Another newbee question

S

senglehart

Registered Member
Oct 10, 2005
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Got some questions for you avid aquarium experts (this is a bit lengthy). I thought I knew it all back in the late 80s early 90s when I had aquariums. I went 10 years without an aquarium due to military commitments. Here's what I recently discovered...internet aquarium forums!

Here's my set up:

55 gallon aquarium (petsmart combo special)
(2) 17W florescent lights
heater, 200W
undergravel filter with (4) tubes (no carbon inserts at outlets)
power filter, top fin 60
(1) 30 gallon rated air pump running (2) airstones on some pottery
(1) 80 gallon rated air pump running (4) airstones in the undergravel filter tubes

Nitrate = 20
Nitrite = 0
hardness = 120
Alkalinity/ Buffering = 120
PH = 7.2
Ammonia = 0

Here's my fish:
3 angelfish
4 red swordtails (looks like platy hybrid)
8 neons
2 clown loaches
2 small green catfish
6 black tetras
1 betta
1 male guppy (soon to be angelfish food)

2 of my angelfish are 3 years old. They came from a 10 gallon aquarium I had when I was in apartments. (Yes, I know now it was too small for them!) 1 angelfish is close to 5" from nose to tail, the other is close to 4" nose to tail. These 2 older ones are a mated pair and lay eggs about 1/month (once the eggs start wiggling, they promptly eat them!)

My 55 gallon tank has been up and running since April of 05. My nitrate is a bit high. I'm doing more frequent water changes now. I just read today that "easy balance" is a hype. I noticed my PH dropped and my nitrates went to 80! I guess I should quit being lazy and change my water!

Here are my questions:

1. Do I have too many fish? I factored in a 6 inches of fish per angelfish. I should have less than 55" of fish.

2. I run my lights 4 hours a day. Could I get a plant to live in my tank? If so, what kind?
 
Well, IMO, yes, the tank is overstocked. That the nitrates spike and pH drops is a sign that the bioload is maxing out the system-though not too bad, or you'd be seeing ammonia/nitrite spikes as well. The problem will be that the growing fish will make the problem worse, especially with clown loaches as part of the equation. Think about the adult size of the fish--clown loaches can get up 12 inches pretty easily.

The inch/gallon rule is bunk when applied to anything other than small, 1-1.5 inch fish, like tetras. So, for the swords, neons, guppy and black tetras, the rule is okay. But, for the loaches, angels and catfish, it's meaningless. BUT--even if we were to use it--the adult size should be used, resulting in (3x8) + (4x2) + (8x1) + (2x12) + (2x3) + (6x1.5) + (1x3) + (1x1) = 83 inches. That's assuming the green catfish are actually green cories. Way, way too many fish, even by the inaccurate rule.

For plants--they will need more than 4 hours of light to survive. You also need to consider what kind of light you have, as some plants will need much more than the light produced by NO fluorescents.
 
I misspoke, I've got Yo-Yo loaches, not clown loaches. The yo-yo loaches are 2" long each. Yes, my catfish are green cories. Sorry! I'm a newbee! If my tank is overstocked, would natural attrition be the best bet? I have a good feeling that the guppy and the neons will thin out.
 
so the neons are new additions? If the angels have always been with them, they might not eat them. But if they are new, and especially since the angels are pretty good sized, there is nothing wrong with letting them get eaten...Other than that, I would say the stocking is not too bad! I would even say to go for one or two more of the same cory that you have. It will not make much of a difference, especially once the neons start to disappear, and the corys are schooling fish who will appreciate the extra company.
 
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