A Healthy Community Tank

[TypicalNoah]

I gotta get photos up to show this. I just got back from UMiami around two weeks ago and I can't believe how much time I spent in front of our 44 gallon community tank. I guess I missed it a lot! I'm surprised to see how even a community tank, so basic and simple, could manage to hold my attention so long! Especially since ALL last semester was focused on saltwater tanks and hobbies... Amazing!

Anyhoo, there aren't any real problems except for severe overcrowding. All the fish are healthy except a few sluggish and faded paradise fish... anabantoids never do well in the community aquarium anyways. Well, besides gouramis. And I keep up with the weekly (sometimes more often) 15-20% water changes... And it's fun to buy new types of foods to spoil the fish with and vary their diet... And it all just makes me want to set up another community tank or any type of tank! But I've only got two and a half months of summer here! gah!

I'm not really looking for "solutions," just figured I'd share the feeling of coming home to them... and wow. Haha.

And if anyone's curious, the 44 pent has:
An 8" Pleco
A 6" Shubunkin (he was 1" 3 months ago! His name is "Shui.")
6 adult angelfish, all over 4"...
2 adult clown loaches (4")
1 panda cory
3 gouramis (gold?) about 3.5"
1 pearl gourami abput 3.5"
3 paradise fish about 3.5"
2 sunset pattern mollies
1 red platy
(...and maybe a few more little things i forget, but the overcrowded point has been made.)

heh! whee! :rolleyes:

[GirlieGirl8519]

I think its extremely overcrowded! 6 adult angels!!! Wow. Having them alone would be a little cramped I think.
Your panda cory would love to have some friends. They do better in big groups (atleast 6).

I bet the surface of the tank is a little cramped with all the gouramis and paradisefish.

But if it is working for ya, and the fish are healthy...I guess its alright.

I would seriously consider a bigger tank for the angels though...4 inches isn't full grown. They will get to be about 5-6 inches long and about 6-7 inches tall. Good luck!

The pearl and gold gouramis will max out at just under 5 inches...the CLs will eventually be around 10-12 inches...but grow slow. Just be sure to upgrade before they are stunted.

edit: After thinking about your stocking list more...I don't think its alright. You really do need a bigger tank if you're going to keep all those fish. Many of them are not full grown yet, and the tank is already crowded. Sorry!

[crazyred]

Agreed. I also think your shubunkin would probably be a lot happier in much cooler water. He can't be very happy in with the tropicals.

[TypicalNoah]

Yeah, I agree with all that. No matter how gently I try to talk about such things with my mom, she still wouldn't realize or remember that logical truths - such as not keeping a goldfish in a tank with tropicals - are keys to simple and succesful aquaria. But filiality rules, and I'll have to find other ways around such problems myself. Yeah I knew too that even the empty tank with that many angels wouldn't work - I just have to work on convincing her that we NEED a second tank, or she NEEDS to part with some of her fishies.

I'd like to see if I can get it to:
- the angelfish pair
- the two clown loaches
- the gouramis
- the panda cory, maybe a few more for him.

I think the only way to do this would be to redecorate the tank and make it fun, switch from cheap lights and plants and gravel to a Takashi Amano amazon style water garden... heck of an upgrade there. Anyone have the experience on that?