Stocking a 70l tank

[sisyphus]

Hello,

I've a new 70l tank (61cm x 31cm x 44cm) which I'm in the process of cycling. I'm going to add a single species eventually and I'm heavily leaning towards silver-tip tetras.

What would be a good number for that size tank? Various online calculators and methods suggest up to about 15, so I'm thinking around the 10-12 mark to play it safe. Does that sound correct and reasonable?

I'm keen to have the biggest group possible without overstocking, which is a hard balance to strike for a newbie with a relatively small tank.

Thanks,

Chris

 

[Essjay]

10 to 12 sounds fine to me. You may be able to go up to 15 in a species only tank, but I'll leave that to members who are better than me at stocking numbers.

 

[Byron]

I agree. Also, have a bit of current from the filter for this species; not a raging torrent, but some good flow down the tank (have the filter at one end so the flow is down tank). The clue to this need is the fish's natural habitat, which is the Rio Sao Francisco basin in eastern Brazil. Baensch & Riehl also include tributaries of the Rio Perus in western Brazil, and Hoedeman reports the Rio Iguassu in Brazil. This fish occurs in both whitewater and blackwater creeks and smaller streams away from the main rivers. These creeks and small streams have gentle but consistent currents.

 

[sisyphus]

Thanks. Fortunately, I've got just the flow you describe from my filter. I've added some floating plants as I read that silvertips appreciate some shade too. Just waiting a week or two now, so I get plenty more plant growth and consistent test results that I'm happy with, before introducing some fish.

One further thing: I've seen conflicting advice on whether to introduce all the fish in one go. From what I gather, because it's a single species setup, I should do it in one to save the tetras sorting out the pecking order twice. It seems somewhat counterintuitive, you'd have thought the risk of adding fish all at once and something going wrong would outweigh it, especially as I'm a newbie. Am I missing something? I could just do with some reassurance, don't want to get it wrong!

 

[sisyphus]

As an aside, I was grabbing supplies from Pets at Home t'other day, though I intend to get the fish elsewhere. I thought I'd bend a member of staff's ear: I was told you don't need to cycle the tank at all because it's new and I could have 22 silvertips but to introduce them in dribs. Seems like a load of ol' nonsense to me, were they wrong on all counts?

 

[Essjay]

Pets at Home is just about the worst place for advice.

Don't need to cycle the tank because it's new? New tanks are the ones you do have to cycle. If you were adding fish to an existing tank, you wouldn't need to cycle it. Typical P&H advice

Do they still say you can't buy more than 6 fish at once regardless of how big or mature the tank is? It's a while since I bought anything fishy in P&H. If that's still their policy, that's why they say to add them in dribs and drabs.

 

[Byron]

Thanks. Fortunately, I've got just the flow you describe from my filter. I've added some floating plants as I read that silvertips appreciate some shade too. Just waiting a week or two now, so I get plenty more plant growth and consistent test results that I'm happy with, before introducing some fish.

One further thing: I've seen conflicting advice on whether to introduce all the fish in one go. From what I gather, because it's a single species setup, I should do it in one to save the tetras sorting out the pecking order twice. It seems somewhat counterintuitive, you'd have thought the risk of adding fish all at once and something going wrong would outweigh it, especially as I'm a newbie. Am I missing something? I could just do with some reassurance, don't want to get it wrong!

Always add the entire intended group of a shoaling species together at the same time. Always. This causes the fish much less stress and they will settle in faster with less chance of problems (including ich). Those species that do have an hierarchy will obviously be better with this for that reason too, but all species do benefit.

The bacteria can easily deal with this. And plants most assuredly can more than deal with it.

 

[Essjay]

If P@H still have their 'no more than 6 fish per customer' rule, don't try to buy them all from there. Unless a group of you go and all buy 6

 

[sisyphus]

They don't seem to have a clue in there, worringly, so I'll be getting them elsewhere!

 

[ClownLurch]

They don't seem to have a clue in there, worringly, so I'll be getting them elsewhere!

It makes me want to buy all their fish just to save the poor sods from the staff.