Over Stocking Question

[Bigge_al]

I been researching stocking my tank and for the most part get the same 1:1 ratio answer. Last night I was told that is you stay on top of your tank and maintain it you can push the stocking to .5/1. I am not looking to go much over the 1:1 ration but was wondering what is acceptable percentage of stocking.
My 100% stocking plan is:
2 mollies dalmation
2 platies mickey mouse
5 tetras neon
4 barbs 5 band
1 betta FM
1 otto catfish

I would like to add:
3 Mollies, making 5
3 Platies, making 5
2 Tetras making 7

this makes it 154% this info came from aqadvisor. 69% filtration

My tank is a 30g high corner tank with plastic ornaments, 40g filter, 2-24in air sticks and heater.

I plan to add the fish as my cycle allows.

Do I need to stick to the original plan or can I add the additional fish.

 

[stingrays4]

Hi yes you can overstock a tank as long as you keep up with the water changes. The main reason i never go the overstocked route is that if you have a power outage or a disease outbreak it gives very little room for error,just my opinion. My advice would be to add another filter,use carbon to keep the water cleaner and i would also use a polyfilter{not sure if you can get that over there?} this is simply like a sponge and it absorbs so much nasty stuff its amazing! Mind you it costs abit! Look in the marine section of your local shop - usually in a green box?

 

[stingrays4]

Hi you could leave out the platys or mollies as they will interbreed.

 

[LyndaB]

I been researching stocking my tank and for the most part get the same 1:1 ratio answer.

this is not a valid theory and you should pretty much forget you ever heard it.....

My 100% stocking plan is:
2 mollies dalmation be prepared for lots and lots of fry
2 platies mickey mouse ditto
5 tetras neon tetras should be in minimum schools of 8
4 barbs 5 band I don't understand what "band" is.... which species of barb?
1 betta FM bettas, male or female, quite often do not work in community tanks, be prepared and have a back up plan
1 otto catfish otos should be kept in groups of at least 3

I would like to add:
3 Mollies, making 5
3 Platies, making 5
2 Tetras making 7 this should be a definite, in fact add 1 more

this makes it 154% this info came from aqadvisor. 69% filtration

I take this site's advice with a very large grain of salt

What are you planning on doing with all the platy and molly fry? That's gonna be a lot of babies.

My suggestion would be to get the proper size school from the get-go, whichever species you're planning on adding. In other words, don't get the schools piece-meal. Get all your tetras, then 2 weeks later, get all your otos, and so on.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

I been researching stocking my tank and for the most part get the same 1:1 ratio answer. Last night I was told that is you stay on top of your tank and maintain it you can push the stocking to .5/1. I am not looking to go much over the 1:1 ration but was wondering what is acceptable percentage of stocking.
My 100% stocking plan is:
2 mollies dalmation
2 platies mickey mouse
5 tetras neon
4 barbs 5 band
1 betta FM
1 otto catfish

I would like to add:
3 Mollies, making 5
3 Platies, making 5
2 Tetras making 7

this makes it 154% this info came from aqadvisor. 69% filtration

My tank is a 30g high corner tank with plastic ornaments, 40g filter, 2-24in air sticks and heater.

I plan to add the fish as my cycle allows.

Do I need to stick to the original plan or can I add the additional fish.

I would not add that many fish. According to what you posted you have 50% too many fish and anything under 100% in filtration is too little. When stocking a tank you also have to take into consideration swimming space for the fish.

Over stocking can cause stress and stress can lead to disease. Not a good idea IMO.

 

[stingrays4]

Hi i would definatly review your idea as already been said overstocking is always bad policy,the only tank i overstocked, got up one morning and found half of them dead or dying as the filter had simply 'crashed' and had stopped working - never again

 

[jetajockey]

Hi you could leave out the platys or mollies as they will interbreed.

Platys and Mollies cannot interbreed. I agree with the last few posts, remember that this is a corner high tank rather than a long or standard tank. Horizontal space is far more important than vertical space so it really limits your options when you are choosing stock.

 

[bruinsbro1997]

IMO I would keep the number of mollies where it is. They're highly messy fish and can easily take out a colony of bacteria if you have too many.

 

[mfdrookie516]

A - Don't use aquadvisor for anything other than to cure boredom.

B - You're not overstocked if you can maintain good water quality.

C - That's too many livebearers in such a small tank. Fry will be plentiful.

 

[Bigge_al]

My plan is to get male platy and Mollies to prevent fry. Cannot get five band barbs and otto's are not available either may have to order otto online but that is sketchy at most. I got 2 other spots to check.

 

[absolutangel04]

Its a good idea to get all males.
I don't personally know anything about those barbs, so i am leaving that alone. Otos are usually pretty easy to find, so I am guessing you will run across them.
Can you give us the dimensions of the tank? And the filter type and brand? Like jeta said, horizontal space is very important for most fish species, and the exact filter brand helps us to be able to give better advice.

 

[Bigge_al]

The tank is a five sided corner tank two sides are 22in. the other three are 13in and the height is 24 in. and from the back corner to front is 24in. the filter I have is the exterior Tetra whisper 40. I also am running 2-23 inch air wands and also one of the decorations has air, the air pump I have is rated 40gal. with dual outputs, using gravel and plastic plants 3 small ones and 3 large ones, ornaments that they can hide in 2 driftwood and castle.

 

[NYgiantsRP]

I would get rid of either the mollies or barbs, and get a school of corys. All the fish you have are mid/top level fish. Corys will stay at the bottom.

I got 7 ottos from livequaria.com and they all came alive and healthy, I had them for over a year, and re-homed them when I changed to cichlids.

 

[absolutangel04]

Well, neons and livebearers should do well in that sort of a tank. Again, I do not know anything about that particular barb, so I am leaving that alone. IMO, your tank would be pretty darn full if you got all the fish from your expanded plan. Lots of HOB filters exagegrate how big of tank they are good for, but without knowing the brand and model, its hard to say for sure.
I suggest you start with a smaller plan and add more fish later if your parameters hold and if the fish all get along.
I think you should start with our initial stocking plan and see how it goes before thinking about adding too much more. Filter capacity and water changes are really important in determining how much stock you can have.
As a note, otos typically do best in little groups. I suggest getting at least 3.