Stocking Level

[dave_m13]

Hi All

I have been thinking about adding some new fish to my 365 litres as it looks pretty bare but looking at a stocking calculator it says that I have enough room for 87" of fish.

I have tried to work out roughly what the adult sizes would be for the fish I have at the moment it would be 84"

At the measurements at the moment would roughly add up to 54". Most of the fish are near to there adult sizes apart from the Clown loaches which are 4-5" at the moment.

Can I add anymore fish to this tank?

I have the filter that comes with the tank it sits at the top of the tank and should be enough filtration normally but I also have added my ehiem filter as well that was in my 200 litre tank.

Opinions appreciated.

Thanks
Dave

 

[freddyk]

The only open water dwellers in your tank are the barbs and glass cats, so this is probably why it seems bare and where I would add something. The first thing I'd do is at least double the shoal of glass catfish.

Stocking levels in simple theory can be reduced to simple rules, but in truth every tank is different and the true stocking levels are based on the types of fish kept, filtration on the tank, and maintenance routine. The real question is, how many can you stock while still able to keep the tank clean with a realistic routine? As long as your regular routine keeps physical waste and nitrates down you're doing fine.

 

[dave_m13]

Thanks for the information

I did have 4 Glass Catfish 1 died and have not had the chance to replace but will do shortly.

My maintenance was every 2 weeks for my 200 litre tank, the nitrates went from 10 to about 20-30 in this period, knowing that the tank would definitely not hold existing fish when adult size I upgraded tank.

I have only had the new tank setup for 1 week and Nitrates still very low, I will keep monitoring for a bit then will decide on whether I will get any more fish.

Are the smaller gourami's or Killifish messy fish? What about a big shoal of danio (Not a big fan but could look good in the tank)

Can anyone else suggest any other small/med sized shoaling fish that dwell in the mid/top of tank

Thanks
Dave

 

[freddyk]

Can anyone else suggest any other small/med sized shoaling fish that dwell in the mid/top of tank

I'm a bit rasbora fan, they're nice, pretty tight shoalers, quick, and not annoying like danio's

 

[sylvia]

The inch per gallon guideline only applies to tiny, low-waste producing fish such as neon tetras, harlequin rasboras etc. You can't use it to accurately calculate the capacity for fish when it comes to larger species that produce a lot more waste and need mroe physical space. Consider that a neon tetra isn't just a 1/12 the length of a clown loach but also many times skinnier. Fish are, obviously, not 2-dimensional as that guideline would imply.

A better way of deciding how much room you have is to, first, check your nitrAte levels before a water change. if they are under 20ppm, there's still room left. HOWEVER, before you jump in and get more fish, remember that your fish will produce more waste as they grow and, therefore, this only applies to a tank containing fully grown fish. Even then, other factors do need to be considered - mainly oxygen levels and physical space (territoriality/schooling/breeding behaviour etc come under this).

On a similar note, a tank that size containing juvenile fish is bound to look empty. be patient and give it some time. Using the inch per gallon guideline may give you an idea of the room left in your tank for other fish but you will only realy know once the tank is mature and your fish are fully grown. Having said that, a few (2-3) top-dwelling, medium-sized fish (say 2-4") or some more tiger barbs would be ok to add but don't over-do it.

In defence of danios, some rasboras may be better schoolers but danios shoal nicely as well, are generaly much hardier, are very highly varied (and some of the rarer species are amazing) and make good tankmates for almost any fish that won't eat them (and most can't catch them in the first place). Not to mention that rasboras tend to swim mindlessly, aimlessly around the tank whereas danios have a lot more character and seem more intelligent over-all. Having argued their case, the argument is somewhat redundant considering how closely related danios and rasboras actualy are I mean, take a look at rasbora borapetensis, rasbora dorsiocellata or rasbora elegans and tell me they don't look like your typical danio... To conclude, if danios are annoying, so are rasboras

 

[dave_m13]

Thanks for the Information again.

Most of the fish apart from the Clown Loach and Bristlenose are almost adult full size, the tiger barbs I think are near adult size, they are massive. So its only the Clown Loaches that have quite alot of growing to do. It still looks very empty, with all fish out and about for feeding.

I must admit that since putting the fish into the new tank they look happier, if you can tell that a fish is happy but the Barbs are swimming around alot more. I did have lots of Vallis growing in the old tank but it didn't look nice, so ditched it all for other plants and all fish seem to be swimming between them

Oxygen levels should be fine as the filter has a aeration tube attached, I also have powerhead that can act as an internal filter, this also has aeration attachment.

There does seem to be plenty of space, all fish interact pretty well, I do not have one species that seems to have its own territory, they all seem to be together, not one chases the other around. Apart from the flying fos like to chase the T Barbs nothing else. No fish are breeding and do not expect any to do so.

When I was younger, my Dad had danios never really thought that much of them but I suppose a nice school could be nice in my tank not a big fan of rasboras (Sorry) could get a shool of Rummy Nose Tetras or more t barbs they seem to be a little more interesting since adding to bigger tank.

Thanks
Dave