Am I over stocked?

[DubaiNewbie]

Hey All,

I have a 190L Trigon corner tank which I have cycled and added an external sunsun 304b canister filter along side the internal Bioflow as well as a couple of airstones.

I'm a complete newbie and I think I've got carried away with my stocking after having a false start with trying a fancy goldfish tank (took these back to the LFS as couldn't get the water cold enough in Dubai)

At the moment I have:

20 Cardinal Tetra - All small - less than an inch
5 Cory Sterbai - Again small size
13 guppies
2 Medium Angel Fish

Have I overstocked the tank? The fish don't seem amazingly happy, even though my parameters are fine and I'm doing 25% water changes every 3/4 days.

I thought 1inch of fish per gallon but now I'm not so sure I got this right?

 

[Aiken Drum]

I would say moderately stocked when they get to full adult size.

 

[WildFish99]

Plan for adult size when you use inch per gallon. Otherwise you will have to find somewhere else for fish to live potentially. In some of the other posts there is a handy tool website that shows stocking amounts and the like.
Personally you dont seem over stocked. They may be adjusting or not like something specific about their tankmates or lights.
Keep an eye on it, but it doesnt seem like there is an issue currently.

 

[WildFish99]

https://aqadvisor.com/

 

[DubaiNewbie]

Thanks guys for the advice.

I’m just struggling to understand why they aren’t happy and each day I wake up I have a dead tetra or guppy stuck to the filter.

My parameters are fine.

Ph 6.4
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5

I have good flow and aeration with the spray bar and air stone but they fish are glass surfing (especially the corys) and I’m losing a fish a day at the moment

 

[Aiken Drum]

Reading over your previous posts. A couple of possibilities.

You started your tank without knowing about the nitrogen cycle and how to cycle a tank. While your water parameters look good now, its the water parameters your fish where living in a few weeks ago that is possibly killing your fish. Ammonia and nitrite don't normally kill fish overnight, they cause ill health which manifests into deaths over a longer period of time.

Also, are you sure the angelfish arent killing your other smaller fish? A medium sized angel fish is certainly capable of this. Which fish are dying? Cardinal tetras are the angelfishes natural prey. I keep both together fine, but my angels were introduced as small fish and never saw them as food.

 

[DubaiNewbie]

Hey Aiken,

Yes that’s right I did run into issues at the start but the tank had cycled (quite quickly as the filter was from the previous owner so had all the Bb in it). The guppies were added 10 days ago so missed the uncycled issues and tetras were added 6 days ago

In the last 8/9 days I’ve lost 3 guppies, 8 tetra and a yo-yo loach.

I am nit sure if it’s the angel fish, I’ve been observing each night for a few hours and they aren’t showing any aggression. Plus the fish aren’t bitten or chewed up?

 

[Aiken Drum]

What are your water parameters and what are you using to test them?

 

[DubaiNewbie]

I’m
Using the API master test kit.

I’m also doing 30/40% water changes every 3 days.

Yesterday was

Ph 6.4
Ammonia .25
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5

 

[DubaiNewbie]

Just got home and had a tetra and guppy stuck to the filter dead! No signs of nipped fins or trauma.

Just checked the water and it’s

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10

Tetras seem happy and more full of colour now and are schooling in the middle rather then hanging on the bottom.

Really don’t know what can be causing the deaths every day?

Had to do two pictures as smash two of the test kit test tubes when I was hungover and doing a water change on sat ??

 

[DubaiNewbie]

The guppies are acting erratic though.

Cory Sterbai are also spending quite a bit time swimming in the mid levels

Angels seem fine

 

[WildFish99]

Depending on where you supplied the fish could be the issue for the guppies. I havent had good luck with any typical store ones, but great luck with specific local aquarium places.
Also is your water temperature different? If you can currently I would put one of those intake sponges (fry guard or something) on your filter intake. If the fish arent doing well already a strong filter is a death wise waiting to happen.
I hope it improves!

 

[SwampeastMike]

You're not overstocked, you're under mineralized.

The water in Dubai is about 90% by desalination which on the industrial scale produces utterly pure water--the universal solvent. It is certainly treated but it can never resemble natural water in any way until it goes down the drain where it's necessarily collected and repurposed for agriculture.

I suspect you drink and cook with bottled water even though the tap is completely safe if "sterile". Give the fish the same. If you want to use tap water then research about how to properly mineralize your water which in your case is complicated because it's already "blank" save the minimal treatment to keep it from eating nearly everything.

 

[DubaiNewbie]

Hey everyone,

Just to update. Not had any further deaths in the last 3 days, everything seems to have calmed down.

Water parameters are still strong.

Think the fish that died must have been stressed in the travelling/adjustment to the new tank?