How Is My Stocking Level

[naefearjustbeer]

I have had a tank up and running for about 3 months now and this is what I have in it.

30 inch tank (approx 80 litres)with a fluval 104 external filter.

2 Male Guppies,
2 Dalmation Mollies,
3 Neons,
2 Albino Cats,
2 Black Neons,
2 X-ray Neons,
2 Lemon Tetras,
2 Yellow Tetras
1 Red Dwarf Gourami.

I did have a Algae eater which ate a neon and injured a gourami which then died so I put it back to the LFS.
Do I have about the right amount of fish or too many? I feed them flake food twice a day and bloodworms about once a week. I feed a sinking tablet for the cats every couple of days. I also perform a 10% water change evry week. Am I doing ok? and how often should I clean/replace filter media? Last time I looked the filter seamed pretty clean and not needing any attention. I wish I had found this forum before I stared and I might not of bought the Algae Eater in the first place. I wont make the same mistake again

 

[catxx]

your tetras are stocked all wrong!
each type of tetra is a schooling fish and need more of their kind to be happy, the tank is very small though. pick one or two of the types of tetras you really like, get rid of the rest and just boost numbers of those

*goes to check how many gallons your tank really is*

edit: it's a 20 US gallon i think, according to an online calculator (correct me if i'm wrong as so often am!)

what are the albino cats? are they corys? or plecs??
your tetras in groups of 5+

not sure about guppies & mollies

 

[@ombomb]

I'd say that main problem you have is that nearly all the fish you have listed should be kept in larger groups. Most tetra prefer groups of 6+.

Why not focus on one tpye of schooling fish, the mollies, and a couple more corys (which prefer groups of 3+) and the gourami?

 

[naefearjustbeer]

The neons x-rays and black neons all shoal together. The lemon and yellow tetras play chase around the tank together it looks friendly. I really like the lemon tetras maybe I will concentrate on getting more of them over time.
I do have a bigger tank but knowhere to site it in my house so it lives in the workshop as a quarantine tank. The algae eater lived in it for a week before I could get back to the LFS.

The cats are not plecs they are corys

 

[Chri$]

your tetras should be kept in shoals.usually 6+why not get 1 group of schooling fish.

 

[naefearjustbeer]

What is the difference between a US gallon and a UK gallon? other than price LOL!

 

[Chri$]

i think a us gallon is bigger

 

[naefearjustbeer]

LOL everything is bigger in America

 

[@ombomb]

The neons x-rays and black neons all shoal together. The lemon and yellow tetras play chase around the tank together it looks friendly.

Most small fish will group together if they feel threatened and fish they like to be kept in groups of their own species but aren't probably feel rather threatened and can get nippy and chase other fish as you have seen.

If you are going to get more lemon tetra, you really need to find a new home for for some of the others. Sounds like a perfect excuse to get that other tank in the house and running full time!

 

[tetraqueen]

LOL everything is bigger in America

No pals your wrong
US. gallon = 128 fluid ounces or four U.S. quarts, about 3.785 L
UK gallon = 4.54 litres
therfore UK is bigger.
A bit like the Scottish flee huh
A guy comes and looks at the forth road bridge and says this is tiny we have massive ones in america
the same with houses, ships etc etc.
Well says the wee scots laddie guess you nae got bigger midges well at least the bite they hae is as big as ya need.
I love the Americans but we can get bigger on somethings .
Sorry no offence meant .

 

[Gnatfish]

Thats weird i always thought US was bigger, in everything else i looked at it says so.

1L = 0.2642 US gal
1L = 0.22 UK gal

I am probably wrong

 

[OohFeeshy]

US gallons are bigger, thats generally why I use US gallons... it makes my tanks bigger

 

[pinkdolphin_113]

Correct me if I'm wrong but shouldn't the Dwarf Gourami be as a pair? Male and female?

 

[naefearjustbeer]

Correct me if I'm wrong but shouldn't the Dwarf Gourami be as a pair? Male and female?

I did have a pair but the female one died this morning

 

[tetraqueen]

US gallons are bigger, thats generally why I use US gallons... it makes my tanks bigger

Well you can take this to court


An American Encyclopedia - Weights & MeasuresThe result is that the US gallon is 83.267% of the British gallon. In more usable figures, the British gallon is about a fifth greater than the US gallon, ...
www.miketodd.net/encyc/measures1.htm - 12k - Cached - Similar