60L Stocking?

[Eagle_133]

I wanted to check that my tank isn't overstocked....

I currently have:

2x Golden Gouramis
4x Mollies
5x Neon Tetras
2x Angels
1x Betta

I am aware that I will in time require a bigger tank but is this good for now?

The Angels are only babies also. I do partial water changes every week due to the bio load.

 

[siva]

Hello, I hate to bring you bad news but it is quite terribly overstocked. Your tank is 15 US gallons. Gold gouramis need something like a 55 gal and mollies and angels each need a 29+ gal. Bettas and neons are the only fish you have that can thrive in a tank this size. You would need a tank about 4x the the size of your current tank to house all of these fish properly, and even then as they mature you may end up with problems between the notoriously aggressive gold gouramis and your angels. I can't imagine the filtration you have on there can possibly keep up the bioload of these fish. If the angels are still very small it may be fine to grow them out in there for a bit, depending on the height of the tank, but I think the mollies and gouramis should be removed right away.

 

[Eagle_133]

Oh no, they all seem very happy and have no problems currently. What size tank would you recommend for my current stock? I wish my LFS would've told me this when I purchased them until I obtain a new tank, what kind of things should I look out for?

Thanks for the reply.

 

[siva]

I'm sorry. Something around a 220L should be good. Still though, if those angels end up pairing up, I don't think they will be able to share the tank with the gouramis. I probably wouldn't keep a betta with a breeding pair of angels either.

Do you have a test kit? You want your readings to consistently be 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and 20ppm or less nitrate.

Gold gouramis and mollies can grow to a nice thick 5", and angels around 5" long and 8" tall, so you can see how a tank this size just can't accomodate them. If you keep fish for too long in an environment significantly too small for them, they can become stunted (internal damage), or even more likely, poisoned by a build up of toxins in the water.

Your LFS is in the business of selling fish, and many don't seem to want to turn sales away by informing the customer they are overstocking their tank or purchasing fish too large for their tank. As a general practice going forward, I recommend you research any fish you are interested in before purchasing, and double check here on the forum with other hobbyists for their opinions on minimum tank size for a certain species and just how much stock will work in your tank.

 

[Eagle_133]

A lesson is certainly learnt here. None of the fish are currently more than around 1.5 inches apart from one Gourami that is around 2.5 inches. The last thing I want is to damage the fish or stunt their growth. I will look into buying a bigger tank. For now, how frequent do you recommend I do partial water changes? The water readings are absolutely fine at the moment.

Thanks again for the advice!

 

[jondamon]

For now, how frequent do you recommend I do partial water changes?

The water readings are absolutely fine at the moment.!

It all depends what absolutely fine readings means?

Are you using testing strips?

Are you using liquid tests?

How long have you had this tank running?

What are the exact parameters of your testing?

Ammonia

Nitrite

Nitrate



Jon

 

[siva]

Jon brings up a good point. Depending on the age of the tank, it may not have cycled yet. If you're not familiar with the aquarium nitrogen cycle, here's a helpful link: The Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle. Also be sure to use a liquid test kit and not test strips, which are notoriously inaccurate.

It's hard to say exactly what water change schedule to keep with your stock situation. Your best bet is to test a couple times a week(that is assuming the tank is already cycled). A regular weekly 50% water change may be enough at this time, but more may be required to keep the parameters in check.

My pleasure, happy to help.

 

[Eagle_133]

Sorry for the late reply but I did get very worried after the responses. I have since invested in an API master kit along with ammonia remover on the day you guys replied. The ammonia was at 3.0. After doing water changes (30%), using ammonia remover and siphon cleaning every few days I have the following readings.....

Ammonia 0.25 (which have been like that since I started the above)
Nitrate 0
Nitrite 0
PH 6.4

The community are all happy, no problems at all. My only concern is the PH, I don't believe this will cause any issues even though it's slightly below what it should be, right?

 

[Eagle_133]

Just so you know I started all the above the day I received your replies so I didn't ignore the advice.