Hello!

[Liopleurodon]

Hi,

I'm fairly new to fishkeeping, I've had my big tank since March and my smaller tank since June. I'm really enjoying it and want someday to get a big tank and some Oscars.

I have a 20 gallon tank with two really aggressive and fast growing angelfish, and really active pleco named Chuben, a chill little red tail shark and one very tough orange guppy. I also have a 3 gallon tank with the remaining neon tetras and tiger barbs that Wanda and Pietro (the mean angelfish) didn't kill. They got all the guppies but one, but when I moved him into the little tank that I got for the tetras, he was so aggressive, I tossed him back in with the angels and he's fine in there - even though I feel sort of bad for him. He stays near the top the tank alot.

I got the tank for my kids and it caused a lot of sibling infighting when the angels that belonged to one kid started killing the school of neons so I got the second little tank.

My favorite is Chuben the pleco - he probably is the reason I didn't notice the attrition at first - I've never yet found a dead fish in my tank. He also grew pretty fast - he's at least 6 inches now. The two angels started out barely the size of quarters but they are both pretty big now - the one has to be at least four inches "tall". I'm trying to decide if I should add some fish to my bigger tank, but I really don't want to the angels to keep killing new tank mates. The only one thats been ok is the little red tail shark so for now I've just left well enough alone.

 

[SpaceFish42]

Welcome to AA! I noticed that your tanks seem small for the species you have. Is it temporary?

 

[Liopleurodon]

I didn't expect them to grow so fast! I do want a bigger tank and was thinking that in a few YEARS, but the pleco has grown alot. When I first got the tank, I got 6 little fancy guppies to cycle the tank. They did great. After a few weeks, I went to the store with my kids and asked for help in populating the tank the rest of the way. I knew I wanted a pleco and wanted my kids to each pick out something. One got two tiny angles, one got five little neons and I got a little Pleco. The guy at the store said that in a few years, I might need to separate the neons and the angels but that they would be fine for now.

In june, my tank population dropped quickly - the guppies and the tetras decreased dramitically in a few weeks. I called the fish store and the guys were like "well, how big are your angels now, like an inch and half? When I told them how big they were and how big the Pleco was, they were surprised at how fast they all grew.


(does that mean I'm doing a good job taking care of them? does it mean that they didn't know what they were selling me? I was pretty clear about what I had.)

I got the little tank for the tetras - it was dumb, but my son was upset that "Anchovy and the crew" were getting eaten and didn't know that I had to buy 4 new tetras because only ONE was left by then.

I got some tiger barbs and a red tailed shark. The barbs didn't make it, but the "shark" is doing well.

So, yes, no, I don't know if its temporary. I didn't think they would get this big, but I only have the pleco, the angels, the shark (which is small) and that one lonely guppy in the 20 gallon. Does that seem like alot? I thought I knew what I was doing at first, but now, I feel like a dumb noob since I'm realizing I don't even know how fast they were suposed to grow.

 

[Liopleurodon]

the little tank has 5 tetras and the one barb that didn't get eaten. I'm not even sure what Im doing with that one. That was a "oh no! kid is sad! must fix!" decision and now its like "well, crap, now I'm stuck with it...."

 

[SpaceFish42]

Well, everyone starts somewhere! That's the whole purpose of AA.

 

[sinibotia]

A 20 gallon is too small for any of those individual fish when they are full grown. The person at the fish store misled you- angelfish are fast growers. My wife and I have had one since last november when he was the size of a nickel- he's now close to the size of the palm of my hand.

If your pleco is a common pleco, it'll get bigger than your tank is wide, and need at least a 120 gallon tank.

Red tailed sharks get around 6" and need at least a 40 gallon tank.

Sorry that you got misled by the fish store- I've been there before.

 

[melosu58]

Welcome aboard. We are glad you found us here at AA.