My Stocking List

[Skins]

Hello,
I'm currently coming to the end of my fishless cycle, i have a roma 240 with a fluval 405 filter. I would like to stock with the following:
6 golden
6 cherry
7 tiger (green)
7 tiger
6 chequered
7 odessa
Yes, i have a thing about barbs. If there is a problem with this stocking list can you please advise.

Many thanks, Keith.

 

[VaegaVic]

Just sounds lovely!
Not a fan of the albino Tiger barbs?

 

[Skins]

Just sounds lovely!
Not a fan of the albino Tiger barbs?

I saw some today and yes i prefer the std or green tigers.
Would i have enough room for a shoal of black ruby barbs or would that be pushing it?

Keith.

 

[waterdrop]

Agree, sounds beautiful!

Here's a rapid stab:
Golden barb Puntius gelius 2.0 in (6x = 12 in)
Cherry barb Puntius titteya 1.9 in (12 in)
Tiger barb, sumatra barb Puntius tetrazona 2.75 in (14x = 32 in)
Checker barb Puntius oligolepis 2.0 in (6x = 12 in)
Odessa barb 3.0 in (2 to 3 in commonly) (7x = 21 in)

(12 + 12 + 32 + 12 + 21 = 89"

So in your 63 USG tank you'd be overstocking at a 1.4" per gallon rate.

We usually recommend sticking with the 1" guideline for the first 2 years in order to have a good baseline experience with fishkeeping. Overstocking potentially involves more gravel-clean-water-changing beyond the usual weekend ones, but of course you have to see how it goes with your nitrate(NO3) level as a hint in addition to observation. Many who participate here do indeed feel they are on top of things like this, so you will hear different opinions. There is also the question of whether you want the "crowded tank" look or a more natural look.

WD

 

[VaegaVic]

Rather than adding in the black rubies, I would possibly say add +1 to each group of 6 you have - making it groups of 7's all round.
Strength in numbers and what not.

 

[Skins]

Agree, sounds beautiful!

Here's a rapid stab:
Golden barb Puntius gelius 2.0 in (6x = 12 in)
Cherry barb Puntius titteya 1.9 in (12 in)
Tiger barb, sumatra barb Puntius tetrazona 2.75 in (14x = 32 in)
Checker barb Puntius oligolepis 2.0 in (6x = 12 in)
Odessa barb 3.0 in (2 to 3 in commonly) (7x = 21 in)

(12 + 12 + 32 + 12 + 21 = 89"

So in your 63 USG tank you'd be overstocking at a 1.4" per gallon rate.

We usually recommend sticking with the 1" guideline for the first 2 years in order to have a good baseline experience with fishkeeping. Overstocking potentially involves more gravel-clean-water-changing beyond the usual weekend ones, but of course you have to see how it goes with your nitrate(NO3) level as a hint in addition to observation. Many who participate here do indeed feel they are on top of things like this, so you will hear different opinions. There is also the question of whether you want the "crowded tank" look or a more natural look.

WD

As always many thanks WD, will bring the numbers down.

Rather than adding in the black rubies, I would possibly say add +1 to each group of 6 you have - making it groups of 7's all round.
Strength in numbers and what not.

Thanks for your advice. I love the pic of your springer.

Keith.

 

[Aqua Tom]

Sounds like you will end up with a very colourful & lively tank there Skins.

 

[Carlovel1]

You could do this:
6 golden
6 cherry
6 tiger (green)
6 tiger
6 chequered
6 odessa
6 black rubys

It may sound like you're'overstocking a bit but as long as your filter is very powerful (as the Fluval 405 is) then it doesn't matter too much. IMO you're not overstocking or understocking, you're just in the middle. Also remember that these are small tightly shoaling fish so you should be fine.
Carl

 

[Skins]

Sounds like you will end up with a very colourful & lively tank there Skins.

Thanks Tom

You could do this:
6 golden
6 cherry
6 tiger (green)
6 tiger
6 chequered
6 odessa
6 black rubys

It may sound like you're'overstocking a bit but as long as your filter is very powerful (as the Fluval 405 is) then it doesn't matter too much. IMO you're not overstocking or understocking, you're just in the middle. Also remember that these are small tightly shoaling fish so you should be fine.
Carl

Thanks for that Carl

 

[waterdrop]

I think you kind of have to look within yourself and your own lifestyle when overstocking. None of us can really know what that's like. If anything I might tend to agree with Carlove somewhat in that your participation here on the forum displays a high level of interest and an ability to stick to things, so we'd hope that means you'd not have trouble maintaining the same high level of dedication on toward the end of the first year and through the second year etc. to not miss the vast majority of those filter maintenance sessions and gravel cleaning sessions. I really do think a high-interest forum person has a high chance of being a good fishkeeper like that.

One other thing probably in your favor is that I get the feeling that most areas in the UK probably experience fewer weather caused interruptions in electric power than we tend to get over there in the US. Here we tend to have wind or ice storms that take down trees, at lesst in some geographic areas, and then we might be out of power for significant stretches. It helps to have a really solid plan of action for power failures if you are overstocked. Anyway, my take is that these interruptions are fewer and shorter over there?

Plus there is the factor of it being a larger tank. I'm probably totally wrong on this (logic would dictate that I am) but I sometimes feel that some of the effects of overstocking are not linear in the sense that if the fish can move greater distances, it lessens the potentially crowded feelings for them (the logic would point to the fact that percentages of ammonia/nitrite in problem situations play no size favorites, but I'm thinking more of things like swimming space and ability to get some relief if an individual fish is "not feeling well" or such.)

I truly don't want to bias you one way or the other, I'm simply trying to present things to help you think through something you've not experienced before and have to project into the future a bit on, if that makes sense. I still think it's great to have one of our group here doing such a cool barb tank!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Skins]

I think you kind of have to look within yourself and your own lifestyle when overstocking. None of us can really know what that's like. If anything I might tend to agree with Carlove somewhat in that your participation here on the forum displays a high level of interest and an ability to stick to things, so we'd hope that means you'd not have trouble maintaining the same high level of dedication on toward the end of the first year and through the second year etc. to not miss the vast majority of those filter maintenance sessions and gravel cleaning sessions. I really do think a high-interest forum person has a high chance of being a good fishkeeper like that.

One other thing probably in your favor is that I get the feeling that most areas in the UK probably experience fewer weather caused interruptions in electric power than we tend to get over there in the US. Here we tend to have wind or ice storms that take down trees, at lesst in some geographic areas, and then we might be out of power for significant stretches. It helps to have a really solid plan of action for power failures if you are overstocked. Anyway, my take is that these interruptions are fewer and shorter over there?

Plus there is the factor of it being a larger tank. I'm probably totally wrong on this (logic would dictate that I am) but I sometimes feel that some of the effects of overstocking are not linear in the sense that if the fish can move greater distances, it lessens the potentially crowded feelings for them (the logic would point to the fact that percentages of ammonia/nitrite in problem situations play no size favorites, but I'm thinking more of things like swimming space and ability to get some relief if an individual fish is "not feeling well" or such.)

I truly don't want to bias you one way or the other, I'm simply trying to present things to help you think through something you've not experienced before and have to project into the future a bit on, if that makes sense. I still think it's great to have one of our group here doing such a cool barb tank!

~~waterdrop~~

I totally understand what you are saying and i'm going to stock just short of my MAX stocking level and see how things go for a few months. Knowing me i will proberly end up with another tank in a few months.

Thanks WD, Keith.