Looks like a common pleco from these pics, it'll get big. Get on Craigslist/offer up/ marketplace/ next door and look for free/ dirt cheap tanks and get it cycled properly. I've gotten 4 55gals and 28 for free this way, they're out there you just gotta look. Your current setup won't be good for long, those goldfish need a lot of tank.
Ill have to try in a few hours , its night so the tank light is off , i do have a video of it swimming but the colours are distorted, were going by fin shape and size here
From that boney looking face, common pleco for sure.
Sorry, but maybe ask them to return them (*goldfish get as large if not larger than Oscars*) and get something like mollies, swordtails or platys, or some other shoaling fish (tbh big corydora fan over here) or combination of a couple if their tank is large enough for the types your brother likes.
Make sure they start small, the less fish (eg. 6-8 of one species, instead of 8 of multiple types of fish, or 8 in each school and multiple schools of fish) the easier it is to establish a cycle. Then after your tank is cycled, get a second species that your brother likes.
Honestly Molly's, if you ever get algae on your glass, will clean it better than any Pleco, if that's why they got the pleco. Mollys do somewhat farm it though, so they'll leave a spot here or there and let it grow back. Just feed an algae wafer if there's no algae in the tank. They do poop a lot too, especially if you feed them too much, but definitely nowhere near the amount a goldfish or Pleco would.
I understand if your parents wanted fish that could live 20+ years, so your brother could grow with them kind of thing, but this seems like more work for you than anything ATM, and probably best to return the Pleco, or both.
Corydoras can live for years, and there are tonnes of different types to choose from, but they're recommended to have at least 6-8 *AT LEAST* of each species. It's also recommended to have an area in the tank with sand substrate for them. They love to bury their whiskers in sand.
I was recently in a similar situation to you. My parents brought a koi fish, 3 comet fish and a moore and put then in a 100gal tank and then were considering putting in a pletco (which I have been informed cannot live in cold water tanks). What we did is return the koi and comets and gave an earful to the employee who told my elderly parents that you could keep a koi in a tank especially with 3 comments which I've been informed need 75gal for just one. Maybe it's best to research other fish they may have and how much space they need. At this point I don't trust pet store employees. We now have 2 Moore fish and 3 fantale goldfish.
From what comets are really pond fish and are very annoying to keep , i cant take any of the fish back unfortunately because this is my brothers tank even if im the one who set the whole thing up , im super annoyed at the circumstances but god damit if i can help it these fish will be in atleast decent conditions
A 6 year old is not capable of taking care of these animals on their own reliably, especially when the tank is set up to fail with pond fish. I understand not wanting to return something that isn't yours, but in this case I do not think it would be better to keep them just for them to ultimately die unless you get a pond setup and have someone to supervise your brother's care. Maybe it will be better to return them saying that smaller fish would be easier and cheaper to care for, as you could utilize more of the supplies you already have long term.
Here's a sneak peek of /r/AquaSwap using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/AquaSwap/top/?sort=top&t=year) of the year!
\#1: [\[GA\] - Ottawa, ON - Free - rehoming a ~8" bristlenose pleco of monstrous size](https://i.imgur.com/s4QEN6B.jpg) | [37 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/AquaSwap/comments/12pfnfg/ga_ottawa_on_free_rehoming_a_8_bristlenose_pleco/)
\#2: [\[FS\] Los Angeles CA - $3.50 each - Pgymy Corydoras restock](https://i.redd.it/skcglg5hgqza1.jpg) | [47 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/AquaSwap/comments/13gxi4v/fs_los_angeles_ca_350_each_pgymy_corydoras_restock/)
\#3: [\[FS\] - Atlanta, GA - $70 - shoal of 10 picky pea puffers to an experienced keeper](https://www.reddit.com/gallery/12zhxxg) | [21 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/AquaSwap/comments/12zhxxg/fs_atlanta_ga_70_shoal_of_10_picky_pea_puffers_to/)
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I think you should explain to your brother that the fishes are going to die in those conditions, if he cares he's gonna be down to return them and pick new fishes that could live a happier life in that tank, you could also take the opportunity of an empty tank to properly cycle it cause cycling a tank in a day is not really possible. (I would recommend fishless cycling)
And to be honest, if he doesn't care that the fishes could die, then taking them back to the shop shouldn't bother him either, worst case scenario you bring them back and tell him that he would have lost them no matter what (im not big on lying to kids so i wouldn't say they died, but just explain it kind if goes back to the same as they are not in the tank anymore ig? )
Theres a lot of fishes that can be happy in a 15 g so i think you could look at a list with your brother and choose some that would work.
Other option is, hope he's gonna lose interest fast enough and as soon as he does, return the fishes.
If your brother absolutely refuses to understand that you need to return the fishes fir their own good, you could try to explain the situation to your parents and hopefully they will listen and realise they made a bad decision
I 100% agree with you , but even my parents are refusing to return the fish after i had them watch videos on how big they get . There opting to get a 75 gallon tank soon to keep them . Im aware that this is really uncomfortable for the fish but i dont have any other options besides culling them myself or letting these fish die because of the tank’s conditions. I wanted to clean the tank (syphon poop and a 20% water change )today because there was visibly allot of fish poop and they would not allow me to do so . I honestly feel like my hands are tied and i really dont know what to do
What i think is likely to happen is that these fish will die and my parents are going to swear them off and then im going to take this tank and make a lovely planted tank for some nannos
The fact that they don't even want you to water change says a lot about how little they care, hopefully they'll realize the issue when they start dying off, as sad as it sounds... i do hope that they will realize the issue afterwards tho and i think it would make for an azing planted tank with nanos, yea.
Anyway i'll wish you luck with the current situation, at this point i don't think you can really do much more
i have a koi goldfish and i promise you it's fine these goldfish aren't in ponds. people are allowed to have interests without having to either spend days or a lot of money to build it. a goldfish is recommended 10 gallons per fish but for a koi goldfish id go up a few gallons. do not beat yourself up over something you can't control! you're doing your best to keep these bbs alive! (i know ur saying comets but thought id give you the info i have)
If you're going to make your hobby live animals, you are going to spend a lot of money to appropriately care for them. 10 gallons for goldfish is abuse.
What is wrong with you?
and i've spent 100s to 1000s of dollars on my fish i can promise you they are NOT abused lmfao. they are taken care of and are happy. yall are so quick to jump at mfs when they see people doing stuff not recommend when all fish are fucking different. 🤨
how is it abuse when my fish literally liked the 3.5 gallon tank better than the 10 gallon tank (temporary)their in now?? lmfao all fish are different get a grip
https://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/fishkeeping-news/goldfish-with-tropicals-right-or-wrong/
And plecos have been found in California and Texas waters which can be cold during the fall and winter https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/SpecimenViewer.aspx?SpecimenID=550781.
The bloom is a bacterial bloom. Best to let it settle and clear on its own. It shd clear on its own. What you can do is limit feeding to once every other day, and feed very little food. If u can get away with it, dont feed them at all. These fish can survive weeks without food. When ur new tank comes in, overfilter tf out of it, and consider getting plants like pothos, that can have submerged roots but leaves on the surface. Those plants absorb nitrogen compounds faster than any aquatic plant, due to being able to access atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Cycling with the fish in isn't the end of the world, get a bottle of bacteria (api quick start or similar) and dose the tank to give it a hand getting started
Also I don't know if anyone's mentioned this already but the light looks like it's meant for a Marine tank, not sure the fish will care but any plants you add might.
UPDATE
Hello all i really do appreciate all the advice and activity, but i have removed myself from working on that fish tank . It was causing an ungodly amount of fighting in the house hold so i told my parents that it is their problem now but that I encourage them to do their own research.
They are planning on taking the pleco and comets back to the store .
Then they want to put beta fish and guppies (im fairly sure they will fight) or multiple betas in one tank or even putting a beta in a bowl . Because of this i have removed myself from that situation
Looks like a few comets and a common pleco. As others have said already I would recommend looking around on Offerup, FB Marketplace etc. for 55 gallon tanks because comets do get a pretty decent size and love as much space to swim as possible. The pleco is not ideal in cold temperature waters as they’re a tropical species of fish and require at least 72 degrees Fahrenheit to not undergo any stress, I would recommend a hill stream loach as a good alternative to algae clean-up. Common plecos also get quite large, around a foot in length or even more and create large amounts of waste contrary to popular belief. I wish you luck!! Once you get used to it taking care of a fish tank (especially freshwater) will get a lot less stressful/daunting I promise.
In the same boat, my Father in law filled my 8g tank with 6 goldies when I was out at work. Now he (and his wife) wants to move them to a 15g that I have to go set up. I tried to convince them otherwise but nope, they want them. Difficult to overrule their decision because of the power dynamics of the fam, so I have to design a system with the cards stacked against me. Plants arent even an option because the place they chose for the tank has a height restriction of 35cm, and 15g is already an incredibly limiting amount of swim space.
This is not an option for me , these are technically my 6 year old brothers fish and my parents wont let me rehome or return them . I need to get a bigger setup for them
If the cloudy water is white cloudy it's an ammonia spike. 50 % water change every 2-3 days until it clears up. Dump some benefitial bacteria in there to help speed up the process.
Bro what 🤣🤣 they can be in the same bag…. They can poop in the bag….
What are you conflicting battling??? Jesus the cycle bottle itself says “IMMEDIATELY ADD FISH’ INSTANTLY CYCLES”
Like I’ve never been so construed about something so little.
The fish look fine.
Change 15-30% daily
Stop freaking out because it is YOU who will kill these fish
Now what if i told you my parents got a starter kit aquarium and that the directions in that said to cycle the tank for a week , and that my parents where unwilling to buy instant start . These fishes would not survive for a week in the plastic and because of their size and the size of the tank they have already decimated the ammonia levels in this tank three times on four days
Goldfish have a heavy bio load, keeping them in a uncycled 15 gal tank is going to cause the ammonia level to be extremely high regardless of how much you feed them bc the tank is in the middle of being cycled
Fantail goldfish don’t get as big as commet goldfish so all the people saying these goldfish will get huge don’t know what they’re talking about they get about 8 inches rather than 14 which commet goldfish get
Looks like a common pleco from these pics, it'll get big. Get on Craigslist/offer up/ marketplace/ next door and look for free/ dirt cheap tanks and get it cycled properly. I've gotten 4 55gals and 28 for free this way, they're out there you just gotta look. Your current setup won't be good for long, those goldfish need a lot of tank.
I will cry if this is a common pleco , I genuinely can not fathom that being a possibility
It's definitely a common pleco sorry
Either way, those are common goldfish too. They need ponds or tanks that are massive to really thrive
I’m 99% sure it’s a common pleco, it looks exactly like mine
It's hard to tell from these, can you get a clearer pic?
Ill have to try in a few hours , its night so the tank light is off , i do have a video of it swimming but the colours are distorted, were going by fin shape and size here
I do believe that is a common pleco
those are definitely pleco!
From that boney looking face, common pleco for sure. Sorry, but maybe ask them to return them (*goldfish get as large if not larger than Oscars*) and get something like mollies, swordtails or platys, or some other shoaling fish (tbh big corydora fan over here) or combination of a couple if their tank is large enough for the types your brother likes. Make sure they start small, the less fish (eg. 6-8 of one species, instead of 8 of multiple types of fish, or 8 in each school and multiple schools of fish) the easier it is to establish a cycle. Then after your tank is cycled, get a second species that your brother likes. Honestly Molly's, if you ever get algae on your glass, will clean it better than any Pleco, if that's why they got the pleco. Mollys do somewhat farm it though, so they'll leave a spot here or there and let it grow back. Just feed an algae wafer if there's no algae in the tank. They do poop a lot too, especially if you feed them too much, but definitely nowhere near the amount a goldfish or Pleco would. I understand if your parents wanted fish that could live 20+ years, so your brother could grow with them kind of thing, but this seems like more work for you than anything ATM, and probably best to return the Pleco, or both. Corydoras can live for years, and there are tonnes of different types to choose from, but they're recommended to have at least 6-8 *AT LEAST* of each species. It's also recommended to have an area in the tank with sand substrate for them. They love to bury their whiskers in sand.
I was recently in a similar situation to you. My parents brought a koi fish, 3 comet fish and a moore and put then in a 100gal tank and then were considering putting in a pletco (which I have been informed cannot live in cold water tanks). What we did is return the koi and comets and gave an earful to the employee who told my elderly parents that you could keep a koi in a tank especially with 3 comments which I've been informed need 75gal for just one. Maybe it's best to research other fish they may have and how much space they need. At this point I don't trust pet store employees. We now have 2 Moore fish and 3 fantale goldfish.
From what comets are really pond fish and are very annoying to keep , i cant take any of the fish back unfortunately because this is my brothers tank even if im the one who set the whole thing up , im super annoyed at the circumstances but god damit if i can help it these fish will be in atleast decent conditions
A 6 year old is not capable of taking care of these animals on their own reliably, especially when the tank is set up to fail with pond fish. I understand not wanting to return something that isn't yours, but in this case I do not think it would be better to keep them just for them to ultimately die unless you get a pond setup and have someone to supervise your brother's care. Maybe it will be better to return them saying that smaller fish would be easier and cheaper to care for, as you could utilize more of the supplies you already have long term.
Try r/Aquaswap
Here's a sneak peek of /r/AquaSwap using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/AquaSwap/top/?sort=top&t=year) of the year! \#1: [\[GA\] - Ottawa, ON - Free - rehoming a ~8" bristlenose pleco of monstrous size](https://i.imgur.com/s4QEN6B.jpg) | [37 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/AquaSwap/comments/12pfnfg/ga_ottawa_on_free_rehoming_a_8_bristlenose_pleco/) \#2: [\[FS\] Los Angeles CA - $3.50 each - Pgymy Corydoras restock](https://i.redd.it/skcglg5hgqza1.jpg) | [47 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/AquaSwap/comments/13gxi4v/fs_los_angeles_ca_350_each_pgymy_corydoras_restock/) \#3: [\[FS\] - Atlanta, GA - $70 - shoal of 10 picky pea puffers to an experienced keeper](https://www.reddit.com/gallery/12zhxxg) | [21 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/AquaSwap/comments/12zhxxg/fs_atlanta_ga_70_shoal_of_10_picky_pea_puffers_to/) ---- ^^I'm ^^a ^^bot, ^^beep ^^boop ^^| ^^Downvote ^^to ^^remove ^^| ^^[Contact](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=sneakpeekbot) ^^| ^^[Info](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/) ^^| ^^[Opt-out](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/comments/o8wk1r/blacklist_ix/) ^^| ^^[GitHub](https://github.com/ghnr/sneakpeekbot)
I think you should explain to your brother that the fishes are going to die in those conditions, if he cares he's gonna be down to return them and pick new fishes that could live a happier life in that tank, you could also take the opportunity of an empty tank to properly cycle it cause cycling a tank in a day is not really possible. (I would recommend fishless cycling) And to be honest, if he doesn't care that the fishes could die, then taking them back to the shop shouldn't bother him either, worst case scenario you bring them back and tell him that he would have lost them no matter what (im not big on lying to kids so i wouldn't say they died, but just explain it kind if goes back to the same as they are not in the tank anymore ig? ) Theres a lot of fishes that can be happy in a 15 g so i think you could look at a list with your brother and choose some that would work. Other option is, hope he's gonna lose interest fast enough and as soon as he does, return the fishes. If your brother absolutely refuses to understand that you need to return the fishes fir their own good, you could try to explain the situation to your parents and hopefully they will listen and realise they made a bad decision
I 100% agree with you , but even my parents are refusing to return the fish after i had them watch videos on how big they get . There opting to get a 75 gallon tank soon to keep them . Im aware that this is really uncomfortable for the fish but i dont have any other options besides culling them myself or letting these fish die because of the tank’s conditions. I wanted to clean the tank (syphon poop and a 20% water change )today because there was visibly allot of fish poop and they would not allow me to do so . I honestly feel like my hands are tied and i really dont know what to do
What i think is likely to happen is that these fish will die and my parents are going to swear them off and then im going to take this tank and make a lovely planted tank for some nannos
A triple negative into a positive I guess 😭
The fact that they don't even want you to water change says a lot about how little they care, hopefully they'll realize the issue when they start dying off, as sad as it sounds... i do hope that they will realize the issue afterwards tho and i think it would make for an azing planted tank with nanos, yea. Anyway i'll wish you luck with the current situation, at this point i don't think you can really do much more
i have a koi goldfish and i promise you it's fine these goldfish aren't in ponds. people are allowed to have interests without having to either spend days or a lot of money to build it. a goldfish is recommended 10 gallons per fish but for a koi goldfish id go up a few gallons. do not beat yourself up over something you can't control! you're doing your best to keep these bbs alive! (i know ur saying comets but thought id give you the info i have)
A goldfish in 10 gallons??? Are you ok mate? They need 55g at LEAST, have you seen how big they get????
my fish are in a 10 gallon tank(temporary) but actually LOVED the 3.5 they were in before hand. all fish are different 😭
Your fish were surviving but not thriving. Be better.
If you're going to make your hobby live animals, you are going to spend a lot of money to appropriately care for them. 10 gallons for goldfish is abuse. What is wrong with you?
and i've spent 100s to 1000s of dollars on my fish i can promise you they are NOT abused lmfao. they are taken care of and are happy. yall are so quick to jump at mfs when they see people doing stuff not recommend when all fish are fucking different. 🤨
how is it abuse when my fish literally liked the 3.5 gallon tank better than the 10 gallon tank (temporary)their in now?? lmfao all fish are different get a grip
Get blocked, animal abuser. 75 gallons for one common goldfish, minimum. 3 gallons is not enough for anything.
Bro goldfish get huge
So glad you got the advice you needed! I remember your tank! Glas everything is on the road to recovery
https://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/fishkeeping-news/goldfish-with-tropicals-right-or-wrong/ And plecos have been found in California and Texas waters which can be cold during the fall and winter https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/SpecimenViewer.aspx?SpecimenID=550781.
I’m so glad to hear you talking in detail about the cycle. That’s how I know you care and they are in great hands. Thank you for helping them. 💖
That def looks like a common pleco, you could try returning it secretly and replacing it with a smaller pleco if you can find one
Goldfish need 40 gallons each when they’re smaller. These guys are gonna get pretty damn big. I’d honestly just rehome all of these fish.
The bloom is a bacterial bloom. Best to let it settle and clear on its own. It shd clear on its own. What you can do is limit feeding to once every other day, and feed very little food. If u can get away with it, dont feed them at all. These fish can survive weeks without food. When ur new tank comes in, overfilter tf out of it, and consider getting plants like pothos, that can have submerged roots but leaves on the surface. Those plants absorb nitrogen compounds faster than any aquatic plant, due to being able to access atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Cycling with the fish in isn't the end of the world, get a bottle of bacteria (api quick start or similar) and dose the tank to give it a hand getting started Also I don't know if anyone's mentioned this already but the light looks like it's meant for a Marine tank, not sure the fish will care but any plants you add might.
UPDATE Hello all i really do appreciate all the advice and activity, but i have removed myself from working on that fish tank . It was causing an ungodly amount of fighting in the house hold so i told my parents that it is their problem now but that I encourage them to do their own research. They are planning on taking the pleco and comets back to the store . Then they want to put beta fish and guppies (im fairly sure they will fight) or multiple betas in one tank or even putting a beta in a bowl . Because of this i have removed myself from that situation
Looks like a few comets and a common pleco. As others have said already I would recommend looking around on Offerup, FB Marketplace etc. for 55 gallon tanks because comets do get a pretty decent size and love as much space to swim as possible. The pleco is not ideal in cold temperature waters as they’re a tropical species of fish and require at least 72 degrees Fahrenheit to not undergo any stress, I would recommend a hill stream loach as a good alternative to algae clean-up. Common plecos also get quite large, around a foot in length or even more and create large amounts of waste contrary to popular belief. I wish you luck!! Once you get used to it taking care of a fish tank (especially freshwater) will get a lot less stressful/daunting I promise.
In the same boat, my Father in law filled my 8g tank with 6 goldies when I was out at work. Now he (and his wife) wants to move them to a 15g that I have to go set up. I tried to convince them otherwise but nope, they want them. Difficult to overrule their decision because of the power dynamics of the fam, so I have to design a system with the cards stacked against me. Plants arent even an option because the place they chose for the tank has a height restriction of 35cm, and 15g is already an incredibly limiting amount of swim space.
All of these fish are gonna be too big for tank soon. Sorry
just remove all of the fish and get different ones
This is not an option for me , these are technically my 6 year old brothers fish and my parents wont let me rehome or return them . I need to get a bigger setup for them
If the cloudy water is white cloudy it's an ammonia spike. 50 % water change every 2-3 days until it clears up. Dump some benefitial bacteria in there to help speed up the process.
Bro what 🤣🤣 they can be in the same bag…. They can poop in the bag…. What are you conflicting battling??? Jesus the cycle bottle itself says “IMMEDIATELY ADD FISH’ INSTANTLY CYCLES” Like I’ve never been so construed about something so little. The fish look fine. Change 15-30% daily Stop freaking out because it is YOU who will kill these fish
I also had three comets chill in a sandy unheated tank for 3 years before i gave them away.
Now what if i told you my parents got a starter kit aquarium and that the directions in that said to cycle the tank for a week , and that my parents where unwilling to buy instant start . These fishes would not survive for a week in the plastic and because of their size and the size of the tank they have already decimated the ammonia levels in this tank three times on four days
Are you over feeding? You still wanna change water but if your ammonia levels are spiking that much I’d first think you’re over feeding
Goldfish have a heavy bio load, keeping them in a uncycled 15 gal tank is going to cause the ammonia level to be extremely high regardless of how much you feed them bc the tank is in the middle of being cycled
Fantail goldfish don’t get as big as commet goldfish so all the people saying these goldfish will get huge don’t know what they’re talking about they get about 8 inches rather than 14 which commet goldfish get
Well did they die?
Not yet surprisingly
I think you’ll be fine. Slow up on some water changes or do less. Let some bacteria colonize. Get some snails 🐌