I had to move my cories, bnose pleco and siamese algae eaters from my 55 gallon over to my 30 gallon because of the salt I use for my swordtails and platies.

Right now the fish who are living in the 30 gallon are
7 female bettas
2 ottos
4 SAE's
2 bnose plecos
7 cories

Can the 2 bnose plecos live in a 30 gallon or am I seriously overstocking the tank now??

This post has been edited by Elisabeth83: Jun 8 2005, 11:30 AM

stocking wise i think you will be perfectly fine doing that....however, 2 bristlenoses together in a relatively small tank could cause territory battles...give them plenty of hiding spots and watch them to see if there is any bullying going on..but i think it should work out fine

7 female bettas (7 x 1.5" = 10.5")
2 ottos (2 x 1" = 2")
4 SAE's (4 x 6" = 24")
2 bnose plecos (2 x 6" = 12")
7 cories (7 x 3" = 21")

Total number of inches : 69.5"
that just does not add up to fish fitting into a 30 gallon

Those are my rough calculations, so in my opinion that's overstocking in a BIG way

This post has been edited by bloozoo2: Jun 8 2005, 11:57 AM

The bettas are about 1.5 inches and the ottos are about an inch but the siamese algae eaters are only about 2.5 inches right now (they grow quite slow) one of the bnose plecos is about 5 inches and the other is about 2.5 inches. Also the cories are about 1-1.5 inches.

I'm thinking about getting rid of the SAE's though. If I get rid of them does everything else sound ok?

didn't realize SAE's got THAT big ....but rarely do bnoses get to 6" ..more like 4" ... but bloozoo is right, with the SAE's it is overstocked (or will be overstocked if they are small ATM)...i think if you got rid of the SAE's though, the tank stocking would be OK

EDIT: not to mention that female bettas, otos, and cories don't produce a TON of waste

haha, i guess i answered your question about the SAE's before i even read it~!

This post has been edited by abstract: Jun 8 2005, 12:12 PM

At first I thought it looked ok, but after having seen bloozoos calculation I crept out and looked at my own 2 tanks (together they are just a little bigger than 30 gallons) -and I really can't see all those fish in there. In particular, you are very bottom heavy; also, bristlenoses are heavy waste producers.

Do you have to use salt with your swordtails and platys? Though I know they can take it, it is not an absolute requirement, is it? They are not brackish fish. Mine have always been happy without it.

I realise your water is likely to be softer than mine, but I did keep both kinds in my young days when I lived in a soft-water area in Sweden, and they were about the only fish who were happy in my tank (sad story this, but hopefully I have become a better fishkeeper since). Would it not be possible to gradually cut down on their salt, with a view to transferring the BN's to the larger tank eventually. In the meantime you will want to keep up with the water changes.

Yes I agree the bottom is quite crowded That's what I am worried about that the bnoses will produce too much waste for a 30 gallon. Since adding the fish aboud 4 days ago I've actually done 2 water changes. Just to keep everything under control until I figure out what I'm going to do.

Yeah I have to have the salt in with the platies and swordies. They are prone to columnaris and since I started adding the salt I haven't had an outbreak. I know at my lfs they also keep their platies and swordies in some salt.

I'm thinking about getting rid of the SAE's and the 2 ottos. I'm still thinking that the 2 plecos in the tank will still be too much?

Also keep in mind that in smaller space & over crowding (or for that matter even without those factors) common bristle noses can be quite bossy and territorial. You might have more than what you can cope with and will be putting a great deal of stress on your fish.
That's my humble opinion.

30 Gallon 36 1/4 x12 5/8 x16 3/4


that is the size of the tank right?

if it IS 3 feet, it is my opinion that 7 cories and 2 BN's are fine together on the bottom...that really is a pretty large footprint for the tank

I'm not sure what the measurments are in inches but in centimeters the tank measures 80x35x40.

So in your opinions if I got rid of the SAE's and the ottos would I then be ok?

Right now everyone is getting along...it's only been 4 days though. I do have nice pieces of wood in the tank where the bnoses spend most of their time.

edit: The measurments in inches are 31.5x13.7x15.7

This post has been edited by Elisabeth83: Jun 8 2005, 12:40 PM

with the otos it would still be fine...but the BN's and the otos will be competing for algae most likely leading to the death of the otos, so it is probably best to get rid of them too...but yes, i think it would be OK (not ideal) with 7 cories and 2 BN's in that size tank...just don't add any more bottom dwellers, and you may have to rehome a couple cories down the road if it seems too crowded

Would it be best if I got rid of the cories too? 7 female bettas and 2 Bnoses will that work long term? The bettas, bnoses and cories wont work good?

This post has been edited by Elisabeth83: Jun 8 2005, 01:12 PM

7 female bettas, 2 BN's, and 7 cories should be fine long term IMO.....i just think that when the cories get larger (what type are they anyhow? sizes can range from 1.5" to 3.5" full grown for different species of cory) it might be a little crowded...but when that time comes around you can make the decision...

without the SAE's and otos, i think your tank stocking level is perfectly fine for the time being...and possibly long term as long as it doesnt LOOK crowded on the bottom when the cories are bigger...however, 7 cories may be a few too many and knocking it down to 4 or 5 long term may be the best decision overall

Ok I think the problem has been solved. I took the 4 SAE's, 2 ottos and 2 of the cories to my lfs.

So now I am left with the 7 female bettas, 2 Bnoses and 5 cories. The cories are albino cories.

I'm pretty sure I should be ok now? Thanks everyone for your help!!

Well done ! That should be much more manageable and better for your fish

agreed, good decisions!