Can i get more fish for my 20 long?

[Maxp123]

Hey I have 8 cherry barbs, and 4 albino corydoras. Do you think I can add any more fish? And so, whick ones? My tank is cycled completely and I thought I could get some more buddies for them.

 

[jetajockey]

Yes definitely. I'd probably put something like a honey gourami or dwarf gourami, paradisefish, or some killies in there.

 

[Maxp123]

Thanks, I'll keep those in mind

 

[BHead707]

some apistos will work in a 20G as well

 

[Fishguy2727]

Stocking CANNOT be discussed without discussing water quality.

What is the nitrate concentration?
What is the current water change schedule?

 

[Maxp123]

5 nat, 0 nit, and 0 ammo. 77 degree water. There isnt too much decor but there is one monster plant.

 

[Fishguy2727]

Good, then you definitely have room for more fish. Chemically you are not overstocked if you can keep the nitrate under 20ppm before water changes.
Which kit are you using?
What is your water change schedule.

 

[Maxp123]

I use the api master test kit. I do water changes 2 times a week

 

[Fishguy2727]

How large are they?

 

[Maxp123]

40-60%

 

[Maxp123]

Would cardinal tetras be a good addition?

 

[TheFishBoss97]

i wouldn't do any dwarf cichlids
ex: rams, apistos, etc.

bc 77 is way too low for them, the ideal range is 80-84, 82 is best......
unless you raise the temp.

maybe a dwarf gourami of some sort

a clown pleco? for the bottom
and maybe a neon blue gourami for center piece fish?

any pics?

 

[TheFishBoss97]

Would cardinal tetras be a good addition?

yes, you could add 6-8 of them. Prob. 6 max, as it would be around fully stocked if you add 6. But cardinal tetras need a temp of 78-80 or higher and are quite delicate initially when first added to a tank

is your tank planted? they also like softer water with a pH range: 6.4-6.8
7.2 should be fine i guess

 

[bruinsbro1997]

Would cardinal tetras be a good addition?

Fine addition IMO, you could add six to eight w/o being overstocked.

 

[aqua_chem]

i wouldn't do any dwarf cichlids
ex: rams, apistos, etc.

bc 77 is way too low for them, the ideal range is 80-84, 82 is best......
unless you raise the temp.

maybe a dwarf gourami of some sort

a clown pleco? for the bottom
and maybe a neon blue gourami for center piece fish?

any pics?

Lets not wrap all dwarf cichlids into one category shall we? Both bolivian rams and cacatuoides will be fine under 80. Bolivians actually prefer it.

Although, I wouldn't get a pair of them as the bottom of a 20 might be a bit crowded with a breeding pair AND cories.

 

[jetajockey]

Stocking CANNOT be discussed without discussing water quality.

What is the nitrate concentration?
What is the current water change schedule?

Sure it can. It happens all the time, and people aren't wrong for doing it.

The nitrate and water change schedule are both things that can be adjusted accordingly to a degree, so generally speaking they are not imperatives before answering a simple question.

 

[Fishguy2727]

But no one should be saying 'yes you can add more' without knowing what those things are. If someone is lacking on their water changes and the water quality is already too bad, the last thing anyone should say is 'yes, you can add more fish'. People come to the forum for help and should get it, even if we have to ask a few questions along the way.

IMO this is one of the worst habits on forums like this. It just shows that almost all of us are still thinking in terms of 'x amount of fish in y gallons' even though we all agree those guides are loose and errored at best. Water changes have a massive impact on stocking, if we overlook that we might as well go back to the 1"/gallon as a rule.

 

[jetajockey]

But no one should be saying 'yes you can add more' without knowing what those things are. If someone is lacking on their water changes and the water quality is already too bad, the last thing anyone should say is 'yes, you can add more fish'. People come to the forum for help and should get it, even if we have to ask a few questions along the way.

If someone is lacking on water changes and water quality its something that can be corrected. Fishkeeping 101 in a lot of cases, pretty much everyone here knows the basics of keeping low nitrates and keeping clean water. And I think that most people that come here for stocking advice are willing to do a 50% wc next time instead of a 25% one if necessary rather than look at a half empty tank because we deemed their tank maintenance inept.

I don't think its unfair to make some kind of generalization when it comes to tank maintenance/filtration/etc and find a middle ground so we don't have to grill every single person that makes a thread asking a simple question.

No offense, but not everyone does stocking the way you do, and you haven't set some kind of gold standard on how we are supposed to respond to people.

IMO this is one of the worst habits on forums like this. It just shows that almost all of us are still thinking in terms of 'x amount of fish in y gallons' even though we all agree those guides are loose and errored at best. Water changes have a massive impact on stocking, if we overlook that we might as well go back to the 1"/gallon as a rule.

It's just as bad as thinking your way is the only way. This isn't the only subject, but yes most people do stocking based on tank size. Sure, you could cram an extra 3 schools of fish in a tank and do 4 x water changes a week, but it still doesn't resolve the issue of space.

I try to steer on the side of understocking in general, myself, based on how much actual space is in the tank for the fish to utilize, determined by their level preference, aggression, social behavior, etc. My stocking plans are generally sound for someone that does routine once every week or two week water changes.

Stocking advice is opinion after all, isn't it? Don't we all have a right to one?


So most people make generalizations, simple things like assuming that a person has enough filtration for a modest stocking and a somewhat routine water change schedule (once again, dictated by nitrate levels primarily).

It's not perfect and its not your way of doing things but its a good baseline for most people.

 

[Fishguy2727]

"If someone is lacking on water changes and water quality its something that can be corrected."
It CANNOT be corrected if we never ask about it.

I am not suggesting we grill anyone. I think that certain pieces of information are already needed (tank size, fish already in, etc.). I think it is essential to add a couple things (nitrate concentration and water change schedule).

The other problem is that no, not everyone knows how important water changes are, that nitrate needs to be kept below a certain level, or even what their current nitrate concentration is. Asking one or two simple questions just to double check should not be a problem for anyone. This could be a wake-up call. I have seen it a ton of times where people check nitrate more when they first start but then they either get lazy and stop or when they keep getting 15ppm every time they accept that x% every week is enough for their tank. But they forget that fish grow, they added a couple fish here and there, and that x% isn't enough anymore. Yes, they may be more than happy to up the size of water changes, but if we aren't allowed to ask one simple question to bring it up they will never know.

I don't think 'my way' is better. I think that many people overlook water quality when discussing stocking. I think everyone agrees that water quality is a huge factor in how many fish can be added, yet no one asks.

I completely agree with you about stocking. I agree that unless someone is new to the forum that it should not be a bad assumption that they have adequate filtration and have a routine water change schedule. I completely agree that playing it safe and understocking is the way to go. And I completely agree that focusing on water quality alone is not the way to go either.

All I am saying is that when someone comes on and says 'I have a, b, c, and d in a 30, can I add more?' and the next response is 'yes, you can add...' we as a forum failed to truly help the person. When all it takes is one question to quickly and simply double check water quality (What is your nitrate concentration?) why shouldn't we?

 

[jetajockey]

All I am saying is that when someone comes on and says 'I have a, b, c, and d in a 30, can I add more?' and the next response is 'yes, you can add...' we as a forum failed to truly help the person. When all it takes is one question to quickly and simply double check water quality (What is your nitrate concentration?) why shouldn't we?

If you feel its your conviction to question them on it then by all means, it's never a bad thing to ask someone about water quality and whatnot, but it's not a requirement, and it shouldn't be one.

There's a general theme here that anyone who browses and reads the articles picks up on pretty quickly as far as water quality/water change routine etc goes, so in an effort to keep threads from getting convoluted I tend to treat the stocking threads with a generality that they have a basic knowledge as well as average filtration, average tank maintenance practice, etc. If I get the inkling that the person either has a water quality issue or lacks basic knowledge in it then I will bring it up at that point.

Call it laziness on my part but its what I do and I think it's okay.

The forum didn't fail anyone in giving help, it's a simple question and it was given a simple answer. If I had that tank setup and stock then yes I would add to it, simple as that.