Fish Stocking

[325Pilot]

Can I add a bristlenose pleco to my current tank setup? I know it's about maxxed by the inches/gallon rule, but I've also heard that tetras hardly put any load on. Would it be that bad to disobey the inches/gallon rule just a bit?

 

[a1wonder]

inchs of full grown adult fish (given the next happy four to six months)

2inchs gourami grow at least 2 inchs
2inchs algae eater grow at least 2 inchs
2inchs frogs
14inchs danios grow 2 inchs
7inchs tetras
5inchs tetras

Your currently sitting at 30 inchs of fish and is with assuming the don't grow to their expected full grown size dwf. gouramias are usually 2.5 and the algae eater can grow depending on the breed easily 4 inchs

I'd advise against personally seeing how bristle nose pleco can grow themselves up to four inchs and produce alot of waste

 

[Rdelusion]

What is the inches/gallon rule?

Is it US or UK gallons?

 

[325Pilot]

But you are still going bu the inches/gallon rule, correct? I have heard that since tetras hardly make any waste, they don't really fit into that formula well, and since they make up about 12" or 1/3 of my total expected fish inches, that would make a big difference. What do you think?

 

[clutterydrawer]

Rdelusion - US gallons.

325 pilot - it's a deep tank, which means less surface area per water volume compared to longer tanks, so maybe not. what is the surface area?

 

[Cheese Specialist]

God, what's the obsession with inch per gallon rules?! It's not the be all and end all. There are other important things to consider like waste, present levels, space occpied, nature, nocturnal/day, filtration, maintenence and so on.

I would not add a bristlenose to that tank because of the waste they produce, not because of the size they become. I also reckon you should find out what the algae eater is before considering adding to the bottom. Add to that the fact that the bottom is smaller than an average tank.

Not a good idea IMO.

 

[325Pilot]

The algae eater is an otto. The surface area is 288 sq. Inches. Currently, the tank has undergravel filtration and a power filter hanging off the back. Most of the fish occupy the mid and upper level of the tank. I believe that the majority of my fish produce very little waste. My two Skunk Botias are nocturnal, everthing else is day.

1. What does it actually mean to have a tank be overstocked?

2. Would it be alright to add the bristle nose if I moved the glo-lites to another tank?