# 55 Gallon tank overstocked - what to do?



## Tejay (Jan 22, 2013)

So I relied on the advice of my local fish shop (should have done my own research) and ended up buying too many fish.

Currently I have a 55 gallon tank (3.25 x 1.5 x 2ft) with juvenile/young adult;
- 2 Green terrors (gold saum), male is about 6 and female about 4 inches.
- 3 Blue Dolphins, male is about 4 and the two females about 1.5 inches.
- 4 Venustus fish, male is about 3 and the three females about 2 - 2.5 inches.
- 1 Pleco

The aquarium is on a second level which is supported by wooden flooring, so I do not want to go to heavy with an aquarium.

I was thinking about;
- buy a 70 gallon tank (4 x 1.42 x 1.8ft) for the Green terrors and blue dolphins
- Keeping the venustus in the existing 55 gallon tank

Any thoughts or suggestions on this?
I imagine, unless the fish get really big, this just might do?


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## Filet O Fish (Apr 26, 2012)

The Green Terrors are South American Cichlids and the Dolphins and Venustus are African. I would say keep the pair of Terrors in the 55 and get a 75 gallon for the dolphins and venustus. But watch that floor! Your Terrors can get up to 12" but usually average about 8, the venustus usually do get pretty big...


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## Tejay (Jan 22, 2013)

Yep, that's a good point.
I had feared the 55 gallon would be too small for the green terrors, but if that tank is suitable just for them than your suggestion would be ideal.
Thanks


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

I have a 240G on the ground floor supported by wooden flooring, and a 125G on the first floor with the same flooring. Only my 75G is in the basement on concrete. I am afraid in your case floor strength is no valid excuse for not going significantly larger


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## ozman (Sep 7, 2012)

mmm, i was of the understanding that venustus and dolphins because of their adult size belong in a 6ft + tank...?


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

ozman said:


> mmm, i was of the understanding that venustus and dolphins because of their adult size belong in a 6ft + tank...?


I would not want to keep them in anything smaller myself!


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## 4RSo (Aug 13, 2011)

yeah personally, I would keep the dolphins in at least a 125gal and venustus in at least a 180gal


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## Tejay (Jan 22, 2013)

Thanks for the input here.

Out of interest, is there any "accepted" rule to this?
It does seem to be a bit of a random guess as to what tank size is acceptable and what is not.

If it was my place, I wouldn't be so hesitant about buying a much larger tank, but it's not so a trade-off between the two for a few years would be ideal 

Thanks


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

Tejay said:


> Out of interest, is there any "accepted" rule to this?


No, there isn't. Any rule like the infamous "1 inch per gallon rule" is bound to be nonsense, because it grossly oversimplifies things. You need to take into account not only the size of the fish, but also behaviors:

- are they pair forming or harem spawners,
- are they best kept as singles or in small groups, or do you need a large group to spread around aggression,
- are they docile and tend to sit in one spot or are they active swimmers, 
- do they defend a territory, and if yes how large, and so on, and so on.

The library section of this site contains species articles for many commonly kept cichlids, including Cyrtocara moorii (Blue Dolphins) and Nimbochromis venustus. Many of these articles make considered recommendations regarding a minimum tank size, and in the case of both of these species that happens to be 125G, which in the US means 72" x 18" x 20"; that is a 6' tank. The reason for this recommendation is quite different for C. moorii and N. venustus, as you can see from the articles.

If in doubt, there is never any harm in asking here. You can often find people who have kept the fish you are interested in, and they might agree or disagree with each other and the recommendation in the article


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## Tejay (Jan 22, 2013)

Cool, thanks for that fmueller.
I haven't read the articles in full (but at least I know they are there), however I did not the minimum tank size was a 125 gallon.
So that's probably what it will need to be


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## Tejay (Jan 22, 2013)

Hi again,

So this was the tank I was thinking of upgrading to;
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Aqua-Nova-Cu ... 1003088471

I am still not quite confident in the wood flooring/support considering it is on the second level, but the general opinion is this will be ok.

This raises another question though; the recommended tank size for all my fish is 6ft or 125gl.
However the stocking amount is not specified. Would anyone see a problem with throwing all my fish together in the 125gl tank for good?
That is;
2 X green terrors (one male, one female)
3 X blue dolphin (one male, two female)
4 x venustus (one male, three female)
1 x pleco

Thanks again


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

It's somewhat unlikely that you will find anybody who has tried this exact and rather odd mix, so you'll might have to make do with some more of my speculations and ramblings 

Blue Dolphins are largish fish for Malawis, they do well in larger groups, and they like to have plenty of open swimming space - hence the recommendation for a 6' tank to provide them with the space they need.

I have never kept Venustus myself, but I am guessing that the male's high aggressiveness, which is the main reason for their requiring a 6' tank, is derived from their tendency to defend a territory. If they do, and block off part of the tank for the other fish, you might end up with the Blue Dolphins wedged in a small corner, having anything but 6' free swimming space at their disposal.

I have also never kept Green Terrors, but I understand that they are pair forming and fiercely defend a territory against all intruders similar to most new world cichlids. That could lead to similar problems as described for the Venustus.

Regarding the pleco, there are hundreds of different types of plecos and no way of telling what their requirements are without knowing the species. If it is a common pleco, which is the most commonly found variety in the pet trade, it is basically unsuitable for long term keeping in a tank environment, because common plecos will outgrow even a 125G tank.










When stocking a tank and looking for suitable tank mates, there are different strategies. For example with Tanganyikans there are so many cichlids with different preferences that you can built a community by choosing some rock dwellers, some bottom dwellers, some for the open water column, and some that will live in a snail bed. By providing these different habitats, you can anticipate how the fish will divide the tank between themselves. That way they can peacefully coexist while all defending their individual territories. Another example would be combining various species of mbuna and similar fish that don't defend territories, but establish a hacking order in the group. If you keep a large group of fish with not too different temperaments, they can also divide up a tank quite peacefully.

How one could set up a 125G tank so that the goal of peaceful coexistence is achieved with any certainty and your current stocking list unfortunately is not immediately obvious to me. You could just put them in and see how they go. If nobody is too territorial, they might do just fine. However, if either the Venustus or the GTs become too much of a bully, be prepared to pull them out. Blue Dolphins do well with other Blue Dolphins or with other peaceful Haps and Mbuna (eg Yellow Labs, etc). Also keep an eye on that pleco in case one day it busts your tank :lol:


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## Tejay (Jan 22, 2013)

Thanks again Fmueller


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