Pineapple Swordtails

[lmbridgen]

Hi I have a jewel 180 I have 3 angels 2 gouramis 2 plecs ( I think bristle nose ) 6 corys ( 3 albino, 3 bronze )
11 tetras ( 6 phantom and 5 flame ) and 5 coolie loaches have I overstocked and more important I have just seen some pineapple swordtails and REALLY want some

What do you think?

appreciate advice please.

by the way my tank is 40 gals

 

[three-fingers]

If all your stats are good then you'll be fine.
But if you have high nitrates then don't try it as your bioload isn't up to it .

 

[lmbridgen]

many thanks for reply , all my stats are good ( checked them today ) sorry what do you mean by bioload not up to it? am I fully stocked then?

thanks again

If all your stats are good then you'll be fine.
But if you have high nitrates then don't try it as your bioload isn't up to it .

 

[lmbridgen]

many thanks for reply , all my stats are good ( checked them today ) sorry what do you mean by bioload not up to it? am I fully stocked then?

thanks again

If all your stats are good then you'll be fine.
But if you have high nitrates then don't try it as your bioload isn't up to it .

 

[three-fingers]

I mean how much nitrogenous waste your filter bacteria can process.
Because if your nitrates are high that means two things in my mind, a)You will have to do an increased amount of water changes to get rid of those nitrates and b)your filter will probably soon be running out of space for the bacteria that convert nitrites into nitrates.
If your nitrates are below 30ppm then thats perfect, you can slowly add some more small fish.
If they are in between 30-40ppm then i wouldn't add anything else, anything above 40ppm is supposed to stress fish and the higher it is the more toxic it is .

 

[lmbridgen]

Hi my tests earlier came out like this:

Ammonia 0 PH 8 Nitrite 0.3 and nitrate 20
Do you think I have much more room for more fish, if only a few more a must be very carefull with my choosing
suppose this is how fish keepers always end up with sooo many tanks

I mean how much nitrogenous waste your filter bacteria can process.
Because if your nitrates are high that means two things in my mind, a)You will have to do an increased amount of water changes to get rid of those nitrates and b)your filter will probably soon be running out of space for the bacteria that convert nitrites into nitrates.
If your nitrates are below 30ppm then thats perfect, you can slowly add some more small fish.
If they are in between 30-40ppm then i wouldn't add anything else, anything above 40ppm is supposed to stress fish and the higher it is the more toxic it is .

 

[three-fingers]

I would say no . How long has your tank been set up and what method of cycling did you use? You should have 0ppm of nitrite, regardless of how much the tank is stocked. The nitrite either means you are over feeding and there is uneaten food decomposing in the tank, or that you are overstocked. Try feeding the fish less for a couple of weeks and if the nitrite is still there, add another filter or rehome some fish.
Adding another filter and having 0ppm of nitrite are essential should you consider adding a few(2-4) more small(no more than 3 inches) more fish . And remember to do it as slowly as possible .