Stocking Query

[garry123]

i am pretty much at the stage where my tank is ready to introduce fish and i am planning my stocking. I hear loads about rules of the lengths of fish etc etc.

My problem is do i religiously stick to these rules or can i base it on my filter ability to absorb waste and careful selection of fish compatibility.

i look at a lot of peoples stock on here and they are well overstocked if adding up the length of fishes yet there is no problems.

is a better method looking at bio load of my fish and the filters ability to absorb the waste. Also ensuring the fish will get along.

i am asking this as i want a few schools of little fish, eg rummynose. So say i had a nice school of 15 in my 50g that would make me basically half stocked which for a fish with such a small bio load seems a bit much compared to peoples stock on here who have several schools in 50G plus more etc.

garry

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

When starting out, it is very easy to see a new fish every week that you really must have in your tank, I've been there and got the t-shirt (my community fish bought in the first six months more than fully stocked my original Rio240 and the 5x2x2 bought a few months later). It is easy to overfeed, which can potentially give ammonia and nitrite spikes, but it is easy to also end up with toxic nitrate levels (especially at the test kits for this are awful at giving true results).

If I could start over with a tank like your 50g and I knew I wanted 15 Rummynose, I would look at finding a compatable upper water group of ~15 and then hold fire after buying a singleton or a pair of something else. By and large, most fish will always be available to buy again in the future, giving the tank more time to mature and us as fishkeepers to gain experience with feeding levels; disease treatment; dealing with unexpected aggression etc.

 

[garry123]

When starting out, it is very easy to see a new fish every week that you really must have in your tank, I've been there and got the t-shirt (my community fish bought in the first six months more than fully stocked my original Rio240 and the 5x2x2 bought a few months later). It is easy to overfeed, which can potentially give ammonia and nitrite spikes, but it is easy to also end up with toxic nitrate levels (especially at the test kits for this are awful at giving true results).

If I could start over with a tank like your 50g and I knew I wanted 15 Rummynose, I would look at finding a compatable upper water group of ~15 and then hold fire after buying a singleton or a pair of something else. By and large, most fish will always be available to buy again in the future, giving the tank more time to mature and us as fishkeepers to gain experience with feeding levels; disease treatment; dealing with unexpected aggression etc.

i am aware of the above thank you

my main concern still stands, is it better to judge stocking by filtering ability and fish selection.

an example a fully grown oscar will clearly need far more requirements than say 8-9 rummynose tetras yet using the fish size rule they would equate to the same which is clearly a floor in the system

garry

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

When starting out, it is very easy to see a new fish every week that you really must have in your tank, I've been there and got the t-shirt (my community fish bought in the first six months more than fully stocked my original Rio240 and the 5x2x2 bought a few months later). It is easy to overfeed, which can potentially give ammonia and nitrite spikes, but it is easy to also end up with toxic nitrate levels (especially at the test kits for this are awful at giving true results).

If I could start over with a tank like your 50g and I knew I wanted 15 Rummynose, I would look at finding a compatable upper water group of ~15 and then hold fire after buying a singleton or a pair of something else. By and large, most fish will always be available to buy again in the future, giving the tank more time to mature and us as fishkeepers to gain experience with feeding levels; disease treatment; dealing with unexpected aggression etc.

i am aware of the above thank you

my main concern still stands, is it better to judge stocking by filtering ability and fish selection.

an example a fully grown oscar will clearly need far more requirements than say 8-9 rummynose tetras yet using the fish size rule they would equate to the same which is clearly a floor in the system

garry

You seem to be misunderstanding things here, stocking rules like 1cm of fish per 2 litres only apply to small streamlined fish like Rummynose Tetras. I recently added a 25cm Synodontis notata to my 5x2x2 and he would have added a massive increase in bioload to the tank, given he is a chunky ~3" diameter "tank" (roughly equivalent in fish volume to my 6 Redline Torpedo Barbs; 2 Synodontis brichardi and my 18cm "teenage" Synodontis decora combined!)

 

[garry123]

thanks for your help,

it is very difficult to make decisions when so many people have different opinions on the internet. I am not including opinions of fish stores as i disregard them completely