Frequent Aquarium Questions

• I have a 2.5 gallon tank with 8 goldfish. They seem to be VERY active.. is this normal? They zoom from one side of the tank to the other constantly.
  
  
• I am quite the novice when it comes to aquariums. I just moved my 5 small African cichlids from a 10 gallon tank to a 30 gallon tank. After a week and a half of getting the tank up and running, I added another cichlid. However, this was one of those large cichilds. Three days after adding him, my two bumblebee cichlids died, two days later, my two electric yellow cichlids died. I have removed the large cichlid and placed him in the 10 gallon tank to stop my last small cichlid and my one algae eater from dying. What should I do in order to save my fish and make the 30 gallon tank suitable for future fish? Was it my large cichlid that killed my four smaller cichilds?
  
  
• How many 4 to 5 inch (adult size) Tanganyikan cichlids can I keep in a 72 gallon bowfront aquarium?
  
  
• I am beginning a salt water aquariums soon, it is a 55. I wondered if it would be a good idea to keep 2 clownfish and two anemones in this tank. This is all I intend to keep. Is this safe?
  
  
• I just started a 29 gallon tank with 2 Jack Demsey's and one firemouth all are 2 inch long.One of my jack is nipping at the other jack and the firemouth Is this going to turn into a problem?
  
  
• can you put two red devils together in the same tank, if this is the only two fish in the aquarium ?
  
  
• How many and what types of fish would you reccommend to start my 110 gallon freshwater community tank?
  
  
• About how many fish can be kept in a 46 gallon saltwater tank?
  
  
• What kind of fish can I put in my five gallon tank?
  
  
• I bought 4 baby goldfish, now they are 9 month old,one of them is totally different from the others (been told is a koi), anyhow he has been nipping at the other fish eating their fins and tails, one of them die; (the koi gets very vicious sometimes) should i separate them?. I thought they were hungry so start feeding them everyday, but the awater is always brownish, I got some snails and suckers to help clean the tank, I also have 2 jabbies in the tank (200lt tank) please advice how to keep water clear and clean
  
  

• I have a 2.5 gallon tank with 8 goldfish. They seem to be VERY active.. is this normal? They zoom from one side of the tank to the other constantly.
  
  You have seven too many fish in your tank and they are very stressed. One goldfish per five gallons is the rule for fish/aquarium with goldfish. You should consider taking them all back and getting two small tropical fish for that mini aquarium (which is really just a fish bowl with a filter).
  
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• I am quite the novice when it comes to aquariums. I just moved my 5 small African cichlids from a 10 gallon tank to a 30 gallon tank. After a week and a half of getting the tank up and running, I added another cichlid. However, this was one of those large cichilds. Three days after adding him, my two bumblebee cichlids died, two days later, my two electric yellow cichlids died. I have removed the large cichlid and placed him in the 10 gallon tank to stop my last small cichlid and my one algae eater from dying. What should I do in order to save my fish and make the 30 gallon tank suitable for future fish? Was it my large cichlid that killed my four smaller cichilds?
  
  There are a few possible causes for your sudden fish loss. This is not an exhaustive list by any means: -- Ten days is not generally long enough for a small system (under 100 gallons) to biologically cycle without some seed matter, and possibly even with seed matter. The "cycle" you may have had to endure when you set up the ten gallon has to run through again in the 30 gallon, and this can take between two weeks and six weeks (testing for Nitrogenous products [Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate] will help you zero in on the steps of the cycle). -- The "large" cichlid could indeed be bullying (or killing) your other fishes. Not knowing what kind of fish the large one is, it is impossible for me to give you any advice apart from this general caution: try to purchase fishes similar in size as their tankmates, and this is especially true of cichlids, although there are some glaring exceptions. -- Also not knowing the appearance or behavior of all the fishes throughout the ordeal, I cannot eliminate the possibility of disease being the culprit. As to what to do now, I would try to give the large cichlid back to the store you got him from. Do a small (25-50%) water change on the 30 gallon, and wait two weeks before adding any fishes to reduce the chances of disease. When you do get more, get ones compatible with your current stock (other small African Cichlids), and then only a few at a time, until you get a full tank (about 10 to 15 fishes with good rock work for habitat, I estimate).
  
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• How many 4 to 5 inch (adult size) Tanganyikan cichlids can I keep in a 72 gallon bowfront aquarium?
  
  There are several methods for determining the maximum stocking level in freshwater aquariums. The most commonly used is the "inch-per-gallon rule". Using this guideline, you could keep one inch of fish length (at their adult size) for each gallon of tank volume. However, it is important to account for space taken up by decorations, plus the cichlids you will be keeping are territorial and will require a bit more "elbow room" than most other fish. With cichlids about 4 to 5 inches long, this would leave you with about ten to twelve fish in your 72 bowfront. Just remember that you can't add them all at once, and to introduce the least aggressive species first.
  
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• I am beginning a salt water aquariums soon, it is a 55. I wondered if it would be a good idea to keep 2 clownfish and two anemones in this tank. This is all I intend to keep. Is this safe?
  
  This combination of animals is indeed safe in that size aquarium. If conditions are right, you may even get your pair to spawn. I will advise, however, that you outfit your aquarium with powerful lighting (at least 3-4 Watts/gallon, for a total of 165 to 220 Watts of full-spectrum lighting), as anemones get a significant portion of their nutrition from the symbiotic algaes that live within their tissue. I would also reccommend about 60 to 75 pounds of quality cured live rock, about 20 pounds of live sand, and a good filtration system (sump, pump, and protein skimmer). You may also need a chiller--depending on your local conditions--as the lights tend to generate quite a bit of heat.
  
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• I just started a 29 gallon tank with 2 Jack Demsey's and one firemouth all are 2 inch long.One of my jack is nipping at the other jack and the firemouth Is this going to turn into a problem?
  
  In a 29 gallon aquarium, housing any one of these fish might be a challenge. Indeed, there are problems, and will continue to be problems. All these fish can grow quite large, and the minimum sized aquarium for all three would more likely range in the 150 to 200 gallon range.
  
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• can you put two red devils together in the same tank, if this is the only two fish in the aquarium ?
  
  If your aquarium is large enough (at least 150 gallons), and you are attempting to mate the fishes, you can indeed keep two (and only two) Red Devils together. The aquarium will need to have a main hideout (which they will likely dig out of the substrate), and plenty of spaces to hide--mainly for the female from the male. If the tank is barren, you will have only one (male) Red Devil before too long.
  
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• How many and what types of fish would you reccommend to start my 110 gallon freshwater community tank?
  
  Try starting with about a dozen small, inexpensive fish. A few good starters for a community tank would include danios, platies, swordtails, Gold Barbs, Black Tetras, Serpae Tetras, and Red Eye Tetras.
  
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• About how many fish can be kept in a 46 gallon saltwater tank?
  
  Three inches per square foot of surface area, but you should build up to that gradually, not add them all at one time. Get a good book!
  
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• What kind of fish can I put in my five gallon tank?
  
  Smaller peaceful community fish. Tetras, platies, small barbs and danios would be good choices.
  
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• I bought 4 baby goldfish, now they are 9 month old,one of them is totally different from the others (been told is a koi), anyhow he has been nipping at the other fish eating their fins and tails, one of them die; (the koi gets very vicious sometimes) should i separate them?. I thought they were hungry so start feeding them everyday, but the awater is always brownish, I got some snails and suckers to help clean the tank, I also have 2 jabbies in the tank (200lt tank) please advice how to keep water clear and clean
  
  Koi and fancy goldfish (or even common ones) are fairly incompatible for the reason you've already noticed. The koi are somewhat more aggressive than their common counterparts. Indeed, separating the fishes is the best course of action. Also, most koi grow very large, so a pond may be in order for this guy. As for water clarity, cutting back on feeding and adding an ultraviolet sterilizer will help tremendously.
  
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