Is This Overstocked?

[TallTree01]

I have a cycled biorb 105 which I recently restocked. I had 7 tiger barbs but they killed each other till there was only 2 left so I rehomed them and got a pearl gourami, 9 neon tetras and a albino bristlenose. I added pebbles to the tank so the bristlenose wouldn't scratch himself up. Is this too many fish? If not can I add anything?

 

[sadguppy]

Plecs and other bottom feeders aren't, as far as I know, compatible with the bi-orb media so I hope the pebbles you have added are smooth and cover the bottom completely?

Assuming that the bi-orb 105 holds 105 litres or 28 gallons of water, under normal circumstances (in a rectangular tank) you would be looking at aprox 28inches of adult fish. With the bi-orb having less surface area however, you are better off staying on the conservative side of this, say 20inches, which probably means you are already there or slightly over. How about adding some shrimp, or snails? If you really want something else, a couple of platies would probably max it out, they would add some colour and they are peaceful and use every part of the tank so are a good choice for communities. They are also quite short lived so if your BN is a baby, by the time it reaches 4 inches or so the platies will have lived out their two year life cycle.

I know the tanks look cool, but they have to be so conservatively stocked I would always go for a regular 3ft tank over the bi-orb design. They are not really good for fishkeeping - even the website suggests that you change the water just every four weeks!

 

[mishmash]

I second what sad guppy has said and to be honest, the dimensions (which are equally important, if not more so, to volume) are not appropriate for a Pearl Gouramie which should grow to medium size for an aquarium fish.  I try to think of stocking more along the lines of not "Can I" but "Should I".  Thus with larger fish, such as gouramies, I feel they need more space to swim up and down rather than just round and round in a small diameter circle.  You might want to consider changing it for a pair of Honey Gourami which are a dwarf variety, or there is a red version of these too.  Try to avoid the neon dwarf gouramies though, as often times they are so over bred they are week.  Two males is also usually a no no as they will fight like troupers.
 
If you are not 100% besotted with your bio orb I would urge you to consider selling it to one of the multitude of people who love them and get yourself a rectangular shape.  I know its more conventional but it opens up a LOT more options to you.

 

[TallTree01]

I don't really need new fish and I realize that you have to stock them differently to regular tanks but I reckon they're really cool. The pearl gourami should be ok although I know the biorb isn't ideal. my elder brother kept a opaline gourami in one and it was healthy ( no disease and full sized ) and it lived for 8 years. More fish was probably a long shot and I love the current stocking. I didn't know about the brisltenose but he's doing extremely well ( i rescued him from an agressive convict cichlid at the LFS).

 

[mishmash]

I don't really need new fish and I realize that you have to stock them differently to regular tanks but I reckon they're really cool. The pearl gourami should be ok although I know the biorb isn't ideal. my elder brother kept a opaline gourami in one and it was healthy ( no disease and full sized ) and it lived for 8 years. More fish was probably a long shot and I love the current stocking. I didn't know about the brisltenose but he's doing extremely well ( i rescued him from an agressive convict cichlid at the LFS).

 
 
See you are missing my point.  You CAN keep those types of Gourami in that type of tank.  It will "survive"  But then you can keep a Polar Bear in a zoo.  But SHOULD YOU.  Thats the point I am trying to make.  If you are going to buy small tanks like a Biorb or Biocube then you need to keep smaller fish.  Just my thoughts though.  Not everyone will agree, but plenty do  

 

[Lunar Jetman]

To be frank, why come on and ask a question about your stock and whether you can add any more if you're just going to ignore the answers given? I appreciate you like the Biorb but you've been advised on here that you're overstocked and have the wrong type of fish in the opinion of those who've responded.
 
It sounds like this is more an ethical/moral question more than anything else. Taking your view to extremes, if I change the water regularly enough I can keep a fish in a jam jar but should it?

 

[TallTree01]

Oh okay. So what do you think I should do? My gourami seems happy in his current tank and is constantly exploring and mingling with the tetras.

To be frank, why come on and ask a question about your stock and whether you can add any more if you're just going to ignore the answers given? I appreciate you like the Biorb but you've been advised on here that you're overstocked and have the wrong type of fish in the opinion of those who've responded.
 
It sounds like this is more an ethical/moral question more than anything else. Taking your view to extremes, if I change the water regularly enough I can keep a fish in a jam jar but should it?

What reccomendations have I ignored? I promise I have no intention of keeping fish in a jam jar. ( would put a smiley here if I knew how)

 

[Lunar Jetman]

Firstly, I'm just trying to help and am not trying to be rude, insulting or funny!

I can see a recommendation that your stock is at capacity, if not over. I can see a recommendation that you should replace the Gourami with a dwarf variety. I can see a recommendation that if you're serious about keeping fish you should consider replacing the Biorb with a regular sized tank.
 
Just because one person has kept a fish successfully doesn't mean that it is right or should be copied.
 
If I had to have a Biorb I'd just keep a few Guppies and Platies in it. If, in your case, you want to keep it, I'd just do the same, maybe adding the Dwarf Gourami's Sadguppy suggested instead of the larger Pearl Gourami.

 

[TallTree01]

Oh ok. I get it.
So these honey gouramis, what are they like? I googled it and there wasn't much information.
Im a little cautious about dwarves because of the idovirus so a little information about that would be appreciated. I will probably find the pearl a better home if the biorb is a no-no. Any other centerpiece fish that could go with my tank? Thanks for this guys. I didnt mean to sound rude in my earlier posts.

 

[TallTree01]

Took your advice and rehoused the pearl gourami today. Didn't replace it with anything because I want to make sure I don't waste money on a fish just to have to return it. Saw some cute keyholes and convicts. Would they be alright? Open to any other suggestions Right now. I might just keep the neon tetras and the bristlenose.

Apologies to Lunar Jetman- I did overlook several reccomendations and ignored them.

 

[sebn]

Took your advice and rehoused the pearl gourami today. Didn't replace it with anything because I want to make sure I don't waste money on a fish just to have to return it. Saw some cute keyholes and convicts. Would they be alright? Open to any other suggestions Right now. I might just keep the neon tetras and the bristlenose.

Apologies to Lunar Jetman- I did overlook several reccomendations and ignored them.

 
Please dont put a Convict in that tank, they are aggressive, large cichlids that require much bigger tanks and suitable tank mates. I dont know a lot about Keyhole cichlids, they are cichlids of the dwarf variety and can still be grumpy. I dont think a 100 litre biorb is a suitable tank for them.

 

[sadguppy]

A big no on the convict front. Really I would stay away from cichlids all together; there are few varieties that are suitable for a community tank and even then it's basically luck about what individuals you get.

You could have a betta which would be a stunning centrepiece, as mentioned any dwarf variety of gourami would work well as would platies or guppies in whatever colours takes your fancy. A single angel could possibly be suitable for a rectangular tank of that size but they eat neons so I would steer clear of them too!

 

[TallTree01]

No cichlids then? Alright, what about a gold wonder ( panchax )? What of a sword tail?

 

[sadguppy]

A panchax would need a much larger surface area than the biorb, around 3ft in length as they are surface dwellers and so the shape of the biorb would be the same as putting them in a tiny tank in terms of swimming room. Oh, and they are also liable to eat Neons as they have surprisingly large mouths!

Swordtails would be fine, but stick to one gender or you will soon be overstocked with babies! As with guppies and platies swordtails are livebearers. A group of three or four would be good I think