Overstocking Good Or Bad?

[darrel69]

I have a question too!
I have
2 giraffe
2 Acei
2 rock kribensis
3 kenyi 1 male 2 female
2 electric blue johanni
2 red zebra
(recently sold white top afra)
Except for the giraffes the rest are ALL breeding pairs. (I know not all actaully pair) Anyways....They all get along great and I wanted to add more but becuase everyone is getting along im worried. What else can I add if I add something.

Hi, ... What size tank do you have ? .. Depends what you can get hold of really ??... Kenyi are top of the list when it comes to aggression... You know the giraffe's can get to 10.5 inch in length ? Also its not a good idea to mix kribs with malawis because they cant stand the aggression.

 

[darrel69]

Your tank looks well though btw... are those real plants ? real plants dont last 2days in my tank LOL

 

[darkwolf29a]

I try to never overstock a tank, but I always try to overfilter one. It makes cleanings easier. Right now, I try to run 1 cannister, or HOB, filter and 1 sponge filter. I find the sponges are good for biological filters, and the other two types are very good at mechanical cleaning. Saves me time in the long run.

 

[kj23502]

Hi stargirlly! I totally understand your reluctance to go for the canister. I've had fish almost all my life and the only filter we had ever had were Hang On Backs. When I got my huge tank and messy fish I decided I should finally take the plunge.

They really aren't too bad! A lot easier than I thought. The manual told me exactly what filter material I needed and what would go where. I'm glad that I've opted for them! I have 2 eheim pro II 2028's. I bought mine second hand (from my bro in-law who switched to a wet-dry filter or a sump or something like that)and they still work good. The only thing I had to replace was a $12 seal. Not to shabby! Plus, eheim has charts on their website that lists the part numbers for each peice(i didn't check the manual). That makes it really easy. From everything I've heard, eheim is a really good filter and they don't have many problems.

I just got my first sponge filter about a month or so ago. I got it to put in my big tank (so I have an extra cycled filter if I ever need an emergency tank). I just have it kinda hiding behind a rock so it's outta sight.

I have a whisper filter on my 29 gallon tank. It doesn't have any room for media!

Darell is right about the amount of filtration. I don't know if it'd be better for you to get two filters to have the right amount of filtration? I don't know if just one big one would be to powerful for your tank I've only had 1 big tank. The others were 29 gallons and under so I'm not to familiar with all the power that the bigger filters have.

Good Luck!

 

[stargirly1208]

What about trickle filters? I went to this small shop owner and he said that that's all he uses. Plus he sells parts separately so I can use an old 20 gallon to put the filter in and buy a pump to get the water back up. I'm really not sure how to hook those up and such especially since I won't be drilling any holes in a glass tank.... BUT he says they're the cheapest and best way to filter.

What's everyone else's opinion on this?

Also he says he can order me some juvi peacocks (basically anything I want) for around $11-$15. Is that a good buy? I'm a little reluctant to buy from him at that price since drfostersandsmith.com sells them for cheaper but don't have a lot to choose from. plus i'm in love with the cynotilapia afra edwardi "cobue"!! and he says he only orders peacocks.

 

[darrel69]

What about trickle filters? I went to this small shop owner and he said that that's all he uses. Plus he sells parts separately so I can use an old 20 gallon to put the filter in and buy a pump to get the water back up. I'm really not sure how to hook those up and such especially since I won't be drilling any holes in a glass tank.... BUT he says they're the cheapest and best way to filter.

What's everyone else's opinion on this?

Also he says he can order me some juvi peacocks (basically anything I want) for around $11-$15. Is that a good buy? I'm a little reluctant to buy from him at that price since drfostersandsmith.com sells them for cheaper but don't have a lot to choose from. plus i'm in love with the cynotilapia afra edwardi "cobue"!! and he says he only orders peacocks.

I have no experience with trickle filters sorry...

But with the peacocks ... price depends on age/size/generation/species/sometimes sex ect.. Do you know what generation they would be ? i.e WC/F1/F2 ...