Stocking help - use Aqadvisor

[Andrewz00]

I dont work for them but still love this tool!!

If you have questions about stocking your tank... use it! Its not the answer to every question.. but its a great place to start.

AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Your right its a good place to Start but don't take it as gospel. It doesn't take everything into account.

 

[phin]

It is also VERY CONSERVATIVE in its stocking calculations. It is good to estimate filtration capacity and water change amounts. Its a good guide, but take it with a grain of salt and use your own experience as well.

 

[panathinaikos55]

It is also VERY CONSERVATIVE in its stocking calculations. It is good to estimate filtration capacity and water change amounts. Its a good guide, but take it with a grain of salt and use your own experience as well.

How conservative? I'm getting ready to start stocking and was playing around with it the last week or so. The fish I want (in the quantities I want) to add display my stocking level at 115%.

I was just trying to figure out what to remove from the plan.

 

[Luananeko]

I love aqadvisor, it's SO helpful to get a rough start for my stocking plans so I know I'm in the right ballpark before I do further research. It depends on the tank shape/size for how conservative it is, but most of the "conservativeness" I noticed was primarily around the warnings on which fish are too aggressive/fin nippy for each other. It screams at me constantly when I plug in my stock because it assumes bettas can't be kept with anything else, or that my loaches are supposed fin nipping terrors, etc I wish there was a way to acknowledge and hide warnings that you've already accounted for.

Stocking percentage wise it's not so far off. You sort of have to use your own eye as you stock to figure out how "full" the tank looks to you and how your stock are behaving. If everyone seems to have their niche and doesn't bother each other, and if your water parameters are staying rock solid even when you're late on your water changes, you're probably safe to add some more. If your current stock keeps running into each others territories, or if your water parameters get out of whack the second you miss a water change, you're probably better off leaving the stocking level where you are. I've seen some tanks that seem "full" at 89%, while others don't hit that stage until 120%. It all depends on your decoration layout, tank shape/size, and stock.

 

[Hholly]

How conservative? I'm getting ready to start stocking and was playing around with it the last week or so. The fish I want (in the quantities I want) to add display my stocking level at 115%.

I was just trying to figure out what to remove from the plan.

As long as you keep up with substantial water changes and there are no aggression issues or too many fish occupying the same area of the tank, you're probably fine there.

 

[Andrewz00]

As long as you keep up with substantial water changes and there are no aggression issues or too many fish occupying the same area of the tank, you're probably fine there.

Agreed... AqAdvisor is very good at what it does and is a great starting point for stocking questions... that being said.... it is not the end all answer. A lot of times you can stock well over what it advises as long as you have ample filtration and stay current with maintenance/PWCs....

My current tank is stocked at 136% according to that site.. but i do weekly 50% pwc and have enough filtration for a tank 3 times my size...

 

[panathinaikos55]

Agreed... AqAdvisor is very good at what it does and is a great starting point for stocking questions... that being said.... it is not the end all answer. A lot of times you can stock well over what it advises as long as you have ample filtration and stay current with maintenance/PWCs....

My current tank is stocked at 136% according to that site.. but i do weekly 50% pwc and have enough filtration for a tank 3 times my size...

Good to know as I'm in the same boat. I have a 60g with 2 Aqueon Quiet flow 55/75's and a Hydro Series III sponge filter. AqAdvisor recommended a weekly 30% pwc. I have been doing more anyway, even though it's still cycling and currently not stocked.