Stocking A 53Ltr Tank

[micknat]

hi relatively new here. have done a fishless cycle for 5 weeks, last week i put in 5 neon tetras (lost one an hour after i put it in) and at the weekend i added 3 black neon tetras and 3 bronze catfish in to a 60cmx 30cm tank have i overstocked bearing in mind i want some other fish aswell. im asking because 7 fish in a 53ltr tank seems a bit empty to me and i know they will grow. ( i was told i could have 15 20 little fish in there or 10 15 gourami size fish) am confused now please help. i dont have any live plants in yet. will get some as i was told they will help with the ammonia

 

[twingogeekeo]

When stocking a tank you should ALWAYS work it out by the max grow length. And remember fish like to have space. Bare in mind that plants, wood, stone and other decore will take up some of that space.

Stocking comes tough as everyone work it out different ways. If im honest im crap at it when it comes to stocking. I have a 64L tank and currently have

4 Tetra (2 died)
3 Albino Corys
6 Panda Corys
2 GBR
4 Platy(Will be removed over the coming weeks)
1 Goldring loach

Some people will say this is overstocked and some will say that its not.

 

[The Taffy Apple]

Only water changes and/or a fully cycled filter will take care of the Ammonia in your water... do you have a test kit? The results from this will tell you when to do a water change.
5 weeks seems a very quick time to do a fishless cycle.. how much water have you been changing?
10-15 Gourami sized fish would be WAY too big.. forget those.

Terry.

 

[micknat]

ive only changed the water 3 times. my water was tested by the maidenhead aquatics guy. i dont want goramis anyway. twingo the amount of fish in your is similar to the amount i want in mine but i will scale it down, am going to buy some test sticks today. how long should i do a cycle for? ( im guessing gbr is german blue rams?)

 

[twingogeekeo]

Stick arent always arrurate. Best to get the API liquid kit.

 

[TekFish]

hmmmm......
what are the dimensions of the tank?

 

[micknat]

its 23x11x11 inches (60x30x30cm) and 53ltrs, its long but not tall, thats why i have catfish because they cant be in tanks over a certain height.

 

[TekFish]

Well I would probably suggest nothing over maybe 6cm. I try to leave around x 10 the length of the biggest fish, just as a guideline I mean obviously you would have to take into account the physical needs of the fish, territory, swimming space etc.

I would maybe:
10 Ember or other similar sized fish, possibly Chili Rasbora, even something bigger like Glowlight, Neon, Rummynose etc [although for the last 3 you may need to have less maybe about 7].
8 Pygmy Corydoras or 5 Otocinclus [although I've heard the Otocinclus are quite hard to acclimatize]
Then a centerpiece fish possibly something like a Gourami, Honey or Dwarf [Be careful of the dwarfs though they can be prone to disease]
If Honey about 3 1 male, 2 female, Dwarf also 3, 1 male, 2 Female

Good for you for getting a tank

 

[micknat]

yes the otos are hard to acclimatize and take care of. im not thinking of getting a showy fish although if one catches my eye may go for it. i eventually want some live bearers preferably endlers and im very taken by the pearl danios but i would have to consider breeding them. i dont want angels although some people have said that they are fine with neons and smaller fish, my cousin had a pair they ate every thing in the tank including the shrimp. oh well have to see whats in the shops.