Stocking Rate For A New Tank

[Matt & Jo]

This probably comes under the 'most often asked questions' section but I've had a look and couldn't find a similar previous post so sorry if this has been done to death! I have read and searced the web but have had many conflicting options. We have a 30L Biorb (have to start somewhere) which we set up and ran for a year before getting fish, I know I know! During this time I regularly did water changes and it had live plants in. Anyway last weekend we finally got a pair of Danios after checking the PH, ammonia, Nitrate and Nitrite and finding it was all spot on Now the question, at what rate can we continue to stock it? Things I've seen are:

-1 or two fish to start then 1 fish every 4 weeks
-1 or two fish to start then 1 or 2 fish every 4 weeks
-1 or two fish to start the nitrogen cycle then you can add 1 or 2 fish every week there after

And other options I've forgotten!

We only plan to keep smaller fish with Danio, Tetra and Barbs on the list although Jo wants an upside down catfish. She reckons it's very EBD like the kids she teaches! I don't want to add fish to fast and risk high ammonia levels as we'd hate to think they were suffering in any way so what's the perceived wisdon?

 

[Helen G]

Have you been on the reef one website? Its not too bad

 

[Matt & Jo]

I'll go have a look

 

[Matt & Jo]

Looks like every 4 weeks which is what we'd planned for anyway. We're not going to rush things and get it wrong.

 

[Helen G]

just be careful of the biorbs, I had the biube and anything that went in it eventually died. I did work out that the problem stemmed from changing the filter media (as told to do so) every 6 weeks. Once I started only rinsing it in old tank water, everything was fine. (also beware if you have fry, they tend to get sucked into the filter - not a pretty sight )

 

[mark.w.jones]

In very small tank like that 1-2 fish a fortnight is about as quick as you should go for really. Keep a careful eye on ammonia and nitrite levels particularly just after you add in your new fish. This is when you are most likely to get a spike or sudden jump in their levels which could result in fish deaths. On a slight note of caution. Danios are not the best choice for that tank. They are a very active species and like a decent amount of swimming space. I usually recommend no less than a 24" wide tank for them. They also really need a decent sized school to swim in of 5+ members. However, if you go for that many fish you will pretty much fully stock your tank.

In terms of your next stock choices I would look towards maybe pygmy cories as a bottom feeder. A single honey gourami as a feature fish possibly. My sig. has a link to suitable fish for a 10 gallon tank. Personally, I would take the danios back as they will not flourish in the tank you have and go for something dwarf (spotted) rasboras instead as my feature school. You only really have room for around 8" of adult fish in that Biorb which is very limiting. The 60l gives you far more options and is what I tend to advise people to go for if they insist on getting a Biorb. (Im not a huge fan )

 

[Matt & Jo]

Live and learn 'eh? This is part of the problem I've had, so many conflicting bits of advice. Thanks for the tip Jonesy, one forum I read said to start with Danio as they're 'hardy'. To be honest I can see us upgrading the tank fairly soon anyway, it's addictive this hobby but I don't want to run before we can walk.

 

[OldMan47]

The danios are quite hardy so that part of the advice was good. Trouble is, as jonesy stated, they need some swimming room because they are very active. I have some in a 6 foot long tank and they race from end to end. In the smaller tank, they will need to turn around before they really get going. There are lots of other small fish that are not quite as active and would work in that tank in small numbers. Pop round your local fish store and have a look at what there is available. If you see something you like, watch them for a while to see if they are fast or nervous types or if they are more relaxed. If you think you have found just the thing, come back to the forum and ask. There are lots of folks here who love to help each other out with that sort of thing.