how many is allowed?

[Crystal]

CFC: my tank is 19 3/4 x 10 1/2 x 12. weird dimensions (or weird tape measure)

 

[CFC]

Still works out at roughly around 210 square inches of inches of surface area give or take a few inches. You should still be safe to add up to 20" of fish provided you stock sensibly.

 

[kevin007]

so does it mean that i am right for being able to fit 6 cories and 6 tetras no prob?

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Crystal

While we use one inch of mature fish to one gallon of water, it is only a rule of thumb. In reality, there are other factors that will influence your decision.

The size of your filter has a lot to do with the amount of fish you can keep in any given tank. It is the amount of surface area available for beneficial bacteria to cling to that determines how many fish you can keep while maintaining the cycle of wastes.

Plants, since they provide lots of surface area, help support more of these friendly bacteria.

I like the AquaClear filters because, in addition the the sponge that they use, there is a big empty chamber above it that you can fill with filter floss to gain even more bacterial and mechanical filtration. It's always good to buy the biggest one you can, considering the size of the tank.

If a tank is just a little overstocked, but the filtration is adequate, all that needs to be done is slightly larger and more frequent water changes to keep a tank healthy.
Of course, there are limits to how much you will want to push your luck.

Corys do not produce more waste products than any other fish that eats the same amount of food. Whatever goes in one end will come out the other. The difference is that corys don't trail strings of poop behind them. Instead they produce little turds.

 

[cherrybarbbaby]

Hi,

In my 10g I have 5 cories and 4 neons and 1 cherry barb
I've had the cories for about 8 months and they are healthy I do weekly water changes and a good biowheel filter.

So, I think you will be fine.

 

[Crystal]

thanks everyone, we went today and picked up the first three Black Phantom tetras for the tank. I want to add them slowly as to not overload and create another mini cycle. The fish are doing great so far. no signs of stress. the light is off, they were climitizing for about 2 hours, and they look happy in their new home. I will be upgrading filters soon, as well as slowly stocking more fish until I am where I want to be.

Quick question about that though, how long should I wait between adding the fish? I am going to do it 3 at a time.

Inchworm: as for my surface area, I have some fake (gasp) plants, as well as bogwood and some rocks in my tank.

 

[clutterydrawer]

The length of time before you add more fish epends on your water parameters. I generally wait a week or two, testing every second day to make sure ammonia and nitrite are still zero, then when they've remained like that for a week/two week i add a few more.

 

[Crystal]

thank you for all the info.

I fed my little guys today with soem forzen bloodworms, and they had no troubles eating. one even ate it off my finger, so I am a happy fishmom. They are really quite happy in the tank, and showing beautiful colors. I am looking forward to getting more of them, since the three i have now are already schooling nicely. I must say, I am very happy with the lfs I got them from.