Stocking- Using Aqadvisor

[fraoch]

Hi Everyone!

I'm sure there have probably been many discussions on using aqadvisor for stocking and I am a big fan of it for helping guide me on my species choices and shoal sizes. For my 35 gal planted tank I've been using it to get an idea of what I can fit in the tank but I have suspicions it may be overstocking me whilst telling me it'll be 95% stocked so I want to get some real life advice from people and not an algorithm!

Like I said the tank is 35 gal with an APS 1000lph external and an extra 200lph external filter and its 98x38x34cm. It has been cycled for a few months now but I have been stocking slowly so I currently have: 8 black phantoms, 2 chain loaches, 4 false julii corys, BN plec, 3 celestial danios, 10 cherry shrimp

And according to aqadvisor I could have:
5 corys
5 chain loaches
1 BN plec
10 phantoms
10 danios
12 dwarf pencilfish
2 apisto borelli
2 lyretail killifish
20 cherry shrimp

And that would be fine? I have my doubts which is why I'm asking. I obviously want to boost the numbers in the shoal of the corys, loaches and danios but otherwise I am open to suggestions for whats a good stocking

PS- having a small issue right now with the phantoms nipping my plec, hoping this will go away since they've recently been added to the tank but would reducing the number of males in the shoal to 1 (currently 3) or increasing the shoal size help any?

 

[Aiken Drum]

Could i ask what temperature your tank is? Im planning a 60 litre tank, that will be around 24c/75f, and i want to put some celestial pearl danios in it. I read mixed reviews of celestials at that high a temperature, so im not sure. If yours is around that temp, i would like to know how they are doing.

In answer to your question, your proposed stocking feels high.

When you say 95% stocked, is that tank capacity or filter because it gives both. I tend to find AQA suggests high stocking based on tank size, and low stocking based on filter size, so you end up with, for instance, a 50g tank fully stocked, needs 100g filter capacity or it says you need more filtration.

In general though, i think AQA is considered very conservative in what it says is fully stocked. Which is the opposite of what i find. I would add fish slowly, see what your water change schedule needs to be and how your fish are doing. That will give you a better idea of stocking than a stocking calculator. Its a guide, and doesn't take account of all your variables.

 

[fraoch]

Hi Aiken Drum,
Thanks for the reply! Yes my tank is sitting at 24C with the danios in it, I added them about a month ago and they were very young but they are growing fast and colouring up nicely so seem to be doing really well at this temp.

Aqadvisor is giving me 95% stocked for the tank and 176% capacity for filtration so maybe that stocking would be ok but like you suggest I'm definitely going to add slowly and see how it gets on