# Got given an overstocked tank?



## Mitra (Apr 3, 2013)

Hi I helped someone move today and they didn't know what to with their fish so my girlfriend offered to take them. The only fish I know about are bettas, and the only other aquatic animal i know how to care for are african dwarf frogs.

So basically the 10 gallon (im sure it is way too small for the fish i have) has 1 big orange goldfish, 1 smaller white/orange goldfish, 3 neon tetras, 2 amano shrimp and 1 small suckerfish (i think a pleco, but it is really small). Sooo I have no idea what to do with these. I want to get more neon tetras since they school but i doubt there is room? The owner has had these fish for a year and a half so they arent in any immediate danger as long as i keep the partial water changes up. Will the suckerfish grow anymore? If not can I add three neon tetras? The tetras arent extremely active as they prob arent very confident. Can anyone give me advice thank you!


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

I would give away or find new homes for the two goldfish and the pleco. A 10 gallon tank is much too small for any of these fish and it would be cruel to keep them in it any longer. 

Then I would bump up the school of neon tetras to around six individuals.


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## Mitra (Apr 3, 2013)

The only tank bigger i can find right now is http://yktrader.com/classifieds/details?AN=43251 

If there is already 3 goldfish in that would adding my fish not work either?


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## shannonpwns (Jul 15, 2013)

You're willing to spend $300 to keep 2 goldfish that you got for free? Lol. I'd just rehome them. A 55 gal isn't big enough for 5 full grown goldfish. I'm assuming they are just comets, which can grow up to 12".


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## Mitra (Apr 3, 2013)

I'm in university so its tough, but that's pretty much what happened to my betta. How would i rehome them? The neon tetras are tropical fish right? Is it unhealthy that they are in with goldfish? Water temp is at 72. I wanna get the neon tetras out of their asap but i have no idea where to put them and the suckerfish (do I have an actual baby pleco that will grow to be large or are their small species too?)


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## rickey (Jul 7, 2013)

If you keep the goldfish( and plec) you will need a bigger tankin the 30 to 55 gallon range


Rick


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

If you have a PetCo around you, you can usually drop off the fish there in a bag or something. You won't get money for it but they just adopt them out if the fish are healthy, which it seems they are.

You can also put ads up on Craigslist, Facebook and other social medias. I would personally just give them to PetCo though if they'll take them. You might want to call ahead to ask though just in case. Also someone with a pond might take them, I know I would since we do have a goldfish pond


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## Mitra (Apr 3, 2013)

Thanks for the tips. I have all the supplies i need for a 10 gallon (extra sponge filter and 50 watt heater). I've decided to give the two goldfish back to the pet store. Since they are full grown they may not get bought, but they have a good sized home at the store at least. I'm gonna keep the pleco and when it grows too large I will have time to buy a 55 gallon tank (is that big enough?) Once the goldfish are out i will buy 3-6 more neon tetras with the 2 shrimps and temporary pleco. Until then I will be sure to do 50% water changes for the crowded tank.


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## Blue Fish (Jun 11, 2012)

If you are able to find a good independent fish store the goldfish might have a better chance of being adopted. A lot of people with ponds really want big goldfish and will pay a LOT of money for them. My one really good LFS store carries the BIG goldfish and Koi for upwards of 30 to 75 bucks. They're actually pretty valuable.  

I doubt that a petco or a petsmart (or any chain store) is going to cater to a clientele like that though, so if you can find it, a *good* independent is the way to go for their best chances in terms of the goldfish.  

Good luck to you though, and I'm glad that they've got you now so that they can get a proper home.


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## shannonpwns (Jul 15, 2013)

Can you post a pic of the pleco? Some plecos grow to 2 feet long, and some stay only 6 inches or smaller. It really depends on what kind it is!  I have 2 plecos in my pond that I got a few months ago at 3 inches, and now two months later, they are already 6 inches long. They can grow very fast if they are the common pleco species.


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## Mitra (Apr 3, 2013)

That's a good idea actually on finding a goldfish or koi pond, I will ask around. I've had a chance of heart actually. The small white/orange goldfish just follows the big orange one around and they are so attached its ridiculous. If i brought them back to my LPS (local business) they most likely wouldn't be sold together. But in a pond they would.

So my question: If I don't find a pond, would a 50 gallon tank work if it already has 3 common goldfish in (the one i linked). I heard that one goldfish should have 20 gallons, and 10 gallons for each additional fish. So that would mean i'm over the bioload by 10 gallons (a lot better then 2 goldfish in a 10 gallon). And of course the pleco in it and two amano shrimps. If this works, should I donate the 3 neon terta's because the bioload is too great, or should i buy 3 more tetras so they are in a school. Sorry for the questions but I don't know what to do!

If 60 gallons worth of goldfish won't work in 50, will using a HOB filter and biggest sponge filter i can find work (double filter)


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## Mitra (Apr 3, 2013)

Oh yeah and this is my pleco, sorry it's the only pic I have here.


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## shannonpwns (Jul 15, 2013)

It looks like it may be a regular pleco. But I can't be sure with that pic. Doesn't look like a bristlenose though. Plecos are tropical fish btw, and prefer water at 72-80F. But they can survive in temps as low as 55, anything lower than that and they will die. So it should be fine in an indoor tank at room temp. 

I guess it's really up to you if you want to have 5 goldfish in a 55 gal. IMO that's a lot of money to spend just for some common goldfish lol. 5 goldfish and a pleco in a 55 definitely won't work once they all reach full size. I have 3 goldfish, 3 koi and 2 plecos in a 1200 gallon pond, and they are MESSY. Especially the plecos. 

Where are you from?


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

shannonpwns said:


> IMO that's a lot of money to spend just for some common goldfish lol.


Just because it is a "common" goldfish, doesn't mean that it is less important than any other living thing.

I do agree that a 55 gal wouldn't be big enough for a common pleco and 5 goldfish unless you're willing to do the heavy filtration and water changes that would be necessary to keep them healthy. If I remember correctly, it's suggested to have 45-50 gallons for one, and another 15 for anything past one fish. I know it may sound somewhat tacky (I'm country folk, we invented "tacky but functional"), but what about a stock tank (water troughs for livestock), they come in 100+ gallon sizes for less than an aquarium would cost, and if you had the room for a neat little indoor pond, it'd be pretty awesome! 

Also, depending on the breeds of the other goldfish, that pleco could be even worse. If the 3 that come with the tank are fancies, they tend to be slower moving than the commons or comets, and I've had a pleco attack a fancy and almost take out its eye (back before I knew that this is a common issue).

Best of luck with your fish!


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## shannonpwns (Jul 15, 2013)

Skyewillow said:


> Just because it is a "common" goldfish, doesn't mean that it is less important than any other living thing.


I knew someone was gonna get upset over that. Really though? If you got a couple of 10c fish for free, you'd go out and spend $300+ just to house it? Sorry, but I wouldn't, and that's my opinion... 

We didn't spend thousands of dollars on a pond just to put some feeder goldfish in it. Mine are just the ones my turtle wouldn't eat and got too big for his tank after 2 years, so they went in with the koi.


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## LadyVictorian (Nov 23, 2011)

A bit offended, my goldies were meant to be nothing but feeders and though they were all of 75 cents each I went out and spent over $300 on them because they are worth it. That thinking is the reason there is so much abuse to fish in the first place. That same thinking is why people keep betta fish in tanks under .5gallons, do you think that is okay as well?


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

No pet is a cheap pet. A $20 iguana will cost you a lot of money (and a ton of space since they need custom enclosures). An animal's price shouldn't warrant how much effort or money it is worth. The same way you bond to your $5 betta someone can bond to their 10cent goldfish, and people tend to want the best for animals in their care (well I'm assuming people on this forum!) Who cares what the animal cost? As said in the famous book, The Little Prince, it's the time that you spend with something that makes it unlike all the others in the world. :3

Do you have a lot of room? Google metal/plastic horse troughs. These are fairly priced, you can find them in farm stores, and they make great ponds that require no digging at all. I think they look pretty awesome too, myself.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## LadyVictorian (Nov 23, 2011)

that is what my new pond is, my other one was only 45 gallons so we got a horse trough and put it next to our barn. It actually looks pretty cool and animals can't get into it as easily as before my dug in pond my fish were being eaten by racoons.


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## shannonpwns (Jul 15, 2013)

I'm not going to get into an argument over some goldfish. I simply stated that it was my opinion...which I am entitled to. Never once did I say anything about keeping any fish in a tank too small for them to thrive in. In fact, I said the opposite and suggested rehoming because the tank they are considering (55 gals) comes with 3 more goldfish. We're talking about 5 fish that grow up to 12 inches, and a pleco that grows 24 inches. In a tank that is 12 inches wide. So yes, I stand by what I said that the tank is too small and the best scenario is for these fish to be rehomed. 

I DO like goldfish, and that is why I'm an advocate of them living in ponds, and not aquariums. I take offense to YOU associating me with fish abuse.


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## Mitra (Apr 3, 2013)

Unfortunately I live in a town in Northern Canada and cannot find someone with a koi/goldfish pond ( i know someone had one when i was younger though so it is possible). A pond would be the best home for them, but I received a piece of good news today. Someone i know is going to donate a 40 gallon tank to me. So that would mean i have 30 gallons of goldfish (2 goldfish) and a pleco in the 40 gallons. With very heavy filtration, could i also add the two amano shrimp and 3-6 neon tetras (or more for a bigger school). I know goldfish are coldwater, and tetras tropical, but would 72 be a good temp for both of them? And this will only be the plecos temporary home until he gets bigger. Could this work, last question i promise! Thank you everyone


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## shannonpwns (Jul 15, 2013)

Oh you're in Canada, that stinks, I was going to offer to take the goldfish to live in my pond if you were closer! 40 gallons would work fine for the goldfish and pleco (until he gets bigger, IF he is a common pleco). You should do a google search and see if you can match the pleco up to a specific type so you know if you need to make arrangements for him at some point. I don't know anything about tetras though, so I can't help you there! But I did a search and I read that tetras can live in 70-80F temperature. So they will probably be fine, as long as its not under 70.


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

A view of the top side of the fish (yes, I know how tricky that can be to get) would also help ID the pleco.


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## shannonpwns (Jul 15, 2013)

That's why I suggested maybe they do a google image search, since a pic can be tough with a pleco, if its anything like my two, which are as skittish as they come lol.


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

mine are skittish, but none too bright, they hide in plain sight.... a lot


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