Is This Really Overstocked ?

[george4]

HI,

Have just been playing about with an aquarium stocking calculator which says I am seriously overstocked.

My tank is a rio 400 and therefore 400 litres capacity. I have 2 external fluval 405 filters and 1 fluval 4plus internal fliter.

My current stocking is:

1 x common plec @ 12 inches

60 x cardinal tetra @ 1 inch

7 x clown loach @ 3 inch

1 x peppermint plec @ 3 inch


For me, although not the most experienced aquarist, I would consider stocking levels FINE . Of course I realise that the clown loach have potential to outgrow tank but their growth rate is incredibly slow so I dont see this as a problem.

I am looking to add approx 8 TORPEDO BARB to be the centre piece of my tank. After this addition I would consider my tank fully stocked.

Does everyone think this is acceptable ?

Many thanks

 

[ellejay]

I would guess it's taking into account the fully grown sizes of those 7 clown loach! Bet that giant shoal of cardinals looks amazing

 

[KittyKat]

The tank is on the smaller side of what I would want for the pleco and clowns (I would want 6*2 ft bottom area), but it appears to have decent filtration and the fish numbers are nice.

Now, what are you doing in terms of water changes? From what I see, you have 69 growing fish releasing a lot of hormones into the water, which will stunt them, if not removed. I am asking because you said "growth rate is incredibly slow", whereas I would expect very fast growth in a tank that size.. I would expect cardinals to grow from 1" to 2" in 3 or so months and the clowns to reach 10-12" within a year.

 

[Tizer]

i would say your stocking is ok

 

[george4]

Thank you for replys. The cardinals are a recent addition. They have only been in about 3 weeks and I can see growth already. Clown loach are renowned for being slow growers. Of the clowns 3 are about 3" and they have been in there for a year. The other 4 have only been in for about 2 months and are tiny still under 1" .

I would never expect a clown loach to reach full size in a year but perhaps they are being stunted???. To be honest they rarely seem to eat. I feed a variety of food including flakes, sinking pellets and frozen blood worm and brine shrimp but the clowns rarely come out for food they spend most of their time hiding under rocks. That being said they look healthy and have lovely colour.

With regards water changes. I change appox 15-20 % weekly - the longest I leave the tank without water change is 2 weeks. Due to the size of the tank i fill it straight from the tap after adding aquasafe. The temperature does not change hardly at all so I can get away with this.

The temperature is always kept between 25-26 degrees.

Do you think I will be ok to add the torpedos then?

 

[Tizer]

can you get a picture up? it often helps to see how much decor is in the tank. I would probably sit on the fence and say "maybe" 6 of them would look nice, 8 might just look like too many. You could probably take the sponges out of the internal filter and put them in a 405 trays too? makes a little more space?

 

[KittyKat]

Yes, torpedoes should be fine, I'm sure they'll appreciate the tank size. Just from what I have read: apparently torpedoes become very aggressive in large groups..

Sorry, my mistake, they do grow slowly, I must have been thinking about some other species. Up to 1" is really fast, from 1-4/5" is moderately speedy, and above 4/5", it takes years. It might still be good to toy with the idea of a 50+% water change once every so often, but that's up to you.

You could probably take the sponges out of the internal filter and put them in a 405 trays too? makes a little more space?

How would that help?

 

[Tizer]

Yes, torpedoes should be fine, I'm sure they'll appreciate the tank size. Just from what I have read: apparently torpedoes become very aggressive in large groups..

Sorry, my mistake, they do grow slowly, I must have been thinking about some other species. Up to 1" is really fast, from 1-4/5" is moderately speedy, and above 4/5", it takes years. It might still be good to toy with the idea of a 50+% water change once every so often, but that's up to you.

You could probably take the sponges out of the internal filter and put them in a 405 trays too? makes a little more space?

How would that help?

makes a little more space

2 x 405's is good enough filtration. IMO

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

HI,

Have just been playing about with an aquarium stocking calculator which says I am seriously overstocked.

My tank is a rio 400 and therefore 400 litres capacity. I have 2 external fluval 405 filters and 1 fluval 4plus internal fliter.

My current stocking is:

1 x common plec @ 12 inches

60 x cardinal tetra @ 1 inch

7 x clown loach @ 3 inch

1 x peppermint plec @ 3 inch


For me, although not the most experienced aquarist, I would consider stocking levels FINE . Of course I realise that the clown loach have potential to outgrow tank but their growth rate is incredibly slow so I dont see this as a problem.

I am looking to add approx 8 TORPEDO BARB to be the centre piece of my tank. After this addition I would consider my tank fully stocked.

Does everyone think this is acceptable ?

Many thanks

The temperature is always kept between 25-26 degrees. (taken from post further in thread)

Sadly, this is at least the third post this week with Redline Torpedo Barb either planned or already placed in an unsuitable setup. These fish come from temperate rivers in India, where the water is below 20C for most of the year, with a peak in the summer months. Keeping them at 25-26C all year round would be akin to them living in a permanent extreme heatwave, resulting in a permanent high metabolic rate. The result? Overly hyperactive/skittish Torpedo Barbs; increased food demands; increased waste ammonia; drastically reduced lifespan.

If kept in temperate and not tropical setups in aquaria, these fish should live for 7 or 8 years.

 

[george4]

I have done research on torpedo barb and there seems to be a consensus that keeping them at 25 degrees is acceptable. I have also enquired at local fosh shops and they are all kept at 25 all year round.

I have two problems with reducing the temperature.
1 is that even without a heater the temperature does not drop below 23 degrees due to the central heating being set at high temp (not my idea) and 2 this would drastically reduce the choice of tank mates. I have figured that 25 degrees would be a suitable compromise. Obviously I will ensure it does not go above this. I am confident torpedos will be fine in these conditions .

Is there anyone who as kept these at 25 degrees? any problems ?

 

[KittyKat]

Is there anyone who as kept these at 25 degrees? any problems ?

Most "tropical" fish will survive moderately well at anywhere from 20 to 30 C, even if those are not the best temperatures for those fish. I usually pick temperatures based on what the fish can expect in the wild and try to aim at the half way point, have you investigated what that would be for this species?

I recommend that you do not rely on what the LFS says/does, because they rarely keep fish in a good environment, and the masses have gotten these things wrong before (for example, compare fish-in without water changes to fish-less cycles).

Also, the "problems" (and they may not always actually be a problem) are unlikely to be seen by people unless they experiment with keeping the species at different temperatures over the long term, which the average fishkeeper does not do.