catfish laying on its side..

[Shadowraven]

Oh yeah I wasn't planning on getting anymore in this tank! lol I am thinking about getting a 29G to replace my 10G. But my wife would shoot me if I spent more money on my aquarium habit right now.. lol. I do have a spare 5 Gal in the basement. Would that be useful at all?

That would be the best thing to do when you can. Until then you will really need to keep an eye on your water quality. Another filter may help and can always be used on the new tank.

You ARE overstocked there and should fix that as soon as you can. I understand about you not being able to fix that, yet. I can't do everything I would like to either. My wife would kill me if I did. Craigslist is a good idea that you may be able to sell her on. Doesn't hurt to try I guess.

 

[siva]

My petco has been running a different aquarium kit for 40-50% off every month for the past several months. It ends up being a great deal, with a rebate on the box even, including the filter and heater. A 29 would be perfect for your stock. You could fill out the schools to the right sizes, and have a nicely stocked 29. If that's not in the immediate future, I would consider finding a new home for the mollies or, taking them into to a lfs like petco who will rehome them for you, because with their huge bio-loads in that little tank your water chemistry is going to remain out of whack until your fish just die off.

 

[rocstar629]

Well I talked to the wife and I am going to start hunting for a new aquarium. Any suggestions on brand/size/accessories would be great.

 

[Pvtdgrif]

If you would like to check out how overstocked you are, check this site http://aqadvisor.com/AqAdvisor.php it allows you to set the dimensions of the tank, the filter type model and size, and what fish you have. It lets you know if your filter can cope as well as if you are overstocked. Post the results back.

Also if you find a replacement tank you can use it to check how stocked you would be with it.

 

[siva]

The aqadvisor is very unaccurate. I would not suggest it for the beginning hobbyist.

Well you'll want a minimum of a 29 to house all the fish you currently have and upgrade your schoolers to proper groups sizes. So a 29 will solve your problem but won't give your the enjoyment of picking out some new fish to join your crew. If you get a 55 you'll have some extra room to pick some new fishies

 

[Pvtdgrif]

The aqadvisor is very unaccurate. I would not suggest it for the beginning hobbyist.

Well you'll want a minimum of a 29 to house all the fish you currently have and upgrade your schoolers to proper groups sizes. So a 29 will solve your problem but won't give your the enjoyment of picking out some new fish to join your crew. If you get a 55 you'll have some extra room to pick some new fishies

What grounds do you have for saying it is inaccurate? I've seen loads of regular longterm forum users recommend it, as did I when I set up my tank, so if it is inaccurate then it's news to me!

 

[Bettababe1011]

I use Aqadvisor, but only as a general guideline. But, it tends to say that I'm over stocked when I know I'm not. I've had people here tell me I'm not.

So, you can use Aqadvisor as a guide, but not as a completely accurate source.

 

[siva]

What grounds do you have for saying it is inaccurate? I've seen loads of regular longterm forum users recommend it, as did I when I set up my tank, so if it is inaccurate then it's news to me!

I have only heard the mentors/mods on this site say it should be used for entertainment purposes only, same as on other sites. In general it is not considered to be accurate tool, by any means. Sometimes it can be helpful pointing out compatiblity issues with temperature, etc. But as far as if a fish is appropriate for your size tank or if your tank is stocked/overstocked it isn't worth much IMO. Stocking a tank is just too complicated for it to give accurate results, much of the time. My advice would be to instead (or also) post your stock list on this forum...you'll get real input from personal experiences aqadvisor just can't give you

 

[Shadowraven]

The best stocking guideline tool I have found to date is a spreadsheet available at MOA's website. That is Math-Only Aquarium. I use it myself as a what-if for stocking a tank. Nothing for doing this is perfect, but it is the most accurate tool I have ever seen so far.

His calculations look good to me as he is using more criteria about the fish then most rules do. He looks at length, girth and body mass of the fish in relation to its metabolism. He takes into account the aquarists experience, the plants in the tank, the filter being used and how much is being fed to the the fish.

The math is a little complex, but looks solid. It is the result of a good deal of input from other aquarists as well.

For anyone interested about the site I found this sheet on, it can be found at this link. The most current version is FishsheetA7.Version2.xls.

He explains the theory and math that he is using for anyone inclined to checking on his ideas and how the sheet works.

 

[rocstar629]

Thanks again to everyone who has helped me out on this. I tested my tank today and I have not done a water change in 3 or 4 days and ammo is 0 nitrites are 0 and nitrates are 10 ppm. Looks like the tank is back on track. I will be keeping a close eye on this as I search for the new tank. Thanks again!

 

[Shadowraven]

No problem. We are glad that we could help you.

 

[spoonman]

Glad to hear that you got it back on track!!! Happy that I could help!

 

[rocstar629]

I know this thread is Ancient but I wanted to thank you all for the help and my new 29 is doing great. Here is a link if your interested.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f70/new-29-gallon-community-tank-154395.html

 

[Shadowraven]

Thanks for the update. It's great to see that your tank is doing so good now.