I'm ok, right?

[Guest]

I want to add 6 zebra dianos to my tank in my sig. There seems to be tons of room in the tank, and I'm overfiltered, so it should be okay, right? Right? :?

 

[RoK]

How often do you do water changes and how much of the water do you take out? It looks like you're quite stocked.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

IMO, you are fully stocked Tony. It may look like their is still room, but that's how it's supposed to be. If the tank looks just about right, then it's probably overstocked.

 

[Meredith]

I would say you are at your limit as well. Especially with two plecos in there. They do create quite a lot of waste.

 

[Guest]

i like the royal and snowball pleco with them they get to be immense and the nitrates will be skyrocketing with all that decompsing feces..err waste

 

[Guest]

Damn you all! Just kidding, but seriously, all my fish are in the .5-.75 inch range, and they are not getting much bigger. I don't understand why pleco waste is a problem in a cycled tank, isn't that what the bacteria is for?

About water changes, I change 30% religiously ever week. I even have my fish alarm to remind me I know the plecos will get larger, but right now both are still small at 3". So I have about 25 inches of fish in a well filtered 55g. Please guys?

 

[Guest]

Ok, I suck, I got them I did give a friend one of my male guppies for her tiny desk tank, so that evens it out a little!

 

[Guest]

uhh just wait a while then the plecos will out rule the 55 gal LOL although i kinda like the danios but then again i dont think they are "pretty" enough unless you get glofish

well good luck

 

[Guest]

Well, we are talking years, not months, until the plecos get to any kind of size. Also, I'm not sure if you are familiar with my plecos, but the biggest a snowball is going to get is 5.5 inches. Royals can get over a foot, but once he gets that large I can either sell him for $$$ or get a bigger tank (hopefully #2)

 

[Fishyfanatic]

The royal will get large in under a year. Most pleco's (not all) that get to be about 12 inches and over, will get large quicker. You may just want to take him completly out of the tank. The snowball will take care of it for you.

I am in the same boat as you are. I love the Pleco's and don't see them as a problem fish in the tank. We currently have 2 in the 150 and plan on adding another 2 in the upcoming months, just waiting for that Zebra Pleco or Snowball to be on sale. In regards to waste, if you keep up with the gravel vacs, you will be fine. BUT, the Royal definately needs to go in the next couple months.

 

[Guest]

yay, i was right about something!

lol

but how much was your royal pleco?

 

[Guest]

Seriously? I've had him for 6 months now and he started at 2" and now he is still under 4". I had a regular pleco years ago that never outgrew my 40g tank and I had him for over a year. I think until he gets to be over 9" he can stay, right?

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I'd say you could keep him until he's about 6 to 7 inches. You have alot of fish in that tank, and it's still not cycled. It's a pretty hefty bio-load.

 

[Guest]

Why do you say its not cycled? My amonia is and has been at 0 for over a week now, my nitrite is low, and I've got low nitrates now as well. I really think that Stability stuff works.

Also, how come I have to get rid of him at 6-7 inches? I think that is being overly cautious.

 

[Guest]

no

NO2 needs to be 0
NO3 can be anywhere between 10ppm-40ppm but i cannot exceed 40 ppm
Ammonia needs to be 0 ppm

those are the requirements for a cycled tank

so if you still have NO2 readings it is not cycled

 

[RoK]

Most fish will be fine up to 80 ppm (some even higher) of NO3 but it's recommended to keep it under 40 for their health, in the long run.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Nitrites need to be 0 and Nitrates should be under 30. I said around 6 to 7 inches because of the bio-load that he will produce once he gets bigger. Also, he should be in a larger tank the larger that he gets.