Can I add more fish to my 20 gallon tank?

[mandy2936]

Hi!

Ok so I currently have a 20g high with...
6 male Guppies
6 Neon Tetra
4 Julii Cories

I really want to add some more fish to the tank, so I asked around. Here is a link to my question and the answers I received. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/i...0vTXkF3ty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20100919151737AA4OgCM

Anyway, I really like the idea of adding 3 more Platies. I think that would look really nice, BUT the last answerer has a good point. The Neons would appreciate being in a larger school. Also, I went on aqadvisor.com and when I typed this in:

6 male Guppies
4 Julii Cories
6 Neon Tetra
3 Platies

I got 116% stocked! Overstocked by 16%? That's crazy! I don't want to do that... Without the Cories my stocking is 100%- perfect. I didn't realize that the Cories added so much to the bioload! I thought they contributed very little waste wise.. 16% is a huge difference.

SO please, I need some help here. I would love to add 3 more Platies and possibly 1 more Neon, but that is pretty overstocked. :'(

What can I do?
Thanks so much!!

 

[Jason7894561230]

The coriies add quite a bit of waste but i dont think that you can sneak any more fish because the bio load would become to much
But i guess you could add 1 more neon and maybe 1 platy but i would stop there and leave it alone

 

[maxima423]

i am also overstocked...

my 20g high has:

1 bolivian ram
3 praecox rainbow
6 julii cories
1 BN pleco
1 dwarf gourami

technically i should have ammonia spikes from what i read about over stocked and high bio-load tanks... i still have not gotten a ammonia spike...

this is prob the wrong way of thinking but, IMO, if i stock correctly and slowly, i can prob add more fish, there are 3 levels to a tank so it cant be too crowded

dwarf gourami is ALWAYS around mid level, when hes not, hes getting air in the top or even staying behind my fake plants that i have hung in the two back corners

rainbows just migrate between all three levels

cories just CHALLAN like a villain in the bottom

ram looks like she found herself a sweet spot in between my driftwood

and the pleco just going where ever he wants

i know i am overstocked, but i dont think im over crowded... im still experimenting with my stocklist, its nowhere near complete... i want to try a german blue or gold ram... another dwarf gourami... more rainbows... one SMALL school of rasboras... and im eyeing a 60$ gold nugget pleco!!!

and yes i do check my ammonia/nitrite/nitrate every 5-6 days, i even had to buy a new API master kit... only thing i have noticed is the nitrate rising faster, so i do a change every 4-5 days, which is fine with me, i do it when i dont have work so its okay, i really dont mind it, i would even do 3 changes a week if i had too

funny thing is, i think like my college professor, he once said

"a house has a certain number of rooms, but that does not stop my family from letting my cousins live in my living room, basement, etc... the bottom line is, can we co-exist seeing one another 24/7 and how long will this last, but lets see and lets experiment"

 

[mandy2936]

Thanks for your input, Maxima.

The coriies add quite a bit of waste but i dont think that you can sneak any more fish because the bio load would become to much
But i guess you could add 1 more neon and maybe 1 platy but i would stop there and leave it alone

One platy? Wouldn't that look a little odd...? Haha what about..

1 more Neon and 2 Platies? (Are Platies even okay being in groups of 2? I know guppies need at least a trio.) That will lighten it a bit. Let me see what the percentage comes out to then. Adding 1 Neon and 2 Platies comes out to 112% stocked. Without the extra Neon, it's 110%.

Any other advice? I hear a bunch of people saying how my tank looks deserted and empty and I should add way more fish. It's definitely not overcrowded, but I don't want the bioload to go sky high..
What do you guys think?

 

[maxima423]

http://aqadvisor.com/AquStockImage....200909300109:,1:200909300031:,3:200909300143:

this is what mine shows, i knew like i said i was over-stocked, but my filtration is still good, i still plan on trying my experiment but i dont think aqadvisor is accurate on my filtration, i think i have more since i use multiple bio bags... but eh, im still figuring out my stock

 

[Jason7894561230]

I dont believe that platies need another fish. Just, hmm, calculate what it would be if you added three platies

 

[mandy2936]

With this stocking- 6 male Guppies, 4 Julii Cories, 6 neons, and 3 platies my stocking is 116%.
Unfortunately, I now only have 5 Guppies. It was my absolute favorite fish, so of course I am in tears. (~RIP Rio~)

Anyways, I am still trying to figure out my stocking, I may add some platies or a dwarf gourami instead. i will update when i get a new calculation.

*Do you guys think I should replace the Guppy? They really should come in threes. The problem with that is if I add a new guppy he may not be accepted and could be bullied by the others because he came on his own... thoughts?

Thanks.

 

[DragonFish71]

Guppies only need to be in groups of 3s as a ratio of 1 male to 2 females. That way the male doesn't drive one female insane. All live bearers should be kept in groups of more females to males for that reason. Since you're going all males, there's no need to keep them in groups. They really aren't that great as schooling fish.

 

[mandy2936]

Guppies only need to be in groups of 3s as a ratio of 1 male to 2 females. That way the male doesn't drive one female insane. All live bearers should be kept in groups of more females to males for that reason. Since you're going all males, there's no need to keep them in groups. They really aren't that great as schooling fish.

Thanks, but I have heard and seen differently. I have heard that (on a completely different subject of mixing genders) guppies prefer to have trios, so stocking such as 3, 6, 9, 12, etc.
Also, my guppies actually school more than my neons! my neons are usually scattered around the tank, but the guppies are swimming wildly around the tank together.

So, I am interested in replacing my Guppy, but maybe not. I still have to figure out if I want the platies or not, etc. etc. I will get back to you with my decision, questions, and thoughts. thanks.

 

[DragonFish71]

Funny because I have about 100 guppies in various tanks and the only time they "school" is when the male chases the females.


And, again, I'm sure others will chime in on the male to female ratio if you're taking issue with my response.

 

[mandy2936]

Woah there, I am not "taking issue" with your response. I am simpy letting you know how I have heard otherwise. I am not lying about my Guppies schooling, and I also do not think you're lying about your 100 not schooling.

I know about the male to female ratio thing. It's so that the male doesn harrass the female too much.

I was just letting you know how I have heard different from various sources...
No biggie.

 

[maxima423]

if you want to add another guppy, their would not be a problem, its up to you

if you want to add a gourami of some sort, think about your smaller fish maybe harassing the longer finned fish... how about a ram of some sort?

 

[mandy2936]

if you want to add another guppy, their would not be a problem, its up to you

Really? You don't think the single new guppy will be bullied? I mean, that's good if not, but I thought that they would..

if you want to add a gourami of some sort, think about your smaller fish maybe harassing the longer finned fish... how about a ram of some sort?

I'm a little confused with your last remark. Are you suggesting that the Neons might fin nip the Guppies? Well, I have asked several questions on here about that subject before purchasing the Neons. The people who answered told me they were the most docile fish they knew, and it would be perfectly fine. Turns out they were right, so far the Neons have avoided the guppies completely. in fact, if a guppy comes near, they just move out of the way.
As for rams, I know close to nothing about them, but they aren't sold near me anyway.
I'm still a little shaky on the DG thing. Some sites say the DG is so gentle other fish might even harrass it to death because it wont fight back. However, other sites say that they are really aggressive. So, I don't know. I love them, theyre so pretty, and would be perfect for my tank, (especially stocking wise) but i fear for the neons.

 

[maxima423]

no i dont think that at all, i think its only when you add 1 female in a group full of males, but as for adding another male, i dont see a prob, try experimenting =]

Really? You don't think the single new guppy will be bullied? I mean, that's good if not, but I thought that they would..

they might, i was told that bloodfins would go well with all my fish, they ended up terrorizing them instead, my experience with my dwarf gourami right now is that, they arent so gentle lol, they dont bully the cories at all, but he does go after the ram and praecox rainbows, like as im typing this, the ram and gourami just started pecking each other, but i havent noticed any nipped fins or anything, its more like, get out of here or else... type of thing

I'm a little confused with your last remark. Are you suggesting that the Neons might fin nip the Guppies? Well, I have asked several questions on here about that subject before purchasing the Neons. The people who answered told me they were the most docile fish they knew, and it would be perfectly fine. Turns out they were right, so far the Neons have avoided the guppies completely. in fact, if a guppy comes near, they just move out of the way.
As for rams, I know close to nothing about them, but they aren't sold near me anyway.
I'm still a little shaky on the DG thing. Some sites say the DG is so gentle other fish might even harrass it to death because it wont fight back. However, other sites say that they are really aggressive. So, I don't know. I love them, theyre so pretty, and would be perfect for my tank, (especially stocking wise) but i fear for the neons.

 

[Bigzmey]

Bloodfins are known fin-pickers. Neons are peaceful. You should be careful with platies, though. If you get a male and female you will have tons of them in no time.

 

[swankyspoon]

If I were to add anything it would be 2 more Cory. However, AqAdvisor says you are 98% stocked as it is. I would just leave the tank alone.