36 gallon tank

[nicolecandy44]

I have a 36 gallon tank that currently has 17 fish in it:
3 balloon mollies
3 guppies
2 skirt Tetras
2 neon Tetras
2 serpae red Tetras
1 angel
1 glofish
1 pleco
1 red platy
1 algae eater
I`m probably a bit overstocked but I want to get my Tetris into larger schools...any ideas

 

[daileene]

all the tetras will really thrive in schools of 5 or more...I am not sure if you are overstock yet. more experts can tell you.

 

[nicolecandy44]

Really? Do you think I could get 3 more of each tetra and still stay in stock?

 

[daileene]

i think you still can get 3 of each and still be okay.

 

[BakerBoy17]

What kind of pleco? And what kind of algae eater?

 

[bruinsbro1997]

I think you should just get rid of some of the schools you don't really like and just fill the schools you do.

 

[absolutangel04]

Really? Do you think I could get 3 more of each tetra and still stay in stock?

That must be a very busy tank! There are some issues though. You already know that the tetras would do better in bigger schools. The glofish, serpaes, neons and skirts would do better in schools of 6. If I were you, I would re-home the neons and guppies since the angel has a decent chance of eating them someday. That would give you more space to fill out your other schools. Skirt tetras do get decently sized since they are disk shaped, so they take up more tank space than a long skinny tetra. If you want to keep them all and hope for the best with the angel, go ahead though.
What gender ratio do you have for the mollies and guppies? Also, what type of pleco and what type of algae eater? Common plecos are most commonly sold, but they grow over a foot long.

 

[nicolecandy44]

I'm pretty sure I have a common pleco, and just a regular algae eater. I plan to get a bigger tank before my pleco grows to be over a foot long . The gender ratio I have is 1 male to 2 females for mollies and guppies. Btw I got 3 more neon tetras last night, a skirt tetra and a serpae red tetra.

 

[redsea]

GloFish also need to be in schools too

 

[Chronos313]

I would trade the angel and black skirts for more of your other tetras and maybe a German ram or 2

 

[BakerBoy17]

Well first thing you should pick the two schools you like the most.

 

[absolutangel04]

I'm pretty sure I have a common pleco, and just a regular algae eater. I plan to get a bigger tank before my pleco grows to be over a foot long . The gender ratio I have is 1 male to 2 females for mollies and guppies. Btw I got 3 more neon tetras last night, a skirt tetra and a serpae red tetra.

Thats a good start, but I agree with seeking health you need to pick a few schools that you like first. All those species occupy the same level of the tank, so that limits your ability to add more. Good that you have the right gender ratios for your livebearers.
Also, there is no such thing as a just a regular aglae eater. Is it maybe a chinese algae eater or a Siamese aglae eater? And you probably already know this, but just a note, the common pleco will need a 125 gallon tank.

 

[nicolecandy44]

I did some research: I have a Chinese algae eater. :] and I do thinkIng will upgrade to a larger tank before the pleco is fully sized.

 

[absolutangel04]

I did some research: I have a Chinese algae eater. :] and I do thinkIng will upgrade to a larger tank before the pleco is fully sized.

Ok, well, that I have to tell you that you should strongly consider re-homing the CAE in my opinion. They get decently sized and turn very aggressive. They get territorial and then usually start to suck the slime off your other fish giving them sometimes dangerous injuries. As soon as they get any size on the, they will quit eating algae anyway and scavenge flakes off the bottom. Not to be harsh, just telling you. My first algae eater was also a CAE and I wish I had known what would happen earlier.
Also, the common pleco will need a 125 gallon tank. That is quite the upgrade! But, if you re-home him, there are planty of other smaller algae eaters that would be more suitable for the tank you have now if you are unable to upgrade. Also, the commom pleco is a very messy species with a huge bioload, so hving him in there decreases the amount of other fish you can put in there.
Sorry. Just giving you the info.

 

[nicolecandy44]

I have started to notice that the algae eater chases after my red tetras...

 

[nicolecandy44]

I have started to notice the algae eating chasing after my platy and red tetras.

 

[absolutangel04]

I have started to notice the algae eating chasing after my platy and red tetras.

Yeah, I am not a big fan of them after owning them. If you can re-home him, your other fish would thank you. PetCo will take in fish as adoptions and many lfs will accept fish too (sometimes for in-store credit).