What Seems To Be The Most Common Question...

[cjpf]

I want some insight into how overcrowded my tank is! I have a 55G tank, with plenty of filtration. I have a rainbow shark (best fish ever!), 6 danios, 2 dwarf gouramis, 1 opaline gourami, 4 mollies, 2 platies, 5 tiger barbs and 2 albino tiger barbs. I would want to add 2 or 3 green tiger barbs to the aquarium, but I wanted to get some feedback before hand. What do you guys think? will it be overcrowded if I do that? how many can I add?

 

[sadguppy]

Is your tank cycled? What are your stats? What filtration do you have? How often do you do water changes and how much do you change? And what is your nitrate out of the tap?

Very difficult to say straight away, it really is dependant on the above.

 

[cjpf]

Is your tank cycled? What are your stats? What filtration do you have? How often do you do water changes and how much do you change? And what is your nitrate out of the tap?

Very difficult to say straight away, it really is dependant on the above.

Yes, the tank is cycled. The ammonia levels recently went to 0.1, nitrites are at 0, Nitrates are about 60... However, the tap water comes with nitrates of almost 30!!! i have added a lot of plants to try to make up for the nitrate level, but they are still fairly small. I have two filters. The Aqueon 75 and an aqueon 30. This morning the Opaline gourami passed away, unfortunately. He had a long stringy poop a couple of days ago and was a little bloated. So, now I only have 2 dwarf gouramis.

 

[KISSfn]

I would add either 1 Tiger Barb or 1 Green Tiger Barb to make that group happier. And add 4 Albino Tiger Barbs to make them happier. Do 40% weekly waterchanges and call it good.

 

[cjpf]

Well, I thought that the albino would get along with the normal tiger barbs, after all, they are the same kind. Am I wrong? But Thank you, I think I will add some albino barbs! I don't think I can add so many though. Do you think if I add 5 barbs (1 green and the 4 albino) as you were suggesting it wouldn't be overstocking?

 

[KISSfn]

I thought they would too but they don't. It's not that they fight, they just don't shoal together. They are technically the same kind but apparently the Albinos are just too different to fit it. I tried adding a couple Albinos and found they needed more of their own kind to be happy. As long as you keep a close eye on your water stats and see if the weekly waterchanges are enough you should be ok. Technically you're a little overstocked but it can work if you keep the water stats good.