Urgent: How Much More Bioload Can My Tank Handle?

[zaitchev]

Right. I'm trying to decide if my bioload can hold anymore mollies, white cloud, or platies. My dalmation molly and platy have been best friends from the first day. It's kind of cute. The white cloud seems to be trailing along with the neon tetra. Should I buy more, do I have a place to buy more?

It's a 55 gallon. I cannot buy another for a long time, so the pleco stays.

1 Betta Fish
1 Common Pleco
1 White cloud
1 Pladdy
1 Dalmatian Molly
1 African Dwarf Frog
1 Malaysian Trumpets Snail
5 Ghost Shrimp
12 Neon tetra

 

[The Taffy Apple]

How old is the tank and filter?
Was it/is it cycled?
What filter are you using?
What is your water change regime?
How long have your current stocking been in your tank?
When was the last time you added anything?

Terry.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Bioload is more determined by the size of the bacterial colony (to keep ammonia and nitrite at safe levels for the fish) and by the fishkeeper's maintenance (water changes remove the nitrates which will eventually reach toxic levels) relative to the fish being kept in the tank.

Keeping an unsuitable fish in too small a tank does not make it ok to do so because the fish cannot be obtained again easily. Your "Common Plec" needs a 6x2x2 long term, your 55g will only be ok until this plec reaches ~20cm SL (excludes the tail) at the very most, when this fish will be less than half its adult full size.

Your WCMM is schooling with the Neon tetras because it is a social species, it deserves at least 6 if not 10 of its own kind to be with, but because you have a Betta in the same tank you really should rehome your singelton. WCMM are temperate water fish that should be kept in a heaterless tank in most homes, where the temperature is ~18-20C for most of the year.