Am I Overstocked?

[tonym]

posted on a different thread but just find some info so would like ur opinions now.

got a 5 gallon tank currently with 8 neons and 2 corys, thinking about getting a betta soon.

Ppl on here have told me im well over stocked

Friends, Family, Aquatics shops, quite a few ppl have said im fine

So, naturally im confused

Going on this inch per gallon rule or the 1 adult fish per gallon rule (ive heard so many on here)

2 corys = 2 gallon (even though they stay on the bottom constantly)

1 betta (if got) = 1 gallon (they live in puddles smaller than them cups in the wild)

8 neons = 2 gallons (considering theyve got 2 gallon for there shoal)

I personally dont think thats cramped either

plus ive just found this quote-
Aquarium Care and Maintenance
Ideally, an aquarium can safely support about one inch of fish per gallon (10 inches in a 10 gallon aquarium). This can easily be doubled, but losses may occur in the event of a power failure.

Wot does anyone think?

 

[Squid]

Im sorry im still a newbie here too, so i cant answer the question.

I just wondered if anyone reading this knows of a guide somwhere or on the forum that gives you an idea of how many inches you should allow for the different types of fish.. ie.. 2 for cory's 1 for tetras etc...

Many thanks
Squid..

 

[Squid]

OOpps... thing went funny.. didnt look like it was posting.. but did it twice.. damn me for re-submitting too quick...

 

[Fella]

posted on a different thread but just find some info so would like ur opinions now.

got a 5 gallon tank currently with 8 neons and 2 corys, thinking about getting a betta soon.

Ppl on here have told me im well over stocked

Friends, Family, Aquatics shops, quite a few ppl have said im fine

So, naturally im confused

Going on this inch per gallon rule or the 1 adult fish per gallon rule (ive heard so many on here)

2 corys = 2 gallon (even though they stay on the bottom constantly)

1 betta (if got) = 1 gallon (they live in puddles smaller than them cups in the wild)

8 neons = 2 gallons (considering theyve got 2 gallon for there shoal)

I personally dont think thats cramped either

plus ive just found this quote-
Aquarium Care and Maintenance
Ideally, an aquarium can safely support about one inch of fish per gallon (10 inches in a 10 gallon aquarium). This can easily be doubled, but losses may occur in the event of a power failure.

Wot does anyone think?

I think at this point it's worth asking yourself if you want what is best for your fish, or what is best for you? I would say that your 5 gallon is definitely overstocked, and that using the idea that bettas survive in puddles smaller than cups is a poor one, why would you not house a fish to the best of it's needs? Puddles obviously aren't ideal for bettas...

The gallon per fish rule is a loose guide, and your description of cory's staying on the bottom and not using up water space isn't appropriate here. The wat they need isn't just for swimming in, it's also for breathing and excreting.

You should in most cases offer the maximum space possible, not the minimum.

 

[rdd1952]

Going on this inch per gallon rule or the 1 adult fish per gallon rule (ive heard so many on here)

I am pretty sure I was the first one to mention on the thread in the Newbie section that you are over stocked. First off, it is 1 INCH of adult fish per gallon of water. It would be kind of hard to keep 10 adult common plecos (18" to 24" each) in a 10 gallon tank. They would look like sardines in a can.

2 corys = 2 gallon (even though they stay on the bottom constantly)

1 betta (if got) = 1 gallon (they live in puddles smaller than them cups in the wild)

8 neons = 2 gallons (considering theyve got 2 gallon for there shoal)

I personally dont think thats cramped either

plus ive just found this quote-
Aquarium Care and Maintenance
Ideally, an aquarium can safely support about one inch of fish per gallon (10 inches in a 10 gallon aquarium). This can easily be doubled, but losses may occur in the event of a power failure.

Wot does anyone think?

It may be possible to double the 1" per gallon guideline IF you are very overfiltered, have fish that create a light bioload AND you have a very good maintanence program (water changes twice a week). Even having said that, you are still over double the stocking limit based on adult size.

8 neons (1.5" when full grown) - 12"
2 corys (2" to 4" when full grown depending on type) - 4" to 8"
1 betta (they do much better in a tank alone) - 2" to 3"
Total - 16" to 20" currently without the betta.

That puts you at approximately 4 times the 1" per gallon rule.

 

[modernhamlet]

It may be possible to double the 1" per gallon guideline IF you are very overfiltered, have fish that create a light bioload AND you have a very good maintanence program (water changes twice a week). Even having said that, you are still over double the stocking limit based on adult size.

8 neons (1.5" when full grown) - 12"
2 corys (2" to 4" when full grown depending on type) - 4" to 8"
1 betta (they do much better in a tank alone) - 2" to 3"
Total - 16" to 20" currently without the betta.

That puts you at approximately 4 times the 1" per gallon rule.

I said pretty much the same thing last thread and I hold to it. You are overstocked by any reasonable definition of the word.

 

[OohFeeshy]

1 betta (if got) = 1 gallon (they live in puddles smaller than them cups in the wild)

You ever seen a rice paddy? If that were true, then you'd not get a heck of a lot of rice. Who told you that? Its a load of tosh and nonsense.

 

[sylvia]

Can I just add that you are much better off taking advice from people who actualy have experience keeping fish than basing your decisions off friends who have kept 2" goldfish in bowls for 3 weeks (goldfish get to 10" and live for 30 years BTW) or off teenage LFS workers who only care about making sales (I do appreciate not all LFS workers are clueless).

I agree 100% with everyone in this thread.

You have no room for more fish - let alone those you have currently. You need to find the cories a new home because they are active and the neons should, idealy, be in at least a 10 gallon. Bettas and neons also won't work as neons nip bettas' long fins.

The inch per gallon GUIDELINE is not a rule and only applies to tiny neon-sized fish and does not take into acount behaviour, water requirements, sensitivity, aggression, schooling, activity levels, feeding requirements or anything else besides ADULT size for that matter.

What you could do is get a 10 gallon for the tetras and cories and put a betta in this 5 gallon instead. Besides this, your only option would be to re-home the cories and leave only the neons OR re-home everything and get a betta instead.

Please try to keep in mind that fish are alive and each of those lives is in your hands. Try to do what's best for them.

 

[handfiek]

One thing that no-one on this thread has asked (I haven't checked the other one) is what dimensions your tank is. I haven't done a calculation on your tank as everyone else seems to be doing that and there are also plenty of calculators on the web, but what fish you can keep also depends on the shape of the tank e.g. tall and thin will hold less fish than shorter and wider as there is a smaller surface area for oxygenation.

With such a small tank this may not make much difference anyway, but I think it's always worth mentioning as I've seen people with 'picture style' tanks that are massively overpopulated because of the small surface area.

One final comment - if you can go bigger then do. Whether you get new fish or not it's nicer for the ones you have, and is actually easier to maintain as I find that smaller tanks have a greater tendency to spike. Your fish will do more and be better entertainment too!

 

[tonym]

thanx for your help i only wanted some advice because ive been told 2 different stories

i appreciate everyones help due to appreciatting that everyone on here is more experienced with handling fish.

i do want what is best for the fish and im currently working on a way to solve the problem.

i didnt want to start a fight only to gain information

thanx again for all your help (MUCH APPRECIATED)

Tony

 

[Squid]

Im sorry im still a newbie here too, so i cant answer the question.

I just wondered if anyone reading this knows of a guide somwhere or on the forum that gives you an idea of how many inches you should allow for the different types of fish.. ie.. 2 for cory's 1 for tetras etc...

Many thanks
Squid..

So has anybody any knowledge of a list/guide they could point me at?

 

[dwarfgourami]

Can I just point out that you got the rule mixed up! It is not one adult FISH per gallon. If you think about it, that would be a loony rule seeing that some fish grow to a length of 3 feet or more!

It is 1 INCH OF FISH per gallon, and even that only under certain circumstances: only slimbodied fish, need for swimming space, shoaling needs, territoriality, potential aggression and degree of waste production all have to be taken into account too. Also, we are not talking whatever size the fish might be when you buy them, but adult sizes (check in a book before you buy!).

If you read that Aquatics quote properly, you will see that they do say 1 INCH/gallon, not one FISH. Look at your ruler and see how much an inch is- it's not a lot, is it? As for it being possible to double it- well, they are talking of experienced fishkeepers with heavy filtration and a rigid maintenance routine; I wouldn't even think about that yet, and certainly never in such a small tank.

Your corys are probably 2 to 3 inches long, even a grown neon is more than 1 inch. So you are heavily overstocked.

I would also think that there are problems of space (corys need room to move), with potential aggression (the neons might well nip the betta's fins) and with shoaling needs (corys should be in larger groups).


Squid:

As for a list or index, there is an excellent fish index on this forum.

If you want confirmation of what it says, any public library will contain books on fishkeeping which should give adult sizes of commonly kept fish. Or you can sneak into a bookshop and hide behind a shelf, leafing through the pages. You can also google or yahoo.

Any of these sources will tell you that e.g. the bronze (including albino) and the peppered cory grows to 2-3 inches (go with the maximum size), most other corys to 2 inches, neon tetras to 1 1/4 inches etc. Let's face it- we have the internet: information has never been easier to come by.

 

[jimbooo]

in short (as i think you've got the message now) fish wee almost constantly. this wee rapidly turns to ammonia then nitrite then nitrAte.

nitrAte is the least toxic of the lot up to a point.

at the end of the "cycle" you are left with nitrAte. unless you have a very heavily planted tank (see my sig pic) the nitrAte has nowhere to go. at levels above 50ppm the nitrAte becomes toxic to the fish.

the only way to reduce nitrAte is to do a 25% water change. this will take the levels down to say 30ppm for example. in a week i'd guess you'll be up to 50ppm again.

the problem is if your over stocked you cant keep on top of the nitrAte. adding more fish will produce more nitrAte at the end of the cycle and hence the 50ppm will increace further.

if you want to be sure go out and buy a NitrAte test kit (not NitrIte). test the water just before you'd do your normal water change. i'm guessing the reading will be high. then test after water change.

compare the results a week later and you'll see whats going on in the tank with your own eyes.

the reason some people can get away with over stocking is with live plants in the tank (and i mean loads of them not just a few) the plants use the nitrAte as food and hence remove the toxins from the water.

the tank in my sig is rather over stocked (about 1.5x) but the nitrAte is always 0. i actually add it to the tank in the form of dry fertaliser for plant food.

does that help to explain the reason behind it all?

 

[Squid]

Squid:

As for a list or index, there is an excellent fish index on this forum.

If you want confirmation of what it says, any public library will contain books on fishkeeping which should give adult sizes of commonly kept fish. Or you can sneak into a bookshop and hide behind a shelf, leafing through the pages. You can also google or yahoo.

Any of these sources will tell you that e.g. the bronze (including albino) and the peppered cory grows to 2-3 inches (go with the maximum size), most other corys to 2 inches, neon tetras to 1 1/4 inches etc. Let's face it- we have the internet: information has never been easier to come by.

You are indeed right.. je suis un lazy bugger i guess.. Google is my friend, i shall go forth and search..

TVM Squid

 

[Squid]

This seems a good place to find the length in mm..

Here..

anyone comment on this as a source... ?