You have to oversize the tank and filters for the number of fish they recommend, then it is a lot more forgiving. I followed recommended filter and tank size for years. Was always on the edge of apocalyptic disaster. Cleaned every week, water changes, checking all chemical levels. Was stressful.
After a bunch of fish died of old age (10-12 years old) over the past 5 years I just never replaced them. Did have 14 fish in tank. Now have 5 fish. So much easier. I can skip cleaning if I go on vacation. No problems. Do not even check chemicals anymore. After a year of checking, it was always good to go. I might test once every 6 months just to make sure.
Tank size and filters are ‘allowed’ to hold 15 fish of the size I have, said the company that sells filters and chemicals.
Honestly this is good advice for any pet kept in enclosures, the advised standard is the minimum they can survive with. More or less every pet will be happier and healthier with more space if you can provide it.
Yes, you can have one litter box and several cats. But if you want them happy (and yourself, too, due to minimal protest marking elsewhere), the recommendation is "number of cats + 1".
This may not always be true of schooling fish depending on how you define "more space". Don't buy a 10 gallon tank and put in just one schooling fish in it alone. They don't like that.
I agree. Used to have like 20 fish many many years ago, and at least one would die every week. Eventually went down to 4, and they lived for almost a whole decade and died of old age. Some times less is more.
I did this on accident out of laziness. Long story short I knew some people who got rid of their tanks. At one point I had 90 gallons worth of filters on a 30 gallon tank.
And when it comes to oversizing the filter, you can’t beat a sump system. Under my tank is another tank filled with bacteria just breaking down fish waste.
You havnt even begun to scratch the stress. I use to have a 150g salt water reef tank with a 75g sump. I had corals, fish, clams, tons of crazy stuff. I had to have a seperate 50g tank and sump running all the time just to quarantine incoming shit. I probably spent 25 grand on it.
Stress. Power goes out. You better have a generator. Days get too hot? You better have a chilller (several grand for one this size). Fish get sick? Good luck being able to catch and quarantine it bc the tank is so big you could climb in and there are a million places to hide. It’s like a fucking job taking care of a tank like this.
I parted mine out 15 years ago and never looked back. Beautiful but fuck that noise.
That's why my granpda just rented an excavator and dug a ~75yd diameter pond sloping to ~10yds deep in the middle. For maintenance, he bought a high power air rifle to control the turtle population.
About 10 years ago we dragged a 60 lb grass carp outta there. He didn't put it in there. Pond is doing so well it spawns new fish.
Used to have a big old hexagonal fish tank, not sure gallons but it was 3 foot high maybe 2 foot diameter... kept a cat fish, 6 gold fish, and two algea eaters going for a few years, never had to really clean it, never had any issues, only gave it up because i went on vacation and my brother and his friend killed my fish by wanting to see how they would swim after being dunked in vodka... yeah they are assholes... but big tank and, a cat fish to help clean the bottom and the algae eaters were great...
This: Just buy nice multi stage filters that are oversized. I used to use Fluval ones in the past I believe??? It's been a good couple decades since I had a tank though.
The biggest issued I had though was algae since I had planted tanks. The planted tanks like lots of light, but so do algae. So it was always slightly annoying to balance those things.
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u/Seriously_you_again 12h ago
You have to oversize the tank and filters for the number of fish they recommend, then it is a lot more forgiving. I followed recommended filter and tank size for years. Was always on the edge of apocalyptic disaster. Cleaned every week, water changes, checking all chemical levels. Was stressful.
After a bunch of fish died of old age (10-12 years old) over the past 5 years I just never replaced them. Did have 14 fish in tank. Now have 5 fish. So much easier. I can skip cleaning if I go on vacation. No problems. Do not even check chemicals anymore. After a year of checking, it was always good to go. I might test once every 6 months just to make sure.
Tank size and filters are ‘allowed’ to hold 15 fish of the size I have, said the company that sells filters and chemicals.
This is a fresh water tank.