2 Year Tropical/Freshwater owner.

[Stigmata]

I have 3 Black/White Skirt Tetras in 10gal. tank that is pretty squared away with set heater, Fluval filter. I've had 2 litters, by accident & I've cured the usual red irritations Tetras get.
My other tank is a 50gal. with 4 Common Goldfish ranging from 3" to 7", and a Spotted Pleco that is a foot long. The 50gal. is new and I'm having trouble keeping it clear. Is my 50gal. too small for the fish I have? I rescued 3 of the goldfish off a parking block behind an apartment building. I have a Penn Plax Cascade 400 internal & a Whisper Flow H.O.B. combination for filters. I'm going to add another internal filter, most likely a Fluval. I've just started the 50gal. from a 20gal. after learning I've been literally cramping their lifestyles. The Pleco makes one Hell of a mess to kick up food after feeding!! I could use suggestions please!

[jgranata13]

The 50 is WAY too small for all those fish. IMO I don't even think ONE of those fish should be kept in a tank that size. However, if you post this in the Coldwater subforum, you may get some more replies.

[Stigmata]

I rescued 3 of the fish off a parking block on the way home from store. How many of them should I try to have adopted. They're huge and super healthy. Let me know if seeing a picture would help. I'll check the forum you referenced, and thanx!

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[jgranata13]

Honestly, I would say all the gold fish need to go, especially if they're common gold fish and not fancy gold fish. I think common gold fish need ponds

[Stigmata]

I live in Long Beach, Ca. Sorry for all the questions, but I'm really trying my best to care for these fish. I should just keep the 12" Spotted Pleco in the 50 gal. tank?

[jgranata13]

I'm not really sure about that one, but I personally would rehome it as well.

[jwh0818]

No you can keep 2 goldfish but I would remove 2 and the common pleco

[Stigmata]

jwh0818, Thank you. I was beginning to feel helpless. How much Aquarium space is the norm for a 5" to12" fish?

[jwh0818]

Well there is no "norm" per say. When thinking about fish you need to think hard about-
*adult size
*bio-load
*aggresion needs

After this you can take into account the tank size for instance, can a 1"goldfish be kept in the same size tank as a 1" neon tetra? No. Because,

Goldfish are cold water fish, they have massive bioloads (they poop and eat tons) and they grow very big.

Neon tetras are tropical fish, they have a tiny bioload, and they need to be kept in groups of 5+ to feel safe and less stressed.

For the fish you have I recommend atleast a 125g tank because common plecos grow massive. 18+" and each goldfish is gonna reach 12" minimum if they are feeders or common goldfish.

Can you take a pic of the ones you have? What kind of goldfish are they?

[Stigmata]

Should I post the pics to my profile?

[jwh0818]

You can or just post them here. I dont know if your on the computer or the app

[Stigmata]

Here is the pic. Amonia is still high, so I've been doing 20% water changes every 2 days.

[jwh0818]

Whats the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates?
What filtration is on there?

[Stigmata]

Penn plax cascade 400 and Whisper Flow H.O.B. for now. I'm going to get a Fluval internal to add to it I think.

[jwh0818]

Whats the parameters?