Very new newbie :-) - Stocking a 27 gallon

[Bf92sy]

Hi all!


This is my first time starting a tread so I hope I do it right

Ive had my 125 litre or 27 gallon fish tank set up for about 6 months now. The tank is fully cycled after a lot of reading on setting up a new aquarium.

After being given some advice in the pet shop I purchased some freshwater tropical fish. However after more reading I now think that my tank is over stocked.

I currently have;
6 zebra danios
6 mountain minnows
2 platies (male I think)
2 mollies
And a cory cat

Any advice on socking levels would be greatly appreciated

Thank you

 

[Bf92sy]

Couple of spelling mistakes in that message! Stupid iPhone
I meant thread and stocking lol

 

[Digital Man]

The general rule that I follow with a freshwater tank is one inch of fish per gallon of water. I have a 45 gallon tank so I wouldn't stock it with more than a total of 45 inches of fish in total. When following this guidance, be sure to take into account what the adult size of the fish will be and not necessarily the size of the fish at the time you bring it home. Of course, this can vary depending on the exact type of fish you have. Keep an eye on your water quality to make sure your tank is able to handle the bio load and you might need to do more frequent water changes than someone with less fish. Hope this helps.

 

[Ian086]

Hi all!


This is my first time starting a tread so I hope I do it right

Ive had my 125 litre or 27 gallon fish tank set up for about 6 months now. The tank is fully cycled after a lot of reading on setting up a new aquarium.

After being given some advice in the pet shop I purchased some freshwater tropical fish. However after more reading I now think that my tank is over stocked.

I currently have;
6 zebra danios
6 mountain minnows
2 platies (male I think)
2 mollies
And a cory cat

Any advice on socking levels would be greatly appreciated

Thank you

Hi, imo your fine with that stock level. Are you water tests coming back ok. You should be getting NO ammonia, NO nitrites and low nitrates. How is your Nitrate levels, are they high??. You can have high(within reason) stock levels as long as you have the filtration to match. Remember you can never have too much filtration..The more the better....Ian

 

[Rivercats]

Actually the stocking level is fine IF you remove the molly's. The problem with molly's is they get big and have a high bio-load. They can put alot of waste into a smaller tank. One thing I would suggest is see if the store will take back the molly's and get 3 more cory cats as they do much better in groups.

 

[Ian086]

Actually the stocking level is fine IF you remove the molly's. The problem with molly's is they get big and have a high bio-load. They can put alot of waste into a smaller tank. One thing I would suggest is see if the store will take back the molly's and get 3 more cory cats as they do much better in groups.

Tip for you Bf92sy, When very experienced people like Rivercats give you advice, LISTEN..They really know what there talking about....

 

[Sambo7475]

+1 to the above, and also welcome aboard, you will get some great advice here!

 

[Dreamwallaby]

I agree with Rivercats.

 

[Bf92sy]

Thank you all so much for your advice!

Last time I got my water tested the ammonia and nitrate levels where both at 0. The ph was slightly low due to the water in my area so I got a rock thing to bring it up. These levels where before I added the Mollies (2 days ago) so ill need to get it tested again.

Ill be sad to see the mollies go as they are now my favourite but the health and quality of life for my fish is most important.

With regards to getting more cory's do they all need to be of the same kind?

Who knew setting up a good tank was so complicated! I've learnt so much in the last couple of months, which has all been to the great advice given on here.

Thanks again

 

[Rivercats]

Corys like to shoal with their own species but they will do okay if you keep different species together.

 

[Autumnsky]

Hi and !

A couple of things...

Cory cats can be very large, for instance with an Emerald Green "Cory" aka Emerald Brochis Catfish 3+ inches, to Dwarf Cories, Pygmy Cory, Habrosus and Hastatus which are very small and appx 1.3 inches. So you can see that you could get 2-3, three since the Emeralds get broad and tall, kinda stocky, lol.

So you could get more fish for your shoal and still keep your bio-load in check. Same with other types of fish. Some similar length fish have different bioloads. For example a Guppy and a Cardinal.

Also a side note about your filter pads, only rinse them in conditioned water or clean in old tank water since the BB (beneficial bacteria) which break down waste are killed by Chlorine/Chloramines in the tap water (which make it "safe" for us to drink by killing harmful bacteria!)

Don't replace your filter pad unless it is falling apart, and you can almost always fit two pads back to back/piggyback to double surface area for more BB. Which is great as the more the merrier for helping keep your water stable. And if you happen to find a great deal on an extra tank you can use one for cycling!

 

[Bf92sy]

Thank you both for your advice.

I will look into getting a couple more cory's of the same species once i have returned the mollies.
My first cory is very shy and has made his home inside a piece of driftwood. I'm sure he will feel a lot more secure once he has a couple of tank mates.

I currently do weekly water changes of around 10-15%. And rinse the filter sponges out in the old water every 3 or 4 weeks.

I never thought about putting more filter sponges in back to back. That's a great idea!

My current filter is a fluval u3 which has a compartment for bio rings (little cork like things). So I have two sponge compartments and the bio rings in the middle.
Has anyone had any experience with them? Are they any good?

Thanks again

Xx

 

[Ian086]

Thank you both for your advice.

I will look into getting a couple more cory's of the same species once i have returned the mollies.
My first cory is very shy and has made his home inside a piece of driftwood. I'm sure he will feel a lot more secure once he has a couple of tank mates.

I currently do weekly water changes of around 10-15%. And rinse the filter sponges out in the old water every 3 or 4 weeks.

I never thought about putting more filter sponges in back to back. That's a great idea!

My current filter is a fluval u3 which has a compartment for bio rings (little cork like things). So I have two sponge compartments and the bio rings in the middle.
Has anyone had any experience with them? Are they any good?

Thanks again

Xx

Yeah have one of those. They're quality filters.. Look into getting some Seachem Matrix, they are like little porus rocks. Very good reviews..More surface area for your bb to grow..If you do get some, remember to replace the bio rings with Matrix bit by bit. You don't want to lose your bb....Ian