Some Basic Questions From a Newbie

[john_hosier1984]

Good afternoon,

I have a 30g tank with 3 goldfish and 1 rubberlip pleco. I am running an Aqueon Quietflow 55 and a MarineLand Penguin 150. So I have filtration for about 85 gallons worth of tank. My questions are as follows

1) In following the recommendations of my local store, have I overstocked my tank? I am seeing conflicting information in this regard

2) Can I run just activated carbon in one of those 2 filters? The Marineland has the bio wheel.

3) I have had the tank about 3-4 months and am now experiencing cloudy water (white in color). I do a weekly water change of about 30%. Am I experiencing a second bacteria bloom? This didn't start until I added the 3rd goldfish. My ammonia is high, about 2.0 ppm and my nitrates are also high, about 80 ppm, but I believe this is a direct result of the high ammonia.

4) If this is not a bacteria bloom, what else could it be, and how can I clear up my tank?

 

[GodFan]

Good afternoon,

I have a 30g tank with 3 goldfish and 1 rubberlip pleco. I am running an Aqueon Quietflow 55 and a MarineLand Penguin 150. So I have filtration for about 85 gallons worth of tank. My questions are as follows

1) In following the recommendations of my local store, have I overstocked my tank? I am seeing conflicting information in this regard

2) Can I run just activated carbon in one of those 2 filters? The Marineland has the bio wheel.

3) I have had the tank about 3-4 months and am now experiencing cloudy water (white in color). I do a weekly water change of about 30%. Am I experiencing a second bacteria bloom? This didn't start until I added the 3rd goldfish. My ammonia is high, about 2.0 ppm and my nitrates are also high, about 80 ppm, but I believe this is a direct result of the high ammonia.

4) If this is not a bacteria bloom, what else could it be, and how can I clear up my tank?

Oh boy. Well first off dont listen to that LFS. 3 goldfish in that tank is bad! That tank is stocked with 1 goldfish. Also the goldfish and pleco need different temp water.
You need to change your water asap. Ammonia should never exceed .25 ppm and nitrate should stau below 40. Your tank is going through a mini cycle right now.
You really need to rehome all of the fish except 1 goldfish or if you want tropical all but the pleco.

 

[Thumper828]

Godfan is right. You know,you would think a LFS would be just a little more knowledgeable. I think they just want your $

 

[john_hosier1984]

While I work on finding new homes for some of these fish, what can I do to help keep the ammonia levels down? I have started doing a 10-15 % change every other day. I don't want to kill the fish, but it will take me a little while to find a new home for them.

 

[GodFan]

While I work on finding new homes for some of these fish, what can I do to help keep the ammonia levels down? I have started doing a 10-15 % change every other day. I don't want to kill the fish, but it will take me a little while to find a new home for them.

Do a 75% water change and dose with prime. I have heard prime can take care of 8ppm of ammonia.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

How large are these goldfish? And what kinds are they? 3 fancy goldfish in a 30g is over stocked by one fish assuming they are very large goldfish. Have you been messing with the filters at all? Cleaned them or changed them? Is the water milky/white or greenish? Put some in a white cup to check. Also, how old is this tank?

 

[john_hosier1984]

They are 3 fancy goldfish. 1 is a comet, the other 2 are ryunkins. The comet and 1 of the ryunkins are what I would consider medium sized, about a 3 inch comet, not counting the tail, and about 3 or so inches on the 1 ryunkin. The other ryunkin is about 1.5 inches. The rubberlip is probably close to 2 inches now.

I would like to keep as many fish as I can in my tank. I was pretty sure I was peaked with the goldfish, what other options would I have to keep a relatively high number of fish without overstocking? My eventual goal is to move to a larger tank, but that is a ways off.

I am working to rehome the goldfish, and I think the non chain LFS will help me with that.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

They are 3 fancy goldfish. 1 is a comet, the other 2 are ryunkins. The comet and 1 of the ryunkins are what I would consider medium sized, about a 3 inch comet, not counting the tail, and about 3 or so inches on the 1 ryunkin. The other ryunkin is about 1.5 inches. The rubberlip is probably close to 2 inches now.

I would like to keep as many fish as I can in my tank. I was pretty sure I was peaked with the goldfish, what other options would I have to keep a relatively high number of fish without overstocking? My eventual goal is to move to a larger tank, but that is a ways off.

I am working to rehome the goldfish, and I think the non chain LFS will help me with that.

Thanks. The ryunkins are fancy goldfish the comet is a pond fish. The general rule of thumb for stocking fancy goldfish is 20g for the first fish and 10g for each after. For pond fish you need much more room because of their eventual size. At their size now I would not call the tank over stocked but eventually the comet will become too large and will need to be rehomed. The pleco could cause some issues. They have been known to latch onto the sides of goldfish and cause injury. If you're looking at keeping higher numbers of fish then I would suggest switching to smaller tropical fish.

 

[john_hosier1984]

Thank you for the advice. I will work with the non chain store to rehouse the comet asap. So far I have not had any trouble with the rubberlip, he likes to hang out in the cave mostly. I will keep a close eye on that.

What kind of tropical fish would you suggest?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

I would suggest going down to your LFS and taking a look at the fish. Jot down the names of any of the fish that take your fancy and then go home and research them. Not every fish gets along or has the same requirements as another so careful consideration need to be taken when planning a stock list.

 

[mistersprinkles]

Remember, if you plan to go tropical, you will need a heater!

You'll enjoy tropical fishkeeping more than goldfish keeping in all likelihood. More interesting personalities, more interesting behaviors, the high probability of offspring with some species, etc.

Mumma.Of.Two. Had a good suggestion. Don't ask the pet shop, ask us, based on what they have available and what you like, what would be compatible and how many of each fish to add.

 

[john_hosier1984]

So I have looked at tropical fish and have listed below what I like. I was able to go to the non chain fish store and they are rehoming my goldfish. I have just a rubberlip pleco in the tank now. I went out and purchased a heater as well. I would like to get a few schools of fish if possible and maybe a single fish that would be like the "centerpiece". Below are the fish I like. Please give any suggestions you can about what works together and how many of each I can buy.

Sunset fire wag platy
Bumblebee platy
Red wag platy
Zebra danio
Cobra guppy
Rainbow shark
Bala Shark

Are any of these compatible and if so, how many can I buy?

I greatly appreciate all of the assistance you all have given me.

As a recap, I have a 30g tank with an Aqueon Quietflow 50 and a Marineland Peguin 150. The heater was purchased today and has already got the tank up to temp. Only fish in the tank is a 1.5, maybe 2 in rubberlip pleco.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

So I have looked at tropical fish and have listed below what I like. I was able to go to the non chain fish store and they are rehoming my goldfish. I have just a rubberlip pleco in the tank now. I went out and purchased a heater as well. I would like to get a few schools of fish if possible and maybe a single fish that would be like the "centerpiece". Below are the fish I like. Please give any suggestions you can about what works together and how many of each I can buy. Sunset fire wag platy Bumblebee platy Red wag platy Zebra danio Cobra guppy Rainbow shark Bala Shark Are any of these compatible and if so, how many can I buy? I greatly appreciate all of the assistance you all have given me. As a recap, I have a 30g tank with an Aqueon Quietflow 50 and a Marineland Peguin 150. The heater was purchased today and has already got the tank up to temp. Only fish in the tank is a 1.5, maybe 2 in rubberlip pleco.

The patys, danios and guppies are a good choice and are all able to be stocked together. The rainbow shark requires a larger tank of 55g+ and the bala requires a school of its own kind and a 125g+ tank. If you want fry from the livebearers then you will need to stock more females than males to avoid stress on the females.

 

[Zaphia1]

So I have looked at tropical fish and have listed below what I like. I was able to go to the non chain fish store and they are rehoming my goldfish. I have just a rubberlip pleco in the tank now. I went out and purchased a heater as well. I would like to get a few schools of fish if possible and maybe a single fish that would be like the "centerpiece". Below are the fish I like. Please give any suggestions you can about what works together and how many of each I can buy. Sunset fire wag platy Bumblebee platy Red wag platy Zebra danio Cobra guppy Rainbow shark Bala Shark Are any of these compatible and if so, how many can I buy? I greatly appreciate all of the assistance you all have given me. As a recap, I have a 30g tank with an Aqueon Quietflow 50 and a Marineland Peguin 150. The heater was purchased today and has already got the tank up to temp. Only fish in the tank is a 1.5, maybe 2 in rubberlip pleco.

I would stay away from the sharks if you plan on keeping the 30g for any length of time. They can get pretty big...like 16in big. So unless you plan on upgrading to a large tank close to 100g I would stay away from the sharks. IMO

 

[john_hosier1984]

So I am thinking of this setup, what do you guys think?

1 - Rubberlip Pleco
1 - Rainbow Shark
6 - Zebra Danio
6 - Sunset Fire Wag Platy
4 - Red Wag Platy

 

[Zaphia1]

So I have looked at tropical fish and have listed below what I like. I was able to go to the non chain fish store and they are rehoming my goldfish. I have just a rubberlip pleco in the tank now. I went out and purchased a heater as well. I would like to get a few schools of fish if possible and maybe a single fish that would be like the "centerpiece". Below are the fish I like. Please give any suggestions you can about what works together and how many of each I can buy. Sunset fire wag platy Bumblebee platy Red wag platy Zebra danio Cobra guppy Rainbow shark Bala Shark Are any of these compatible and if so, how many can I buy? I greatly appreciate all of the assistance you all have given me. As a recap, I have a 30g tank with an Aqueon Quietflow 50 and a Marineland Peguin 150. The heater was purchased today and has already got the tank up to temp. Only fish in the tank is a 1.5, maybe 2 in rubberlip pleco.

The platty could be fun, especially since they breed easily and have live birth

 

[john_hosier1984]

In seeing your replies, I will avoid the sharks. Other than those, will the rest of my numbers work?

 

[mistersprinkles]

In seeing your replies, I will avoid the sharks. Other than those, will the rest of my numbers work?

It'll work yes. You could lose the Danios and replace them with a nice angelfish, or a pair of dwarf/honey gouramis.

 

[john_hosier1984]

So I looked back over it and came up with this

1 - Rubberlip
6 - Zebra Danio
6 - Sunset Fire Wag Platy
6 - Cobra Guppy

 

[mistersprinkles]

So I looked back over it and came up with this

1 - Rubberlip
6 - Zebra Danio
6 - Sunset Fire Wag Platy
6 - Cobra Guppy

That's fine. Keep it to 2 male, 4 female for the platys and guppys.