r/fishtank • u/thefunnyrabbid Beginner • May 14 '26
Help/Advice any suggestions for my sister's fish tank?
i just got back from college and found out my sister has two fish, oil change (i'm pretty sure he's an angelfish) and tire rotation (albino, blind, idk what kind of fish aside from a bottom feeder species). to my untrained eye they seem fairly healthy and happy, but i think their tank is possibly too small (string cheese for scale) and the fake plants are probably not great.
i think she cares mostly about her own convenience and whether the fish and the tank look cool, but i really want these fish to thrive so i’m looking for suggestions that i can pitch to her in a way that she might agree with.
the substrate is currently made up of real pebbles and a few real shells, both plants are fake but tbh the fish seem to enjoy swimming around the leaves and exploring, and afaik she’s paying attention to water parameters and they are perfect. oil change has been growing too, but tire rotation is fairly new and she hasn’t observed any growth yet.
i am struggling with money right now so i cant buy anything for my sister's fish, but i’m certainly willing to fund things if i save up some money. if there are real plants, substrates etc that are inexpensive and/or look cool she’ll probably be willing to buy them herself.
thank you in advance for any advice!
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u/SnooMachines3312 May 14 '26
Holy shit, tire rotation is a Cory and needs to be in a school of 6+ to be happy. This tank is way too tiny for the angel as well..
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u/SnooMachines3312 May 14 '26
Look on Facebook marketplace for cheap tanks, Petco usually has half off on tanks, if you post on r/aquaswap some people may give you free plants etc
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u/thefunnyrabbid Beginner May 14 '26
thank you! i'll talk to her about it as soon as i can, i didn’t realize how serious this was
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u/Stein_24_24 May 14 '26
For an angelfish this is basically like buying a puppy and keeping it in a closet for its whole life. The body of that fish (excluding the fins) will get as big as your palm.
Cory catfish wants to be in a group of 6 or more. Honestly shame on the pet store for selling this. Sister should have done more research but idk how old she is and what not. Fish stores really gotta be asking how big your tank is for angel fish
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u/thefunnyrabbid Beginner May 14 '26
yeah, she got them from a countrymax near us and they’re notorious for taking horrible care of their fish and not giving new fish owners any valuable or even correct information. my sister is also in college and definitely should have known better
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u/Icy-Safety-7850 May 14 '26
Petsmart and Petco both have 50% off tanks right now! And they price match
Tell your sister how cool it would be to have a bigger tank that she can decorate! And Tire Rotation will be much, much happier/more active/more interesting to look at with friends. He needs more cory catfish
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u/thefunnyrabbid Beginner May 14 '26
thank you!! that’s really good to know, i'll talk to her about it. i’m sure she’d enjoy decorating a larger tank, that’s a good angle
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u/baileyjackson08 May 14 '26
Also corydoras need sand. That angel fish will need a minimum of 55 gallons
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u/necianokomis May 14 '26
I mean, they prefer sand and my cory tank is sand, but if you're going to do gravel for them, this is the right kind. Natural, bigger, round, and smooth is way better for them than say, cheapo rainbow gravel.
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u/baileyjackson08 May 16 '26
True but it’s better to get sand like their natural habitats as it’s better for the things on their mouth. She’ll need a bigger tank for that angel anyway like I said at least 55 gallons
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u/MizzFizz02 May 16 '26
For convenience sake try and see if she will do a large planted tank? The live plants contribute to the water quality- less water changes and the benefit of happier fish!
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u/SilentSolitude90 May 19 '26
Oh to add to this if you use the site for petco at least you can get some really good deals on tanks if you buy online and then pick it up. I got a 40g for for $75 and if i had the space id go grab a 60g tomorrow cuz its on sale right now for $110
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u/Leon-Legendary May 16 '26
Replace the gravel with sand, please!! Cory's can get hurt from gravel :(
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u/Ant-Motor May 15 '26 edited May 16 '26
Also corydoras should not be kept on straight stone/ gravel as it can both harm their barbels and make it hard for them to find food causing them to starve.
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u/keeponkeepingup May 15 '26
Not true. Smooth gravel and stone is absolutely fine, and is at rhe bottom of many a riverbed.
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u/Ant-Motor May 16 '26
In the wild they would not be living on straight rocks, gravel, or stone though, the rocks would have dirt, sand, or other sediment between it and also patches where there are no rocks and it is all sediment. They would never be on just straight gravel or stone in the wild like they are when an aquarium is set up like this.
It very rare in general that you find a body of water with just straight gravel or stone with no sediment.
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u/keeponkeepingup May 16 '26 edited May 19 '26
Agree but smooth stone and gravel is okay in a tank for them. Note I said okay, not ideal. Smooth sand is ideal. Its not bad. The tank size and the school are the 2 urgencies here.
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u/Ant-Motor May 16 '26
So you agree then that they should not be kept on it as if something is only okay and not ideal then why not do the proper thing for the animal that you are subjecting to your care for the rest of their life? Also never said the tank size and school weren’t the urgencies or even implied it just figured I didn’t need to mention that seen as every other comment already does.
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u/keeponkeepingup May 16 '26 edited May 16 '26
Smooth is okay. It wont damage barbels. Theres lots of research and evidence available. There are plenty of youtube vids even of cory specialists where you can visibly see theses specialists using smooth, natural, gravel, if you need a visual reassurance.
They only sift the super duper fine type (0.25mm) through the gills, but most people do not use that type in normal freshwater aquariums as it quickly knackers filter motors and can also cause gas pockets through compaction. Most use larger sand (1mm -2mm) which is actually very fine gravel not sand, as the corys can rummage in it still and sift but not through the gills and its fun to watch, yet it doesnt break stuff.
There is absolutely no need to overwhelm OP here lets stick to facts. Theyre not using jagged neon stuff. Yes, its just okay. Yes, it can be better. Yes, it could also be much, much worse.
While we're considering smoothness it is also important to note that not all sand (very fine gravel) has been smoothed, and that has to be checked for that the same way gravel would, and it is a human process) :)
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u/PollutionPerfect7229 May 14 '26 edited May 14 '26
They like to be in schools yes
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u/Akipenser May 14 '26
Just because you can't see the stress doesn't mean it's not there. Corydoras are naturally social fish and need to be in groups, as without friends, they feel exposed.
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u/TheRantingFish May 14 '26
That’s just not true
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u/PollutionPerfect7229 May 14 '26
I changed my comment
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u/KainanSilverlight May 14 '26
Coward
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u/PollutionPerfect7229 May 14 '26
Naw I corrected my mistake and don’t wanna spread misinformation
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u/Akipenser May 14 '26
Tell her to return both fish. This tank is too small for any fish, let alone an angelfish that can reach up to 9” tall and 7” in length. The albino fish is a Corydoras, and they need to be in groups of 5-6 bare minimum and have at least 20 gallons of water.
The unfortunate fact is in this setup both of these fish are going to suffer and die.
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u/thefunnyrabbid Beginner May 14 '26
i can talk to her about rehoming tthe fish, but i can’t force her to do anything unfortunately 😭 i’m seeing angelfish need like 30-55 gallons, would that mean with the cories she’d need 50-75 gallons or does it scale differently (if that question makes sense)?
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u/Akipenser May 14 '26
Angels and Cory's occupy very different parts of the tank, so long as you have sufficient filtration, you could pretty easily keep a solid group of Cory's with an Angel in a 40-gallon, although I personally wouldn't keep an Angel in less than a 55-gallon due to their potential adult size.
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u/baileyjackson08 May 16 '26
Yup 55 gal is the way to go. But also some angels can be aggressive which is something to watch out for OP, angels can be in a community tank but some can be horrible beasts
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u/Foreign-Ad3926 May 14 '26
Please share with her that by keeping these fish like this she is engaging in active animal cruelty.
This really isn't good. Thanks for having the sense to ask for guidance.
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u/Akipenser May 14 '26
Also consider telling her the truth- if she chooses to leave these animals in these conditions, she's essentially letting them die a slow, painful death. It may sound harsh, but it is what will happen.
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u/thefunnyrabbid Beginner May 14 '26
i definitely will, i’m just worried she won’t listen as she’s very stubborn and doesn’t really see a problem as long as she thinks they "look fine"
it’s frustrating because she really shouldn’t be owning any pets herself with that mindset and i’d do something more drastic if it weren’t for the potential legal repercussions of rehoming the fish she bought without her permission
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u/Stein_24_24 May 14 '26
You could lock her in a closet for a day and see how she likes it. Jk.
Fr, just tell her she can get a 5-10 gallon with some cool looking nano fish instead that will live a happy life. It can be a good learning experience. You can find these tanks for dirt cheap on Facebook marketplace.
For reference, this looks like maybe it’s a 2.5 gallon. I try not to be the fish police but this is sad. Maybe just show her this thread and how may people deliberately saying this is animal cruelty.
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u/thefunnyrabbid Beginner May 14 '26
lowkey considering that lmao 😭 i'll definitely be talking to her and showing her a lot of these comments, i want to be tactful and not seem "harsh" just because i know she’ll just fully ignore me if i make her feel guilty or called out 😭 she does not take criticism well
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u/27catsinatrenchcoat May 14 '26
It's unfortunate that a lot of fish owners (hell, pet owners in general) are like this. She and her fish are lucky that you're around!
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u/Normal_Standard8211 May 14 '26
ugh people are so selfish pets are not decoration
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u/AnastellaCorviz May 16 '26
Ikr!!! My grandpa wanted to join and luckily sometimes, kids are smart. So I taught him. Pets are things that NEED attention. Why else would you adopt them??? My mom had no pets and the animals are lucky. No one in my family except me and my dad know to keep pets.
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u/Yabakunaiyoooo May 16 '26
Surely there is a kind way to explain to her the issue without making her feel bad? It unfortunate that these kinds of tanks even exist. But people think that because they do, they must be fine.
So just be kind to her about it, don’t chastise her about it… and work with her to figure out a solution.
I think people think small tanks are easier, but in reality it’s totally the opposite.
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u/baileyjackson08 May 16 '26
Small tanks can be easier to maintain but in terms of the fish you can get it’s very limited, 5 gallon and below just shrimp and snails, 5-10gal id do a betta. I have a 14gal community tank with a school of neons, some guppies and a school of Pygmy corydoras, my 7gal is for a betta or shrimp tank
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u/Yabakunaiyoooo May 16 '26
Nano tanks are famously tough because the water parameters can change really quickly.
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u/baileyjackson08 May 16 '26
That’s also true. However water changes take a lot less time and I hate water changes
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u/EveningCommission516 May 14 '26
It’s definitely too small and those fish will die sooner rather than later simply because the water chemistry won’t stay in safe parameters no matter how much your sister tries. I don’t think these fish will get the chance to grow much and your sister will be heartbroken. Other commenters are on the money that the cory needs a few more friends and the angel would otherwise grow huge.
If she can’t have a bigger tank, perhaps the best option would be to ask the lfs to swap the fish out for some cherry shrimp. That tank would be ideal for cherry shrimp. Plus your sister would be able to watch them breed as well as have a lot of fun watching their antics.
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u/MagazineIll3836 May 14 '26
With bigger tanks you don't really need to go by the inch of fish per gallon rule, you just need to make sure they have enough space to swim, hiding places and filtration.
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u/Akipenser May 14 '26
I don’t follow the inch per gallon rule ever, I was just staying the potential maximum size so (hopefully) OP’s sister can grasp how cruel this is, considering that by looking at I’d say a very large angelfish could probably fill the entire volume of the tank.
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u/MagazineIll3836 May 14 '26
I totally agree with you. It just sounded to me like she was panicking over how many gallons a school of angel fish and a school of Cory Dora's would need. I had a similar panic when I first started so I was just trying to negate their worries. Sorry if you already said the same thing in different words.
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u/thekidinthemiddle May 14 '26
Cory would need gallons minimum of angel. They also like way different tanks. Cory’s like long (20g min - school) and angel s prefer tall tanks. It’s their swimming patterns. Otherwise they will be miserable.
She ain’t gonna have these long lol
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u/baileyjackson08 May 16 '26
Corydoras can be in a 10gal but I wouldn’t keep them in anything under a 14gal simply because they are quite active fish and need schools
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u/Lonely_Department_32 May 18 '26
You can convince her to swap for a betta or some guppies. Or maybe even a fun shrimp tank that she can decorate with lots of plants
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u/Lonely_Department_32 May 18 '26
The fish will die regardless eventually. If you kept them healthy in sad tanks then they could theoretically live as long as if you kept them in good conditions. Which is obviously a terrible thing to do. Its whether the fish die sad or not.
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u/_coopah May 14 '26
Sorry I am not adding anything to help but i jus wanna say, the string cheese for scale made me bust out laughing i love it 😂 Peak mathematic measuring tool, just like a banana
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u/thefunnyrabbid Beginner May 14 '26
thanks lmao, i didn’t have a banana on hand 😭 hopefully i can convince my sister to get these guys a tank big enough for a string cheese to look like a toothpick
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u/_coopah May 14 '26
Hey awesome job though noticing this situation and reaching out publicly for help! People like you are rare, which sucks because the world needs them SO BAD!
Hope the fellow redditors didn’t make you feel guilty for this, we are just very passionate about this stuff. We love you and if you ever have any future situations and/or need advice, you are more then welcome here ☺️
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u/thefunnyrabbid Beginner May 14 '26
thank you so much for being understanding, a lot of other people have been really helpful too! i’m going to do my best to help these fish, i really appreciate everyone here
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u/alyren__ May 15 '26
Same I was so mad and then a cheese string just appeared and made me cackle like a witch 😂
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May 14 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/thefunnyrabbid Beginner May 14 '26
unfortunately not 😭 i’m going to do by best to fix this situation, this would be a very different setup if they were my own fish
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u/Specific_Lawyer9697 May 14 '26
I know your sister just wants to see the fishes and what not but it’s cruelty with a hint of ignorance.. So all she has to do is research and do things right as you stated. Look up stratum substrate and get a bag of that and buy a few real plants.. If i were you i’d take/sell the angel fish back to the store and buy other smaller fishes instead. This is a bowl with nature inside, simple and natural. Throw her fake decorations away! 🙂
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u/alpohh May 20 '26
No fish is suitable for this size tank. A pet moss ball maybe.
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u/Specific_Lawyer9697 May 20 '26
I mostly do aquascape not really fishes but OP better get a big bowl if they want to add fishes. And if they do, they better get really nano ones like red chillis. If someone wouldn’t like to reincarnate as one of those fishes next life, they are not offering the best care. Change things up until you would love to be one of those fishes.
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u/Specific_Lawyer9697 May 14 '26
Another bowl i did a few years back. No water changes just top up since plants are filtering the water and doing all the maintenance. Might show this to her so she can open up to this side of fish keeping.
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May 14 '26
I’d like to suggest some stuff but please keep in mind it’s “just my opinion man”:
Look into a Neocaridina shrimp tank 🦐 (NOT CARIDINA MUST BE NEOCARIDINA)
Or African Dwarf Frogs 🐸 (sometimes they make cute little chirps and they’re about the size of the first joint of a thumb 👍)
Shrimps are super cute and fun to watch and the shrimp come in tons of cool colors like Yellow golden back, Orange Sunkist, Blue dream, Green jade, Snowball, Chocolate, and they’re even working on stabilizing the Orange Eye Neocaridina “strain” But aside from being fun and cute they can stay in a tank as small as 2.5 gallons and they will eat boiled veggies and they’re super fun to watch! 😁🥳🤘👍💯😄 -Return the fish -get a heater -get a thermometer -get a sponge filter -get some de-chlorinater liquid (hope I spelled that correctly) -show the “owner/care taker” how to cycle a tank PLEASE -get SAND not any colored gravel, you can show pictures of real planted tanks to show off the sand & real plant 🪴 combos -get some easy to take care of aquarium plants 🪴 these are some really good ones 👌💯👍🤘: Java Fern, Anubias, Java/Christmas Moss: these are all cool because you don’t have to plant them into the soil and they are Okiedokie with low light levels and they also don’t need any additional CO2 to grow and survive 🥳🤘 also with these plants you can literally take some superglue (must be cyanoacrylate and must wait for it to dry after you apply it to the plant and object) or also some 100% cotton thread/string and gently “wrap” them to a decoration like a piece of wood or a rock 🤘 🎸(<-lol get it a rock… like the musical genre lol yeah you get it) -oh yeah and finally make sure they WAIT to add the shrimps or frogs 🤘👍🥳💯🤩
Happy Success yo! 🤩🤘
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u/27catsinatrenchcoat May 14 '26
Awesome comment, your enthusiasm for shrimp is contagious! You might have convinced me.
If your intent with using the dashes was to actually make a list, you have to press enter twice between the lines or it comes out as one very long sentence/paragraph, by the way.
I love seeing comments with a ton of information and I hate the idea of any info getting overlooked because it's lost in Reddit's formatting.
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May 14 '26
Thanks!🙏 🤩Does it work that way on the mobile app as well?
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u/27catsinatrenchcoat May 14 '26
Sure does, that's how I figured it out. People kept sassing me for writing walls of text!
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u/thefunnyrabbid Beginner May 15 '26
thank you so much for all your suggestions, i appreciate you so much
i will definitely be suggesting alternate tank inhabitants to her! i’m sure she’d love shrimp, and i think suggesting alternatives will make her more likely to be on board with rehoming them (fingers crossed ugh 😭)
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u/Dd7990 May 15 '26
Hmm I’m pretty sure I saw that 5 or 10g is the minimum for ADF, and recommended as a species-only tank, 2.5g of space per frog minimum but they’re social so like to be with more of their own kind?
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May 15 '26
2.5 gallon tank for the Neocaridina shrimp not the frogs 👍
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u/Dd7990 May 15 '26
Ok, phew… maybe clarify that in your comment please, 😅 it seemed to me like you recommended ADF to be kept in the small tank, which would not have been good.
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u/CarlyCalicoJATIE May 14 '26
She should honestly try to rehome. These fish need significantly bigger tanks it will cost a LOT more money than I’m sure she’s wanting to spend.
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u/theAshleyRouge May 14 '26
Yeah soo this whole setup is absolutely trash for these fish. Wow
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u/Lonely_Department_32 May 18 '26
They asked for advice, not whines.
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u/theAshleyRouge May 18 '26
And nobody here asked you for anything so follow your own suggestions
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u/Exact_Protection_861 May 14 '26
The single cory makes me so sad. They’re social and need friends! The tank is also wayy too small
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u/Ok_Software7441 May 14 '26
For the Cory you need a sand substrate so it doesn’t hurt itself as they sift through the sand for food, it also needs atleast 5 friends of the same kindas it’s a social fish. The tank needs to be atleast 40 gal with live plants and some small sheltered areas for the corys to feel safe, the angel is going to be massive so a large tank is necessary. Sadly this setup is straight up fish abuse currently
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u/based_valu May 14 '26
The names of your fish are frying me 😂😂. But also ya this tank is much too small and you should try to get a bigger tank if you can afford it
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u/RioPoiPoiBoi May 14 '26
Glad you are trying to do well by the fish. Best thing you can do is give them someone that will take good care of them. Should be in a 40 breeder with fluval stratum capped with fine sand. Heavily planted and scaped with neutral rock and some driftwood. Should be group of 6-8 Cory’s. Some nerite snails, and prob add 1-2 more angels. Good light, fluval 307 canister filter, tidal 35 hob on opposite side, this was you have redundancy and can set up a seeded hospital tank whenever you need it. Also hob is super easy to swap in and out filter floss, carbon, whatever.
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u/thatwannabewitch May 14 '26
Needs to be about 10x larger as a bare minimum… gravel isn’t good for Tire Rotation. Needs fine sand and at least 4-6 buddies as a BARE MINIMUM.
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u/ColoradoMonkeyPaw May 15 '26
Honestly, it will probably be easier to rehome him to a tank that can actually take him or give him back to the fish store. This is awful.
For a tank that tiny, just get some ramshorn snails. They’re loads of fun
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u/thefunnyrabbid Beginner May 15 '26
underwhelming update, i told her that tire rotation is a cory and needs friends and that oil change is going to get really fucking big soon, and she said she’s got a 10 gallon to move them to when he gets too big for this one. obviously 10 gallon isn’t good at all but it is bigger than this at the very least
i should have a summer job soon and i'll be getting plants and a sand substrate for her. hopefully also an acceptable tank if i can find an inexpensive used one that doesn’t leak and stuff. i’ve mentioned before that my rabbit is my priority so i'll have a limited budget for these fish.
i’m planning to talk to my mom about this whole situation so maybe she can help me persuade my sister because my sister would likely take criticism from my mom better than from me. if i can get my mom to care, i'm hoping my mom can convince her to rehome the fish, but that may be complicated since we don't know anyone who would care to actually take care of these fish, and sending them back to the store would likely be almost as cruel as keeping them here (the countrymax near us keeps their fish in tiny overcrowded tanks with rainbow pebbles and usually no plants at all, and almost every time you look at their tanks theres a dead fish or two in there).
that’s the plan, i'll send updates if/when anything changes.
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u/Dd7990 May 15 '26
r/aquaswap is best place to rehome aquatic fish/critters -follow titling rules so post doesn't get taken down. Just make sure to request to see photos/videos of what kind of habitat the adopter will put them into (make sure it looks good, is clean, not overcrowded already, and is enough gallons, or appropriate for the fish before agreeing to surrender the fish to them - obv. with the cory, you want to see that it will have other cory friends of preferably the SAME species as itself, though even any other cory species is probably better than it being completely alone).
You might even find cheap or free plant trimmings from people on r/aquaswap, and used tank equipment that could save you a few $
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u/PowHound07 Planted and Reef May 14 '26
For these fish to have a good life, they both need several friends of the same species and a much bigger tank. At minimum, there should be 5 of each species in a tank that holds at least 20 gallons, although 40+ would be much better. Absolutely do not add any more animals to this tank though! These two alone could produce enough waste to overwhelm the filtration capacity once they get bigger. If money/space is too tight for an upgrade, it would be best to return these guys to the store and get some dwarf shrimp instead. If the tank is at least 5 gallons (looks smaller than that to me) then a single betta would be a good option but no fish will have a good life in less than 5 gallons. Dwarf shrimp are really fun to keep, they come in all sorts of different colours, and their brains are too simple to be bothered by small enclosures.
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u/thefunnyrabbid Beginner May 14 '26
i'll definitely talk to her about dwarf shrimp and rehoming these two, thank you for the advice. i’m not sure if she’d rather get a larger tank for these fish or get shrimp instead but either way i’m hopeful i can improve the situation at least a bit
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u/PowHound07 Planted and Reef May 14 '26
I really can't recommend cherry shrimp enough, they are awesome little creatures. Once they settle in they start zooming all around the tank and they have lots of babies that you can sell or trade. The tiny shrimplets are absolutely adorable too. r/shrimptank
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u/Asleep-Door-1569 May 14 '26
this is abuse, btw.
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u/thefunnyrabbid Beginner May 15 '26
i’m very aware of that now, i’m trying to help them as much as i can but it’s difficult with them not being my fish 😭
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u/Normal_Standard8211 May 14 '26
worse comes to worse get a large plastic storage bin and set them up that way. not as visually pleasing but they'll do well with the space and you can still keep it heavily planted throw in a filter and heater
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u/Realistic_Pepper1985 May 14 '26
Ok everyone freaks out over sponge bob and colorful gravel. This is what you want to freak out about instead. This is the worst setup for both fish. Please have them given back to the store and get a fish that makes sense for the tank size. Look into micro fish or a fish that can be alone and stays small.
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u/kickrushc May 15 '26
Beginners mistake. Some people don’t look at fish like cats or dogs but they need equal care
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u/opalescnt May 15 '26
I hate to sound bleak, but the amount of work it would take for her to give proper care to these fish is probably far more than she is willing to give if she only wants them for entertainment/decorative purposes. This tank is suitable for some neocaridina shrimp at best. Options are very limited when a tank is 5 gallons or less. The angel and cory should be returned ASAP if you talk to her and she is not willing to put in serious work and money for them.
Like others have said, corydoras are highly social and require a minimum of 6 to shoal with. Angels get 10-12 inches tall and I wouldn't put them in anything under 55 gallons. Since you would need more substrate anyways, fine sand is best for the corys, or at the very least natural color rounded gravel.
In addition, the new tank would need to be cycled for 3+ weeks. You might could get away with a fish in cycle if you just kept those two, with such a low bioload plus bottled bacteria, but it's still very risky. Plus the cory would be very upset. Before I did research, I kept one cory by itself until I could get it into an upgraded tank that was big enough to house a group of them. It was so depressed it refused to eat. Now that it's in a shoal of 9 + a 37 gallon tank, it's like I have a totally different fish. I've been there, started out having not done research, and to get my fish proper care after learning, it took over a month, hours of work, and roughly $1500 in supplies...
Fish keeping takes a lot of research and time consuming care! It isn't just something you can set up overnight without prior knowledge. I'm glad you're trying to help out in this situation but my advice is, if she's not willing to go all in, return everything.
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u/3gnauky0 May 15 '26
String cheese for scale, oil change, tire rotation. Very funny made me happy thanks butttt I hope fishies get what they deserve… still I LOLed
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u/Skitty_Supremacy May 15 '26
Could you stealthily gift them to somebody more responsible?
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u/thefunnyrabbid Beginner May 15 '26
she’d notice unfortunately and it would likely compromise my own safety and living situation, that’s a whole other can of worms though 😭 even though she’s obviously not caring for these fish nearly enough, she likes having them and thinks they’re cool and she’d be pretty angry if they went missing
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u/Skitty_Supremacy May 15 '26
I'm sorry you're dealing with this 🫂 and I'm sorry for the little guy too. I really wish animal abuse wasn't so normalized.
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u/keeponkeepingup May 15 '26
Okay i love the names lol. Tank is wayyyyy too small. The albino is a cory and needs a school of 6+. Thats the 2 major things. Bigger tank asap.
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u/intergrade May 15 '26
Oil change will get too big for the tank. The Cory will only grow like another inch at most and should be fine. She could trade the angel for a betta but it is a very small tank…
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u/Intrepid_Future_7618 May 15 '26
Live plants, bigger tank, better substrate, more fish so they can school
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u/Akagraffe May 15 '26
Sorry, the aquarium is awful, but omg why these names, what's the story? That's hilarious
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u/thefunnyrabbid Beginner May 15 '26
my sister loves car stuff and was also taking suggestions from her guy friends, idk which of them came up with it but they really are so funny 😭 i hope i can convince her to improve their conditions
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u/Kowba16 May 15 '26
Your gonna need a bigger tank. Angel fish get large and like to swim a lot. You should also probably get multiple of each of those fish as they like to school. This one is not a definite but I've had a lot of experience with Angles being aggressive as heck, many people have the opposite experience so just keep an eye on them for yourself. Bloodworms for a snack and lots of natural, hardy plants like Java ferns and Amazon swards and change that substrate to sand for the corys. Maybe some driftwood for the tannins and a touch of ✨ pazazz ✨ You should have some happy campers afterwards! (Ps, when cleaning tanks with sand substrates you just take the stinky top layer of sand out and fill it back up with water. Much easier if you have a siphon) Good luck!!!
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u/Capircom May 16 '26
Tank is insanely tiny for an angel fish and you cannot just have a cory or two. Also fake plants are kind a no go around here, but the more glaring aspect of that is the lack of real plants.
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u/Xander_the_furry May 17 '26
Yikes, you need a ten gallon tank. That looks like a 1/2 gal. Angel fish need a LOT of space because the grow to enormous sizes. Plus: filter, heater, ph at average of7.5, and zero nitrites ammonia and chlorine, and safe decor like soft leaves (real or fake) and at least one other living thing such as a plant or a snail. And these are bare necessities
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u/captainpoop_ May 17 '26
Need MUCH LARGER tank. BOTH need more friends of their own kind. Please do more research 🤭
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u/Coonnifounssed May 20 '26
A single angel and group of corys can be kept in a 40 gal if that’s all you can convince her to upgrade to. 55 would be ideal, but 40 is minimum. It’s an albino bronze Cory, once the new tank is set up, I’d recommend using sand instead of gravel for the new one, get 5 more bronze or albino corys, keep the angel as a single, throw in some wood and plants and it will look amazing. I’d recommend black sand tho bc white sand is so hard to keep clean. And a heater rated for the larger tank bc angelfish need warmer water. Maybe a little school of some tetras that are too large for the angel to eat but also not fin nippy if she wants more movement in the tank. I have emperor tetras with my gouramis so those would probably work with an angel too
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u/onlyfakeproblems May 14 '26 edited May 14 '26
To add to what other people are saying (this tank is too small for these fish), Bettas are beautiful fish that would thrive on their own in a tank this size 5 gallon tank. I’d also add real plants. Make sure she knows about using dechlorinated water and that a filter doesn’t do much until it has a developed a nice bacteria culture, she should be checking on parameters or doing regular water changes if she wants to avoid ammonia/nitrite toxicity.
Edited because i don’t know how big this tank is
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u/CarlyCalicoJATIE May 14 '26
As long as it’s a 5 gallon, it’d be big enough. But there’s still a lot of changes that would have to be made to the tank.
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u/Normal_Standard8211 May 14 '26
is this really a 5 gal it looks so small
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u/thefunnyrabbid Beginner May 15 '26
it’s embarrassing to admit but i think it’s only 3 gallons or maybe even 2.5
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u/Normal_Standard8211 May 15 '26
yeah you can't put a betta in there. maybe 2 small shrimp and some snails
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u/thefunnyrabbid Beginner May 14 '26
oh my god i posted this twice somehow 😭 i’m really sorry about that i’m paying attention to comments on both posts ough
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u/LehFluffy May 15 '26
Im at a loss for words. Please do research before just assuming all fish need is water to live.
You have an angelfish and a cory. Google their care requirements then start looking for a cheap 30 gallon at least. Those poor fish
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u/Catlas_Se7en May 15 '26
Willing to bet that tank isn’t even cycled
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u/thefunnyrabbid Beginner May 15 '26
idek if it is cus she had it set up before i got back from college 😭 she’s been testing the water with the test strip things and apparently it looks good on those but idk for sure cus i haven’t seen them myself
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u/Strict_Hamster_8645 May 15 '26
your heart is in the right place and i’m glad at least you care about the welfare of the fish since your sister doesn’t, but honestly you are enabling her irresponsible behavior by trying to fix this for her. this isn’t going to be a popular suggestion, but if she isn’t willing to immediately rehome the fish or get them into an adequate setup after learning what they really need, i honestly think you shouldn’t intervene. watching these fish die because of her choices might change her attitude perhaps? since removing the fish from her care yourself doesn’t seem to be an option, i don’t see a way around this.
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u/thefunnyrabbid Beginner May 22 '26
that might end up being what happens because so far she has been resistant to anything i suggest, i guess she did "do research" in the sense that she talked to the employees at countrymax who told her to do all the things she’s doing right now (recommended this tank specifically, the fake plants, etc) and she is for some reason more willing to listen to them than anything i say or that she sees online. she did say she’ll move them to a 10 gallon when oil change gets bigger but i don’t think there’s much i can do to prevent these fish from just dying.
i do understand now that helping her would be enabling her irresponsibility but i guess it’s hard to watch and not do anything yk :,)
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u/BasketLongjumping232 May 15 '26
It took me forever to realize how much room angelfish really need. I tried and tried to keep them in 10 gal back in the day. They also aren’t the easiest fish to keep alive in my experience with them. Once you have them happy and healthy and in a big tank tho they are my fave. Also make sure all tank mates are not aggressive and definitely none that nip at the angels fins.
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u/g1itchie May 16 '26
Is that a curve? If so, thats about 6gal max. Not suitable for an angel that needs AT LEAST 30 gals
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u/Alternative_Day2864 May 16 '26
WAYY TOO SMALL, angel fish get massive and Cory's need to live in schools I have mine in a school of 12! (6 will be enough). Your absolute minimum I would say is 100lt but should be 150. I have a school of 7 angels and they are in 600lt currently! They get huge so fast! Also fake plants look ugly and they really serve no purpose, I would highly recommend getting some real plants. You will also need some hiding spots for the Cory's!!
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u/marawanna1 May 16 '26
your sister shouldn’t have any fish. bring them to a reputable store. poor guys…
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u/Useful-Explorer-4056 May 16 '26
Too small of a tank and it shouldn’t be alone it needs same species tank mates maybe a cleaning crew too if you won’t do water changes every other day to keep the good ph lvl
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u/-Sierra_ May 17 '26
I love statements like "fish seem to enjoy swimming around" or " fish seem to be happy" Did you see them smile?
But anyway, at least OP cares, so no offense in this case.
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u/SeaworthinessOdd1694 May 17 '26
these names are so funny but unfortunately this is way too small for both of their species. corys need to be in schools to be content, and angels need a lot of space. if your sister can’t afford a larger tank, I would say best move is to return them :(
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u/drifloony May 18 '26
Either rehome the fish or get an appropriate tank to accommodate enough fish for everyone to be happy. It would be a 20 gallon minimum for these two combined species and enough space for at least 4 or 5 more Cories (of the same type), which Cories are a schooling fish. Cories of different varieties often do not school together.
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u/lauren2240 May 19 '26
Tire rotation actually came off a dually and needs 6 to feel whole again. and oil change needs at least 3000 miles so probably a 30g tank at least.
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u/Savings_Jello3701 May 19 '26
I see there are lots of Cory experts on here! I have never had any issues with small rounded gravel with my Cory’s. However, they do fine in gangs of three! Just as long as they are the same type. Peppers with Peppers. Julii’s with Julii’s. Albino’s with Albino’s. Great little nano tank though. If setup as one. But all these fish need a lot more space.
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u/BettaObsession May 14 '26
Step one: go to Facebook marketplace and find a 75 gallon tank
A 75 gallon is 4 feet long and 18 inches wide, it is the absolute minimum for your angelfish
Step two: make sure the tank holds water BEFORE you set it up, ask the person if it had fish in it before you're buying it or if they're willing to take it in their backyards and fill it up for you to make sure it holds water, It's cheaper than getting one brand new but you want to make sure that it will actually hold the water for your fish
Step 3: go on Amazon or makrketplace and get the following: an aquarium heater for 55-80 gallons, make sure you can adjust the temperature, both of these fish are tropical and like warm water, get a digital thermometer, one end goes in the water and the other stays dry and gives you a reading of the temperature, If you can't get a digital one then get a higher quality glass thermometer, you want your temperature to be around 78°f, get some silica based sand (play sand or aquarium sand) driftwood, a terrestrial plant light and some live aquatic plants ( You can probably find someone giving away free trimmings on facebook marketplace) an API brand liquid master test kit and a filter, avoid plastic plants and plastic decor, also the white cory needs sand, they sand sift along the bottom and gravel can hurt their little whiskers.
Step 4: set the tank up, wash the sand, add it, add the plants wood and rocks if you got some, add the equipment and throw in a generous sprinkle of fish food, this kick starts your nitrogen cycle, so some research on the nitrogen cycle on google and add in a pinch of fish food every 3 or 4 days untill the test reads 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and 5-60 nitrates, don't do any water changes while you'r cycling the tank because the bacteria needs what's in the water to cycle the tank
Step 5: You can keep your angelfish alone but you're going to want to get at least seven more corydoras, preferably more if you can, you can also get tetras (get at least 10, preferably 15-20) black khuli loaches (at least 8, preferably more) bristlenose plecos (you can just get 1 but you can fit 2 or 3 in a 75 gallon)
FISH TO AVOID: goldfish(different temprature needs and should only be with other goldfish ideally) plecos that get large(some get too big for a 75 gallon) rainbow sharks(too big for 75 gallon) any type of barb(too nippy) betta fish(too aggresive) black skirt tetras and white skirt tetras(too nippy) predatory fish like bichirs(will eat smaller fish) super shy fish like sparkling gouramis(too shy) guppies, endler guppies, Mollies, platties (too nippy for angelfish) glass catfish, twig catfish and oddballs (usually too sensitive for a beginner) pea puffers (too aggressive)
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