Do I have too many fish?

Question

I was thinking of adding a pleco to my tank (one of the smaller ones that stays about 5 inches) and I was wondering if you think I have enough room. I have a 55 gallon tank, everything is in check....good filter, heater, i check the temperature and ph, & amonia, nitrate, nitrite, hardiness levels frequently. What I have in there now is: 5 lemon tetras, 2 blue rams, 1 glass fish, 1 sunburst, 1 elephant nose, 1 angel fish. I think I should be okay but I was wondering what you guys thought.

Answer 1

That tank is getting a little full, but you could probably add a couple more safely. Plecos do tend to be a bit fragile sometimes, make sure he has a place to hide if he is frightened, ours usually come out more in evening/night.
If you have a sandy bottom tank, getting two or three small cory catfish would also be an option (they don't like to be alone, so you should usually get 2+) they work a bit harder at keeping the bottom of your tank clean, but won't help if you want the glass cleaned.

Answer 2

The basic rule for freshwater fish is one inch of fish per gallon of water, which means, the larger your fish, the less you can have. It's not nessesarily what kind of fish you have, but how big they are. Angel fish alone can get up to 6-8 inches which is fairly large and reduces the number of fich you can, then have. As for plecostomus, or "plecos", there really isn't such a thing as a smaller pleco. They grow with your tank, even if you get one that is only an inch big, in a 55 gallon tank it can reach up to a foot long!! Thats way too big for your tank then. I also strongly suggest, if you are looking for an algae eater, to stay away from plecostomus. the reason I say that is because they are THE MESSIEST of all algae eaters. Yes, they do eat the algae growth in your tank, but produce over four times the waste of a normal freshwater fish! I worked in a petstore for 7 years, in the aquatics department, and the acidic levels in the pleco tanks were huge for that very reason. When I cleaned the tanks, you could see where they hung out in the tank because the syphon would pull so much waste from that spot. This is also another good point, as they grow, they tend to become lazy like, and usually hang out in the same spot day and night, not keeping up well with the algae. If you are looking for an algae eater, there are many other kinds. Some are so much cooler looking too, then a pleco! I would definately go for something that stays smaller, and is more efficient for your tank. I hope that helps!!

Answer 3

I have no idea what the dimensions of your tank are, but beware that most tanks DO NOT hold the amount of water they say. See Link 1 for more info on that :) Using the 55 gallon measurements from there and the Stocking calculator from Link 2 you get this:

System type Tropical freshwater aquarium
Dimensions 121 x 30 x 48cm/48" x 12" x 19
Surface area 0.36 sqm/3.88 sq ft/ inches sq in
Volume 178 l./39 gal. (47.02 US gal.)
Probable volume 160 l./35 gal. (42 US gal.)
Stocking density 35"/89cm (built up gradually)
Maximum density 70"/178cm (theoretical maximum)

So not knowing the size of all your fish, that's unfortunately the best info I can give. Keep in mind the Max density is only a good idea if you have really good filtration. To find out the actual size and gallons of your tank you should use the calculator from Link 3 :) You will need to know the measurements of your tank though :)

Good luck and happy fish keeping!

Answer 4

I think you should be ok adding a pleco. You do have to be caution with the number of fish in your tank but since this fish is a bottom dweller, you should be ok. Keep in mind that your pleco will grow to its surroundings. It might not stay small.

Answer 5

Never heard of a plecostemous that stays 5in , mine's 19in.oh well. You've got actually not many fish for a tank that size. You might add more, especially another angel.

Answer 6

No I dont think u have too many fishes....in fact I think ur tank has plenty of room to add more fishes :) Take a good look at ur fish tank I bet it looks kind of empty...Get more Fish.

Answer 7

having many tanks of my own.i know its for a fact,its one fish per gallon,so you have plenty of room.and then some.just watch what kind of fish you combine.some fish you,should have 3 or 4 of the same kind to protect each other,but other then that you should be fine.

Answer 8

as long as everything checks out u'll be good i have almost as many as u in a 30 gal tank just takes a little more care

Answer 9

i think as long as they have a place to swim, to hide, to live, or even to sleep, then it's not too full. if u think it's too full, then you should think about getting a bigger tank. it's nice to give fishes a home you know!