Is that the tank fully stocked?

[Kathryn002]

I have a 22 UK Gallon (100 litres) Tropical Community tank, with 6 Black Phantom Tetras, 2 Blue Rams, 2 Mollies and 4 New Panda Corydoras!
It is filtered with a Fluval 3 Plus Filter.
It has 50 Watts of lighting and an Eheim heater, if that makes any difference.
The water is fairly alkaline, with the pH nearer 8.0, but the water is very soft.
I am just wondering, is my tank fully stocked? I have been told so, but I would like to ask.
Thanks everyone,
Kathryn

[racoll]

Hi.

There are no strict rules, but the ultimate stock of a tank is governed by several factors including....

1. Will the fish tolerate each other. Is there territory/bullying issues?

2. The amount of oxygen available. This is determined by the surface area/volume ratio of the tank. Wider tank = greater surface area/volume ratio. Aeration and turnover can be increased with adding powerheads/airstones and spray bars. There is also less oxygen the warmer the water is.

3. The eventual adult size of your fish. Many folk do not take this into account.

4. The effectiveness of the filter to deal with waste. As more and more fish are added, a filter of a finite size will become less able to deal with ammonia spikes after feeding, or from an unnoticed dead fish.

5. The level of nitrates (and other metabolic compounds). The more fish you have, the more nitrates you will get. Your water changes will have to increase in frequency and volume.

6. The potential for disaster. If say the filter or heater fail, a lightly stocked tank will last much longer before the fish perish.


I would say that in your tank it is the filter that is the limiting factor. I have never liked those fluval internals, as they block easily and hold a pitiful amount of media.

I would purchase an external eheim classic 2213 and then I would say that you can add some more fish.


What do you think?

[MatsP]

Racoll, I think we should write a little article on "how many fish can I fit in the tank", don't you?

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Mats

[Marc van Arc]

I would purchase an external eheim classic 2213 and then I would say that you can add some more fish.

I support this remark completely. Don't let someone talk you into an Eheim Ecco filter for imho they are less user-friendly.

[Marc van Arc]

Racoll, I think we should write a little article on "how many fish can I fit in the tank", don't you?

This isn't a bad idea. You could add it as a sticky in the Tank Talk forum for instance. I take it you'll choose a different title.

[MatsP]

Racoll, I think we should write a little article on "how many fish can I fit in the tank", don't you?

This isn't a bad idea. You could add it as a sticky in the Tank Talk forum for instance. I take it you'll choose a different title.

Apparently, Racoll has already written such a thing, just waiting for Jools to come through with actually putting it somewhere on the site... [And yes, the title is different!]

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Mats

[Kathryn002]

Thank you.
I, at least for now, will not be adding another, or a different, filter, therefore no more fish for just now. I don't have the time to cycle a new filter, so that will have to wait for just now.
I am happy with the tank, so I shall probably not buy any more fish. I certainly do not want to overstock the tank.
Thanks again people,
Kathryn

[MatsP]

A new filter doesn't really require "cycling" in the same respect as when you set up a new tank, since the filter will "automagically" pick up it's good bacteria from the already cycled tank, so it should be pretty painless.

Of course, you can't remove the current filter until the new one is cycled (I personally would keep two filters in the tank - you can't have too many filters).

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Mats

[Kathryn002]

Thanks again.
I shall consider another filter for the tank in the near future.