# should i sell my fish+tank+stand?



## jacobbonilla (Apr 22, 2010)

im a bit fuzzy on this subject and it has come to a last resort kinda thing as i only have 25 gallon tank no filter no airator but i do have a flowerhorn ( baby right now ) and a sailfin leopard pleco ( 12-14 inches) i am trying really hard to go get a job and all that but i am in need to wait it off a little maybe a week to get started on finding a job. im trying to save up for a 90- 125 gallon tank by the end of july so my fish can be happier but i seem to be doubting myself in not making that. i am looking to buy on craigslist so its cheap and idc if theirs scratches as long as it doesnt bother me when i view the fish and all. and no leaks. the thing is i wanted to get more active pets like maybe a guinea pig or something you know something i can play with. i guess you could say keeping fish is my hobby but do you think i should sell my fish?. How much should i sell them for also. i Live in Hawaii and ive seen full grown and baby flowerhorns go for maybe $30-50+ sailfin leopard plecos i dont see them in stores anymore. i was thinking maybe 70-100$ what you think too much?


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

All fish prices are local. I suspect where you are prices are higher because shipping fish in costs a mint. But its very hard to get "actual" value out of a big fish. Used anything often goes for about 10% of the original price. There is a smaller pool of buyers for big fish than for little ones. So while a big fish in a store has a high price tag, he usually sits there a long time. And where i live, stores only give store credit for fish, which doesn't help if you are getting out of the hobby. 

You can keep fish without a lot of expensive equipment if you are willing to constantly change water, but I think the pleco should have a tank big enough for it to turn around. That he has got that big in such a small tank means you've done ok so far. 

Flowerhorns are nice, but there are also nice dwarf cichlids that could live happily ever after in a 25. I think thats a better choice. And trading them would solve the money problem. You have some time before you have to decide, but fish grow faster than you'd expect them to. 

How much to do you watch your fish? Does it calm you to see them? Does the bubble/hum help you sleep? You can enjoy fish in a small tank, you just need to choose small fish. But if you aren't paying the fish much attention and its a chore to care for them, then getting out for a while might be best. I say for a while, because you can always get back in later. 

Traveling with fish is a pain, traveling with big tanks is so expensive you sell the tank on craigslist and buy another when you land. If you don't expect to stay put for the foreseeable future, I wouldn't advise you to get a tank that is any bigger than 75 gallons, its just too hard to get anything close to what you spend out of it without waiting months for the right buyer. So if you see something like going away to school in your future, it might be easier to get out now or at least downsize to something more portable (like a betta in a 10 gallon).


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## chocolatecrunch (May 21, 2010)

You can buy a good FH for hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollers...I would sell your flowerhorn for about $70-$120 instead...By the way, how much are you selling your tank for? If you don't want it and you can ship it, I would probably buy it. If you are selling it though and can ship, can you send me a private message? Thanks!


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

Chocolate I think you missed a part of his post: He lives in HAWAII. Pretty much no way you're going to get your money's worth when shipping alone is going to be a mint.


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## Guest (May 29, 2010)

i honestly think u should sell the flowerhorn and invest that money in a filter for the 25. keep some smaller cichlids in there with the sailfin. u'll have about 6 months to scrounge and stash away the money before ur pleco will need a new house.


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## chocolatecrunch (May 21, 2010)

Obsidian said:


> Chocolate I think you missed a part of his post: He lives in HAWAII. Pretty much no way you're going to get your money's worth when shipping alone is going to be a mint.


Thanks...I forgot about how much shipping would be because i live all the way in WA. I'm not dumb, i saw that he lives in Hawaii. lol. Thanks though  I'm only spending $31.99 for a 20 gallon at petsmart but since his tank is larger and used I thought I could get a good price. Oh well, thanks anyway! Peace out homies


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## Superfly724 (Sep 16, 2007)

Eluviet said:


> u'll have about 6 months to scrounge and stash away the money before ur pleco will need a new house.


He said his pleco was already at like 14 inches. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think that thing needed a new house 6 months ago.


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## jacobbonilla (Apr 22, 2010)

lol it needed a new tank way past 6 nmonths ago man its like 5 years old been this size for years already. its still growing and doing fine though.


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## chocolatecrunch (May 21, 2010)

You may think it is doing fine but I think that if you keep it you should get at LEAST a 35 (U.S.A) gallon tank for the little-i mean big- guy  It's your fish though and for all we know he could ba happy as ever but the bigger the tank, the better.


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## Mikaila31 (Nov 29, 2009)

It needs a lot bigger than a 35 gal, that fish is already as wide as the 35 and 1/2 it length, that leaves very little room to swim.


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## Cam (Nov 9, 2009)

Good luck with getting a job!


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## PostShawn (Dec 22, 2009)

You know the size tank you need. If you don't think you can obtain that size tank then look into selling the fish. If you don't watch the fish at all then maybe sell them. If you enjoy them too much then figure a way to get a tank. I like watching my fish. They are in my living room where I spend most of my time. 

You have to figure things out for your age. It's not that you can't care for animals at your age but figure are you thinking of going off to college or are you staying at home? Are you thinking about moving out of the parents house in the next few years? if so would many places in your area allow you to have a 100g tank or animals such as guinea pigs? I live in an apartment and I'm allowed to have some pets, fish and guinea pigs included. But can't have the usual dogs or cats and etc. So if I move now I need to find a place that will let me bring my pets along with me. I just advise for you at your age see what your near future might hold for you. You don't want to be denied a certain path in life just because of a fish or small animal. 

I had fish when I was in middle school and high school. I stopped stocking though and eventually gave away my few fish left towards the end of high school so I can go chase my career and life dreams. I'm settling down now so I started back up with the fish. I would say you have a whole life ahead of you if you decide now is not the right time to be a caretaker. 

Only you can decide ultimately what choice to make. 
Good luck.


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## FancyGoldfish (Jun 6, 2010)

chocolatecrunch said:


> You may think it is doing fine but I think that if you keep it you should get at LEAST a 35 (U.S.A) gallon tank for the little-i mean big- guy  It's your fish though and for all we know he could ba happy as ever but the bigger the tank, the better.


Actually, a 55 gallon (long) would be better but I would go for a 75 gallon (long) if you can. They are very large and will keep growing. They need to room to roam around and swim too. So good luck with everything and thanks for trying to help chocolate but get your facts right =D (choco is my friend in real life so peace out everyone!!!).


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## Superfly724 (Sep 16, 2007)

For a full size Pleco? Think hundreds of gallons. Those things can reach 2 feet if housed properly with nice clean water. I'd say a 6 foot tank is the minimum. Even then, that thing is 1/3 of the length of the tank.


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## PostShawn (Dec 22, 2009)

We've already discussed tank size in one of his many other threads. It's come to conclusion that sure, any tank larger then what he has will be better. Minimum should be a 90 gallon. A 90 gallon will give the pleco about 19 inches in width so it can turn around. Anything smaller just doesnt have enough room and a 12 inch width will not be good for a 12-14 inch pleco. The pleco wont be able to turn around comfortably. A 70g might work too as it's the same footprint as the 90 but would be best if the two current fish are housed separate then as the other fish would enjoy the more hight of the 90g.

Ideally a 120 or 125 would give a good amount more room. probably the 125 being the best choice. Of course bigger would be even better. 
90 = 48"x12"
120 = 48"x25"
125 = 72"x19"
I'd go with the length for now over the width so that's why I say the 125g at 6 feet long would be good. Then the fish have some swim room. But it sounds like with his small budget he will have to choose whatever he can find on the used market.


In the end only _*jacobbonilla*_ can decide what he wants to do. His original question in this thread sounded like does he want pets and if so does he want the fish he has or something else? He has to look at his lifestyle and his future to figure this out. I doubt anyone on the internet can make a major decision for him. It's part of growing up to decide these types of things. There is no wrong or right answer. There are better choices then others but in the end he will have to choose and learn from anything he does.


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## chocolatecrunch (May 21, 2010)

I think from now on i'm just going to leave the pleco buisness for the profecinals cuz I'm really not a pleco person.


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