Stocking calculator

[Guyb93]

Does anybody know where I can find a good stocking calculator online, I used to use one ages ago that told you the compatibility of your stock in temperature and nature plus the percentage of your stocking capacity but I can’t seem to find it again the calculator I used earlier is saying I’m over stocked by 12% but I really don’t see how , my current stocking is 8x Colombian Redfin tetra
4x electric blue acara
3x mystery geophagus
And a sailfin pleco
Kept in a 5ft 500l tank
30% water changes weekly
Fx4 external filter
Would you guys also say over stocked ? I wanted to add maybe something else so was looking for a good calculator that doesn’t work in inches of fish

 

[itiwhetu]

1 fish inch to 5 liters of water

 

[Guyb93]

1 fish inch to 5 liters of water

Yeah I know but sometimes that’s not practical for example I wouldn’t want to keep my 11inch sailfin pleco in just 55liters , I’m looking for a calculator that takes your stocking into consideration

 

[kwi]

I've seen AqAdvisor in some signatures but haven't looked at it to really comment.
But 1" of fish per gallon is an accepted rule of thumb, but don't put a 10" fish in a 10g tank...........
Seriously fish has minimum tank sizes as well so you can cross reference.

 

[itiwhetu]

So like anything it relies on a little common sense

 

[Guyb93]

This is what I was thinking 8 tetra in 500l can’t really be counted can they there bio load is tiny , I wanted to add 5 s&p corys . My thinking is as far as territorial space I’m full but for swim space I think I could get away with it just not sure

 

[Shiverz]

Iirc, Kwi's suggestion of Aqadvisor does what you're after.

Though you'll find you have mixed results, for some people it works fine, however for me it would have had me overstocked with fish that would have been unsuitable for my tank. Luckily I came here before I got my fish, so I was able to avoid potential disaster.

All I can say is do your research, a calculator wont ever give you truly accurate information. use multiple calculators if you have to and compare them, or just wait for someone with a bit more knowledge to come along and tell you whether or not you're overstocked, as stocking always makes me scratch my head.

 

[kwi]

You could always use "fish points"..........

(Don't, according to those I can put 5 goldfish in a 40cm cube.......)

 

[itiwhetu]

You could always use "fish points"..........

(Don't, according to those I can put 5 goldfish in a 40cm cube.......)

Just looked up fish points. The front page has 5 goldfish in a bowl

 

[Ch4rlie]

Stocking calculators are one of the most annoying things imho.

There as so many variable that these stocking calculators just do not take into account, it’s just a mathematical algorithm, basically it’s a one size fits all formula.

Would not trust them.

For newbies who are not part of forums and do not know anyone in the fishkeeping hobby, well I suppose an online calculator is better than nothing but not much better imho!

 

[Wills]

This is what I was thinking 8 tetra in 500l can’t really be counted can they there bio load is tiny , I wanted to add 5 s&p corys . My thinking is as far as territorial space I’m full but for swim space I think I could get away with it just not sure

Columbians are pretty big fish and collectively any school of tetras are going to contribute to bioload in any size of tank. Your tank is tricky to judge because of your rescue plec and your mystery geophagus haha . In cichlid tanks you do often need to understock it because they are messy fish but based on inch per gallon and a couple of assumptions you are at 80 inches in 130 gallons. IMO if you wanted to add a school of cories it would be ok but I would do a group of 10 rather than 5, but I would also wait until you can get sand

Wills

 

[Colin_T]

There's no such thing as an accurate stocking calculator for aquariums. There are just too many variables. You have to look at the type of fish, their temperament and movement requirements, how often you feed them and what you feed them, tank maintenance (water changes, gravel cleaning, filter cleaning), plants, etc. These all have an effect on the number and type of fish you can keep in any volume of water.

 

[Guyb93]

Columbians are pretty big fish and collectively any school of tetras are going to contribute to bioload in any size of tank. Your tank is tricky to judge because of your rescue plec and your mystery geophagus haha . In cichlid tanks you do often need to understock it because they are messy fish but based on inch per gallon and a couple of assumptions you are at 80 inches in 130 gallons. IMO if you wanted to add a school of cories it would be ok but I would do a group of 10 rather than 5, but I would also wait until you can get sand

Wills

Yeah the plec seems to be froze at 11inch but I don’t know weather thts because it’s stunted or they just grow slow , I have no idea of it’s age either to be honest and also the geophagus from what iv read the can vary in size quite a lot depending on the type so I could end up with a 6 inch or a 10 inch I have no idea but I am thinking of rehoming one of my electric blue acara not for any reason other than the health because my breeding pair the female is starting to lose size if that makes sense she used to be the largest of the lot but now she’s the smallest because she’s laying eggs every 14 days and won’t leave the cave she is not getting enough food and being juveniles I don’t know if this is effecting her growth but I hear they pair for life and worry about removing the male what effects tht might hve