you add it to the tank for the amount you removed.. The reason for dosing the whole tank when adding water directly to it is so that with dispersion through the volume of the tank you are sure that all of your new water is being treated.

 

[goodogcarl]

how does one "get rid" of a fish(es)?

the guy who set up my aquarium said that while they may bicker i might get lucky . . . he's coming back next week to help me with my first cleaning . . . i'll see what he thinks . . . hopefully it won't look like the killing fields by the time he gets there.

 

[tamtam]

also there are a ton of great articles in the article section here. Just look at the top of the page for the tab. Tons of info on starting an aquarium, fish in cycling and plant and fish profiles too.

 

[goodogcarl]

"water changer?"

 

[tamtam]

how does one "get rid" of a fish(es)?

the guy who set up my aquarium said that while they may bicker i might get lucky . . . he's coming back next week to help me with my first cleaning . . . i'll see what he thinks . . . hopefully it won't look like the killing fields by the time he gets there.

Where did you get them? Often pet stores will take returns and allow you to use credit towards something more suitable. Or you could try selling them on something like craigslist. Worst case most stores will take a donation of a fish but you will loose out on the money. It's always best to do a lot of research before adding a fish to your tank. Getting personal experiences and learning the fishes needs and behavior. Many pet store employees aren;t the most knowledgeable when it comes to these things and give poor/incorrect info

 

[goodogcarl]

i'll be spending a lot of time in the articles section in the next several days.

you've been a big help . . . thanks so much.

there sure are a lot of plates to keep spinning in aquarium keeping, isn't there?

 

[tamtam]

"water changer?"

It's a long siphon you can attach to your tap to run water directly from the tap to the tank. Like a hose, but can also be used to empty the tank and clean the gravel. Very helpful when dealing with larger tanks.

 

[tamtam]

i'll be spending a lot of time in the articles section in the next several days.

you've been a big help . . . thanks so much.

there sure are a lot of plates to keep spinning in aquarium keeping, isn't there?

Yes very much. LOL. Sadly most people think it's as easy as adding fish to water but it's really not. I know the first time I read an article on cycling a tank I went cross eyed and wondered what on earth I was getting myself into. Before you know it though you will be hooked.