Fish by the Gallon?

[wolffish]

Ok well when i first got my 10 gallon my dad (an acomplished fish owner untill all of his fish in his last tank died) said that if you want medium size fish then get 1 for every 2 gallons and if you want small fish then get 1 for every gallon. So i decided to stick with very small comunity fish. And their i end up with 5 neons, 1 black tetra, 3 white clouds, and 1 cory cat, and 1 female betta. I only added the female betta when i got a 29 gallon (which i am now cycleing) in hopes of sending all of my fish in my 10 gallon their(turning my 10 gal into a breeder). Since i am sticking pretty close with my dads rule of getting fish i want to have 6 neons, 5 endlers live breeders, 4 cory cats, 3 black tetras, 3 white clouds, 1 betta, live plants, and a partrige in a pear tree.(lol jokeing)

• So my question is do you think my dads rule is right? So far its been working with me. ​
• Do you have a rule for getting fish?​
• Also i dont want to under cycle my tank so how long do you think i should cycle it for? ​
• Do you think the plants will help cycle the tank? ​

 

[bluerose]

The inch/gallon (which your dad's "rule" sounds similar to) is more or less bogus... because it depends on a LOT. Goldfish and common plecos, for example, are dirty fish and are heavy on the bioload. If you are willing to do the water changes and/or have a heavily planted tank and/or are running extra filtration, you can compensate for a heavier bioload (to some extent). (When doing so, however, remember that if one little thing goes wrong you may lose your entire tank...)

Keep in mind tetras, cories, endlers, and probably your white clouds need to be in schools-- 5-6 minimum.

Plants will help cycle a tank-- to a point. You still need an ammonia source. A cycle is a cycle-- there is no specific length of time... it takes however long it takes until enough bacteria have built up to convert all ammonia into nitrite and nitrite into nitrate. Read up on fishless cycling!

Just for curiosity's sake, what's your current water change schedule and what parameters does your tank test at?

 

[dkpate]

LMAO @ your "partridge in a pear tree!" That is gonna make me laugh for a while!
One of my tanks took 4 weeks to cycle, and another one only took a week because it is 75G, one fish and I used established media. My 5G only took a week also because I used Bio-Zyme.
Also, remember that your livebearers will have babies, so you will eventually have even more fish.

 

[wolffish]

I havent tested my tank or done water changes in a while. Nore do i have any reason to really. My fish all seem happy and healthy. And even the betta is looking up ever since i put her in the tank. In fact i havent done any testing or water changes since every thing in my tank stablized when i first cycled it. And since none of my fish have died since then it hasent come to mind.
And yes i have some one to take the babys of of our hands after they get bigger. And i only plan on haveing one batch. And i wont have another one till i get rid of the first.

 

[mfdrookie516]

I think your dads "rule" is better than the inch per gallon rule, but still has some holes in it. IMHO, 1" per TWO gallons is about right for most community fish, with a minimum 10g tank. 1" per 5 gallons is more like it for most cichlids imo, even up to 1" per 10g on some. In all reality, its hard to follow any specific rule because the bioload that the fish adds to the tank varies by species. There are also alot of factors involved when you look at stocking as well. If youre going to be stocking a planted tank, generally, you can get away with more fish than you could in a tank that is not planted. Filtration is also a big factor, as well as the footprint of the tank. So, no, i dont agree with your dads "rule", because there are too many factors to make a "rule" on stocking. JMO

 

[bluerose]

Your dad's rule is "working" right now because you have no idea what's going on in your tank... I suspect it won't be so tidy once you do!

Regardless, water changes are absolutely paramount for handling a heavy bioload-- plants will help but not fix. Most fish need excellent water quality to breed anyway... so get into the habit of testing and changing water!

 

[wolffish]

Ok i will check it as soon as i get the chance and i will make a habit of it. And how many fish will i be able to keep if i put live plants in the 29 gallon? Also what about water changes? How many should i do a day for a 29 gallon?

 

[dkpate]

You should be changing out 20-50% the water every week. I liken it to getting a glass of water for yourself, leave it on the counter for a week or so, and then drink it. NASTY!

 

[wolffish]

ok i will every week. I promise. And what about water tests? How many fish can i keep in my new tank with live plants? Is the amount of fish i picked out alright?

 

[dkpate]

You should get an API Master Freshwater liquid test kit. It will save you a lot of headches!

 

[wolffish]

Alright i will. Thank you!

 

[bluerose]

How many fish you can have depends largely on the aggression of the fish (minimal with your choices) and how your parameters test.

Depending on what plants you have and your lighting, they may absorb more wastes than others... all you can do is see how your tank handles the fish.

Also remember the schooling nature of community fish-- they're also much cooler to watch in big groups vs 5 or 6.

Do a fishless cycle (one of the other posters earlier has a link in his/her sig) and then add fish slowly-- say, a group of tetras, then let the tank adapt, then add cories, etc. By "adapt"-- I mean return to optimal parameters (0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, low nitrates, constant pH).

 

[mgamer20o0]

works as well as this....

stocking is a thing that comes with experience. no simple rules really work for stocking and end up failing more often then not.

 

[wolffish]

lol You Fail! Yes i am going to stock a tank only a coupel of fish at time because last time i just threw all the fish in at once it ended up just like the pic above. Later on when i get more tanks i will school fish in bigger groups but right now my main concern is to keep all fish and plants in my tank alive.

 

[dkpate]

Good for you. I am happy to hear that!

 

[mgamer20o0]

just remember about the endlers 5 will turn into 100s. i have pulled out over 100 in my 20 long with still a lot left over.

 

[wolffish]

Yes i know not to over run the tank and so i have a plan for not letting it happen. Thanks!

 

[wolffish]

Ok and i also know now that my PH of my tank is 6.0 and the amonia level is at 0(so says my liquid test kits).