Should AqAdvisor be stocked to 100%?

[CherryBerry670]

Really just the title. My filtration is good, over 100%. On the other hand, a search returns both that aqadvsior is extremely conservative and often puts people way above 100% on normal fishtanks, and also that it should be at a stocking level of 85%…I’m confused.

 

[Naughts]

It depends.

If you are stocking with shoaling fish, a substantial group is a higher priority than an estimated average bio-load for water volume.
Or if you are proposing groups of fish that use the same space (substrate, surface, mid-water level...) it is going to be overcrowded.
Or you may have chosen a few territorial or somewhat aggressive fish that will cause problems regardless of the stocking percentage.

So by all means use Aqadvisor as a starting point but then do your own research, using reliable scientific sources, ensuring that your water and setup meet the fish's needs. When you have a good idea of what will work, post your thoughts here and get some further guidance from humans on the nuances of variables and combinations that no computer programme can perceive.

 

[GaryE]

Stocking has no rules. Aqua-advisor tries but if someone really wants 3 million fish in a 10 gallon, well then it is obviously wrong!

I would generally stock well under what AA suggests, but I have multiple tanks and have been doing this long enough that I don't want to overstock. I've already kept those fish and dealt with my fishgreed by adding tanks.

Almost every new aquarist wants to overstock wildly. There are so many cool fish out there.

Aqua-Advisor is good in its estimates for newcomers to the hobby, but seems overstocked to more experienced aquarists. So the review depends on the experience of the reviewer. Add the new aquarists who are genuinely disappointed at the capacity of their tanks/ systems, and really want more fish in there no matter what the site says, and you'll get very wild ranges of reviews.

The real issue is species by species, as the needs can vary a lot.

 

[10 Tanks]

Really just the title. My filtration is good, over 100%. On the other hand, a search returns both that aqadvsior is extremely conservative and often puts people way above 100% on normal fishtanks, and also that it should be at a stocking level of 85%…I’m confused.

Hello. Mechanical fish tank filters do a very poor job of keeping the tank water clear of dissolved nitrogen from dissolving fish and plant waste material. They are however an excellent means of adding oxygen to the tank water. If you change most of the tank water weekly, you can have a few more, small fish than the person who's less diligent in their water change routine.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

 

[Uberhoust]

Did not know of the AqAdvisor. Tried it out with my display tank. My opinion:

1. Stocking. I have 13 angels in a 75 gallon tank. With the juvenile feature the site suggests I have 110% stocking. I agree with the stocking value, I put all the angels in together while re-doing our downstairs rooms, had to tear down the 60 gallon tank, and feel that all the fish in the 75 is too much. That said I have a lot less aggression with the stocking I have now.

2. Water changes - site suggests at least 43% weekly, again I would concur with the site, though I typically do 60 to 70% weekly.

3. Filtration - I have a Fluval 407 but site suggests I need significantly more filtration (I am sitting at 43%). On this I don't agree, the filter does not get dirty quickly, my N03 stays below 10 ppm. Perhaps the 407 is better than the 406 (no 407 in the UI), but I don't think it is significantly more, and my water is very clear.

I conclusion I would normally would not recommend going above their 100%, and looking at the values I will be getting off my butt and rehome some of my juvenile angel fish.

 

[CherryBerry670]

Yeah, I’m mostly just doing medium-sized tetras, with platys and cherry barbs, catfish (BN pleco and a shoal of 11 Albino Sterbai cories), and a dwarf gourami. Nothing aggressive. Most things seem to occupy the top and middle of the tank. I do also want a school of Clown Killifish, but that puts me at 100…so I think I’ll just live without them.

I might consider a Oscar, but it’s a 60 gallon breeder. Not sure if that’s big enough for a Oscar. Plus, I want to be able to have a pretty aquascape.

 

[CherryBerry670]

Hello. Mechanical fish tank filters do a very poor job of keeping the tank water clear of dissolved nitrogen from dissolving fish and plant waste material. They are however an excellent means of adding oxygen to the tank water. If you change most of the tank water weekly, you can have a few more, small fish than the person who's less diligent in their water change routine.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

Currently, I’ve decided to invest in a RO/DI system so I can change a lot of the water in my tanks without spending a ton. So far I’m thinking something like 1/3rd the tank volume a week. Maybe more. That seems like a good baseline to start.

 

[seangee]

Currently, I’ve decided to invest in a RO/DI system so I can change a lot of the water in my tanks without spending a ton. So far I’m thinking something like 1/3rd the tank volume a week. Maybe more. That seems like a good baseline to start.

RO water will be very soft, which is fine. All the fish you mentioned will do well in soft water with the exception of platies, so it would be best to leave them out.
FWIW the DI part of the RO/DI filter is not needed for tropical fish. Once the resin is exhausted you can leave that filter off or replace it with a carbon post filter (that is what I have done).

Agree with the comments on Aqadvisor. At best its a guide but there really isn't a formula that can be applied. According to the site the tank in my signature is critically underfiltered (IIRC it was about 13% last time I checked) - but it can't take into account the plants and like @Uberhoust I only have the filter for moving water around and removing solid waste - the plants take care of the biological filtration and I have no fear that there would be an ammonia spike if my filter died (I do actually know this from experience when I forgot to turn it back on for a week after a water change )

 

[Byron]

This is what @Naughts mentioned, just said another way. The problem with any stocking site is that the program cannot possibly consider all relevant factors. For example, it would tell you [I assume it would, doesn't really matter for the purpose of what I am getting at!] that in a 30g you could have 5 neon tetras, 6 cardinal tetras, 5 black phantom tetras, and 6 cories. But the truth here is that all these fish would be significantly stressed because of low numbers of each species. And filtration does not even enter into this at all because it makes absolutely no difference if the numbers of each shoaling/schooling species are inadequate from the start.

 

[CherryBerry670]

Hmm…in that vein of thought, is 9 of each species of tetra (with 15 rummynose) enough? I’m trying to basically stuff everything I want in this tank as it’s likely to be my one big tank. My parents might let me stock the 40 breeder, but it’s unlikely.

 

[CherryBerry670]

If I can’t have platys, I’ll just do the clown killis.

 

[seangee]

Hmm…in that vein of thought, is 9 of each species of tetra (with 15 rummynose) enough? I’m trying to basically stuff everything I want in this tank as it’s likely to be my one big tank. My parents might let me stock the 40 breeder, but it’s unlikely.

For tetras I would always choose more of 1 type and less variety. There are around 60 cardinals in this tank, the display is spectacular and I don't need variety

 

[Byron]

Hmm…in that vein of thought, is 9 of each species of tetra (with 15 rummynose) enough? I’m trying to basically stuff everything I want in this tank as it’s likely to be my one big tank.

Are you talking my example, which was just pulled out of thin air--or your tank, in which case what tetra species? And is this the 60g tank, if so what are the length and width?

 

[CherryBerry670]

My tank. It made me remember shoal/school requirements: this was my stocking plan.
9 Glowlight tetras.
9 Cherry barbs.
15 Rummynose tetras.
9 Clown Killifish.
9 Black Neon tetras.
11 Albino Sterbai Cory Catfish
1 BN pleco
1 Dwarf Gourami

I’ll go up to 11 on each species of tetra if I have to, but I’d like space in case I see someone I like at the store and want to put them in.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I generally find aqadvisor to be a handy tool when I'm planning a tank, and their values, numbers, and compatibility advice are generally on the right track. If you stay under their recommended 100%, you generally won't be overstocked.

However, I'll share the same advice others have: As useful as this site is, it is only a starting point, and far from perfect. Research the different species you plan to keep, including preferred hardness and numbers. seriouslyfish.com is a go-to site for research. Planetcatfish, scotcat, and loachesonline are also generally quite good. And of course, you can usually find someone on this site with real-world experience with whatever you're hoping to keep.