How Many Fish Can I Have?

[jhf18]

Hi

I have got a aquaEL Bowl 45, its a 45l tank and was wondering how many fish i can have in it?

I have got 3 tiger barbs and 2 rosy barbs in at the moment, I am looking to get some catfish and some neon tetras(?) would these mix well? I was thinking of getting some more tiger and rosy barbs too. any idea on what sort of qty of each fish i should get?

Thanks

James

 

[dc3]

45l is a bit over 10 gallons - which means you're not going to be able to put a whole lot more than you have at the moment... most catfish will put you over the 1-inch-per-gallon rule

 

[jhf18]

i dont really understand what you mean, please can you expalin again?

 

[dc3]

1-inch-per-gallon is a guideline that suggest you have 1 gallon of water in your tank for every inch of length of your fish. So in a 10gallon tank you can have 10 fish that are 1" long or 5 that are 2" apiece. It's not set in stone - as there are many things that can affect how mnay fish you can have - such as species of fish, filtration, etc...

 

[three-fingers]

Also, having 3 tiger barbs in there is going to limit you in the future.

How long has the tank been set up with fish in it?

Tiger barbs should really be kept in bigger groups than 3, and generally, unless you have 8+ of them, they can be very nippy towards other fish, to the point of killing them (other barbs tend to be OK).

Rosy barbs are the same, except they aren't as bad for being aggressive.

You do realise however that rosy barbs can easily reach 4 inches each?
Tiger barbs stay a little smaller, but can reach that size too. Expect 3 inches per tiger barb.
With that in mind, your tank is already fully stocked, in fact I would say over stocked.

Not because of the 1" per gallon rule, but because those fish get too big to be comfortable in that tank when fully grown .

Fish don't just grow to the size of the tank either btw, but some species do get stunted if they are in a tank that is too small. This can result in health problems, and it shortens the lifespan of the fish .

So while your tank may be fine now, you will need to look into getting a bigger one in the near future.
Or, you could switch your current fish for something more suitable if an upgrade is not an option .

 

[Matty P]

What filter do you have?

 

[jhf18]

thanks for your replies. I have just got the standard filter and heater that came with the tank. The tank has only been set up just over one week now and i have had fish in it since yesterday, i did have 4 tiger barbs but one died overnight.

 

[mommyof2bettas]

I agree with what three-fingers said, the tank is pretty much stocked, if not overstocked. I suggest rehoming the fish and getting the neons you want, and maybe a small group of otos or corys.

EDIT-just read your reply-I take it your tank isn't cycled? Once again, a better reason to rehome your fish, then cycle the tank, then get some more fish.

 

[jhf18]

when you say rehome my fish, how? i dont have anywhere else to put them.

 

[paul_219]

Check this website it is very help ful: http/www.firsttankguide.net/capacity.php