water changes, gravel vacuum, and what is the best food?

[PoThePleco]

Hello everyone! I have a 45 gallon freshwater tank. It came with 1 common pleco (he is about 1 foot long). I have since added 6 cherry barbs (4 females and 2 males), 2 dwarf gourami's, and my husband impulse got a golden dojo loach, (in retrospect not such a good idea :/ ). So my question is, how often should I vacuum the gravel, and how often/how much should I do water changes? Also what is the best brand/type of food for each kind of fish that I have? Any other advice you might have is welcome as well, as I am feeling somewhat overwhelmed by all of this. Thank you!

 

[ImACoolguy]

Hello everyone! I have a 45 gallon freshwater tank. It came with 1 common pleco (he is about 1 foot long). I have since added 6 cherry barbs (4 females and 2 males), 2 dwarf gourami's, and my husband impulse got a golden dojo loach, (in retrospect not such a good idea :/ ). So my question is, how often should I vacuum the gravel, and how often/how much should I do water changes? Also what is the best brand/type of food for each kind of fish that I have? Any other advice you might have is welcome as well, as I am feeling somewhat overwhelmed by all of this. Thank you!

Welcome.

First of all I would find a new home for the pleco. Common pleco get HUGE and are poop machines. Clown and bristlenose pleco's stay smaller if you want to keep a species of pleco.

Other than that the stock looks fine. Your husband is smart! Dojo loach is my favorite fish I have 2 and love them! So active and are pigs during feeding time.

What size gravel do you have? The dojo loach is scaleless. He will get hurt on gravel with sharp pointed edges. He needs either sand or small round gravel.

Dwarf gourami can be aggressive to their own species if you have more than one in a tank. Be careful and if you see them fighting, you need to rehome one.

I would be doing at the least one 50% water change a week with the pleco. preferred 2-3 of those water changes till you find him a home because he can and will outgrow that tank!

You still have room for more fish once the pleco is gone if you wanted to do another schooling fish

Did you let the tank cycle because adding all of those fish?

Hope this helps


Caleb

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