# 32 gallon tank overcrowded?



## Lex90210 (May 10, 2011)

I had cloudy water after the first 3 days of buying my tank. I hope it's just the cycle process but now I am afraid it's because of overcrowding.

I have

3 comet fish
1 bigger comet fish
1 black Moor
1 Koi
and 2 plecos, one albino the other normal.


I also have a 20-50 gallon filter and a 20-50 water pump/water cleaning head

It's been 4 days now that it's been cloudy, started Friday late at night and than Saturday morning it was murky and Sunday it was pretty bad. 
I did water changes last night and it didn't really show much difference.


----------



## grogan (Jan 23, 2011)

I have always had issues with new tanks being cloudy. I tend to beleive that it is from the cycling process. Are you using any cycle boosters?


----------



## Lex90210 (May 10, 2011)

No, I never even knew they exist! 

I don't mind if it's the cycling, I can be patient. But I need to know if it is in fact that. Because I don't want my fish to get hurt. I have an ammonia killer chem just in case but still.


----------



## Skorpy (May 1, 2011)

Lex90210 said:


> I had cloudy water after the first 3 days of buying my tank. I hope it's just the cycle process but now I am afraid it's because of overcrowding.
> 
> I have
> 
> ...


If it has only been 4 days. It is probably because you put too many fish all in at once, instead of introducing them a few at a time to get the cycle going with fish in it.


----------



## humdedum (Feb 18, 2009)

Sounds like you're fully stocked with a new tank. How about you remove all the fish but one of the comets and then let him/her live alone until ammonia and nitrites hit zero. Then, slowly reintroduce each fish every couple of weeks and keep an eye on the ammonia and nitrites. 

Are you planning to move the koi and the comets out to a pond this summer? I bet they would love that!


----------



## egoreise (Mar 16, 2011)

Yeah, that's a lot of bioload to introduce at once. The growth of the beneficial bacteria is gradual, but the amount of ammonia with all of those fish being introduced at once is not. 

Also keep in mind that your comets are much faster than your fancies, so you may have trouble during feeding time. And the comets may start nipping at the fins of the fancies.


----------



## Mr. fish (Mar 8, 2011)

Wow... Overcrowded isn't the word...

You have way too many in there for that size tank... One comet would be too small and the fact you have 4 plus a koi and 2 plecos??

Comets are ment for ponds not tanks, same goes for the Koi's.

You gotta either get a bigger tank or downsize your stock.. If you dont you will continue to have ALOT of problems with that tank which will end up frustrating you and its just not worth it.

The most I would say you could have in that tank is your Black moor and one more gold fish.. Plus Plecos dont do very good with Goldfish, they try to suck on their slime which ends up stressing the fish out and killing them.


----------



## Lex90210 (May 10, 2011)

Is it just because they are comet fish and koi? Because I see at the pet store a tank smaller than mine that is crystal clear and has about 20 comet fish in one 20 gallon tank

The tank is a lot bigger than the one I had before and I had 3 comet fish in and the water eventually cleared. So I am hopping it will do the same for the bigger tank.


----------



## Skorpy (May 1, 2011)

Lex90210 said:


> Is it just because they are comet fish and koi? Because I see at the pet store a tank smaller than mine that is crystal clear and has about 20 comet fish in one 20 gallon tank


That is just because they got them on show for sale.

All pet/fish stores will have tanks way overstocked on show. I agree with Mr Fish that Comets and Koi should be for ponds only.


----------



## Mr. fish (Mar 8, 2011)

Lex90210 said:


> Is it just because they are comet fish and koi? Because I see at the pet store a tank smaller than mine that is crystal clear and has about 20 comet fish in one 20 gallon tank
> 
> The tank is a lot bigger than the one I had before and I had 3 comet fish in and the water eventually cleared. So I am hopping it will do the same for the bigger tank.


You can't compare your tank to store tanks.

Most tanks ran by store owners are ALL connected to a huge piping line that constantly keeps fresh water pouring in... Almost like a "sump", but 10x bigger.
Which means they always have good water quality.

As for the comets they grow huge and before you know it they will all outgrow your tank. Your tanks bacteria wont be able to hold the bio load they produce and before you know it your fish will be getting sick and dying.

Trust me, I've kept Goldfish for many years and I was just like you till I started joining forums like you're doing now and stepped my knowledge game up. Save your self the headache and either downsize your stock or upgrade your tank.

Goldfish need 15 gallon space each, which means you can fit two. Double the filters up and perform 2 water changes a week and you can have three with no issues.


----------



## Lex90210 (May 10, 2011)

What should I do with my fish? I don't want to give them away.


(Aren't goldfish in bowls mostly) They only need that much room if you want them to grow bigger. They won't grow unless the tank is normal.


----------



## humdedum (Feb 18, 2009)

You could buy one of those kiddie pools and turn it into a makeshift 'pond'. Or find a LFS and give them to the store for cash or more commonly, store credit. Then when you're prepared to actually get more fish, you can use the credit towards getting some. 

Yes, goldfish are kept in bowls. And they usually die in a few weeks. Keeping a fish stunted just because you can isn't right. Would you buy several St. Bernard puppies and then stuff them in tiny cages because your house isn't big enough? No; if you wanted a small dog, you buy a puppy that will _stay small_. The same goes for fish. There are at least HUNDREDS (if not thousands) of commonly available fish that will stay small and require less tank space and filtration. 

When you buy a fish, you're committing to keep it in the best conditions you can provide. You have enough money to afford Internet connection; I'm sure you have the ability to provide a decent home for the fish you buy.

Mr. Fish is right...stores have huge systems with massive amounts of new water you and I probably couldn't even visualize. For example, the average system at a PetSmart is several hundreds gallons, and each facility has a reservoir of new water that is pumped in every day. The old water is trickled through large wet-dry filters stuffed with bio-balls...we're not talking about a little power filter on the back of a tank.


----------



## MetalHead (Aug 18, 2010)

Mr. Fish and Humdedum are right on the money. 

Am not saying they wont survive or will die soon. All am saying is that your tank is way too small for any of your fish apart from maybe the comet. Koi are pond fish. they need place to swim. Your stock list primarily consists of high poop machines. Your 2 pleco's it self are contributing a ton of bioload to your already heavy gold fish load. 

Am sorry but find a way to give away your fish or up grade to a 220 GL tank if you intend to retain these fish. Even then you are lookin at heavy filteration and constant water changes.


----------



## Mr. fish (Mar 8, 2011)

Lex90210 said:


> What should I do with my fish? I don't want to give them away.
> 
> 
> *(Aren't goldfish in bowls mostly)* They only need that much room if you want them to grow bigger. They won't grow unless the tank is normal.


You've got a lot to learn. Stick around, we'll put you in the right direction.

Yes, goldfish are kept in bowls. But, thats because a lot of people dont know any better and are too lazy to go read up on their fish or join a forum. I'm glad you joined the forum, just hoping you lend your ears to us.

Goldfish NEED 15 gallons per fish, not only to grow properly, but, also because they are very HIGH polluters. They practically poop every 30 mins lol

Your bacteria just can't handle that weight, so what happens is you start getting an ammonia spike and really bad water quality. Then its all down hill from here. Water gets cloudy, fish start getting fin rot, pop eye, cloudy eyes etc. Wouldn't you want the best for your fish? Take a look at my sig, I have a 55 gallon goldfish tank, theres currently only 2 in there and I plan on only adding 2 more. Total of 4 fish in a 55 gallon and I'm maxed out on stock. I could put maybe one more if i wanted to but I want my fish to live healthy lives.

So my advice is I would take in the fish the dont fit to your LFS and get store credit. Of course you don't have to listen to us, but, if you want your fish to remain healthy its a MUST.


----------



## egoreise (Mar 16, 2011)

I am guilty of keeping several comets and shubunkins in a 20 gallon tank. :chair: They were my first fish. They appear and act incredibly healthy. But I do 50-60% water changes every week and have a filter with a 50 gallon capacity... At this rate, they'll last a long time. But I fully understand they can't reach their potential, and I'm in the process of figuring out a new home for them. I've had them for a year, and I've upgraded their aquarium once...

First choice: Building a pond in my basement. If I build my own waterfall filter with a tupperwear container full of filter material... I can probably do this for the cost of setting up a large aquarium, or less... Could something like that be considered, Lex? I know how quickly we get attached to our fish. Especially comets... they are funny guys.


----------



## Lex90210 (May 10, 2011)

Yeah, I am glad I came to this forum, I just wished I had first. 

I wish I had a 220 gallon tank but unfortunately I don't have 5000 dollars to spend or the table to put it on. 

The real reason I started to buy goldfish and koi was because honestly this is the first time I ever heard of them being this much a problem, they shouldn't sell it at pet stores lol. I always thought goldfish would be the easiest fish to handle since they are strong. But as for the room problem I never even had an idea of that when buying them. The guy clearly saw me buy like 5 fish and didn't tell me, "by the way that is too much" lol 

I would never keep a fish in a bowl, I just know a lot of people that used to. 

What is interesting is the water is getting KINDA better. Not extreme but I can finally see some deco that was in the back now.

Another thing is my fish do look healthy and happy. They don't fight each other and they swim around and don't have any markings on their body. It's just the water that looks cloudy. 

Apart from that yeah, I really thought that goldfish would be easy cause it's something you buy for your kid or something like that. At least that is what is portrayed a lot. 

Giving them back to the store is a good idea but each fish I have has a personality  It would be really sad to lose them

Oh and another thing, I do two water changes a week, about 30% each time. And have one big filter and one power head water cleaner/purifier thing that was 70$


----------



## egoreise (Mar 16, 2011)

I sympathize! The pet store really didn't care. They were just making a sale. I know this must be hard, because you had the best intentions, you have become attached to each individual fish, and probably felt a lot of shock when you got responses on this forum.

It's a good start having the really good filtration. That will help for a while. But the plecos will outgrow the tank, and the comets will either outgrow it or have their growth stunted. 

The option of taking them back is good. Chances are, they'll end up in a similar situation as soon as someone else buys them. Another option would be to start looking now on craigslist and freecycle for another tank, Seperating the comets from the fancy goldfish would be a good start. I also encourage you to look into indoor ponds, if your living situation will allow (really, if you can have a tank, you can probably have a small pond...). A prefabricated pond comes a LOT cheaper than a new tank.


----------



## Lex90210 (May 10, 2011)

What if I went to maybe a public pond? Or man mad lake? Would they survive in there? 

Something interesting that my manager told me at work today when I was talking to him about my problem. He has the same size tank and has 12 gold fish in there and his water is crystal clear and has only 1 filter and puts no chems in and changes water once every 6 months. I couldn't believe it when he told me this.
He tells me that I am most likely over feeding him. He puts 2 pinches of food in the morning and 2 at night. 
Should I try this? I have half the fish he does and it's true, now that I think of it I put 6 pinches a night when feeding them. 

And he had his tank for 2 years now and all the fish are healthy and happy. And so is the water. 
Now I am really confused or cursed


----------

