Overstocked? Or Can I Add More????

[almsk8s4life]

i have 1 albino oscar and 4 blood parrots
i have two aquaclear 110s running i was just wondering if i could add 1 more cichlid maybee a dempsey

[Mgamer20o0]

oscars need 75gal min to their selfs but better with 100+ gal. i think your over stocked with what you have now and shouldnt add any more fish.

[fishcatch22]

just return 3 of your blood parrots to the store and you'll be fine. a blood parrot and an oscar could live together in a 125g just fine.

[ChileRelleno]

Overstocked, IMO.

No More Fish!

Get rid of two or three of the BP's...

55gal absolute minimum for one adult O, prefer 75gal as recommended minimum, that leaves 50gal divided between 4 BP's...
12.5gal per BP isn't good.
Not enough water volume for dilution of waste that would allow for a acceptable maintenance schedule, e.g once or twice per week.

[rosswake]

I don't want to start an argument here, but I think you are ok with the fish you have. I wouldn't say to add any more because all of them will continue to grow, but I don't think you are horribly overstocked. Just make sure you keep up with the regular water changes and your current fish will be fine. On the other hand, if you start to notice overly agressive behavior, then you might start thinking of alternative living spaces for one or two of them. Good luck!

[ChileRelleno]

Rosswake, would you recommend a 25gal aquarium as acceptable longterm for either a O or BP?
25gals per fish, especially with messy cichlids (eating/pooping habits) is just not enough for the reasons mentioned above.
Not enough water volume for dilution of waste (NO3(Nitrate)) that would allow for a acceptable maintenance schedule, e.g once or twice per week.

[beatle]

I agree with rosswake. Remember, you're not compartmentalizing the tank with fish. They can swim wherever they want to. The "requirement" that people say an oscar needs 75g is because they can get over a foot long and turning around can be an issue in a 55g. I say keep an eye out for behavior issues and if you see none, leave the tank as it is.

[rosswake]

I wouldn't say that 25 gallons is enough for an Oscar, but that is because we all know how small a 20-30 gallon tank can be dimensionally. I would say that with proper filtration and regular water changes, the prospect of having happy, healthy fish is very high with 1 oscar and 3-4 Blood parrots all together in a 125 gallon tank. I would not add other fish due to the bio-load these adult fish (especially the Oscar) would create.

There are a lot of knowledgable people on these forums, so listen to them and then make your own informed decision. Take it easy!
Ross

[jm1212]

you might want to consider returning the oscar instead
blood parrots like each others' company, and they arent that agressive

[fish_freak]

I dont think you are over stocked either. As stated above the large tank is really just so the fish can move around. In the future you might want to add another canister filter to the tank to help keep up. I wouldnt however add any more fish. From the sounds of it not everyone is full grown yet. Give it another year or two and your tank will look a lot fuller.

[ChileRelleno]

Yes,
swimming/living room per fish isn't the key issue in stocking, though it does factor in with some cichlids when it comes to availability of and maintaining individual territories...
But we digress...

I'm looking into the future with these fish a grown mature adults.
The key issue with 4 BPs' (4 X 6"-9"+(SL)) and a Oscar (10"-14"+(SL)) is water volume and the ability to dilute NO3(Nitrate) and keep it within acceptable limits between regular maintenance.
No additional filtration is going to keep up with increasing NO3 output as the fish grow.
Only water volume and water changes will maintain it and frankly 25gal per fish, especially with these heavy bodied cichlids, just isn't enough volume in my honest opinion.

Doing water changes twice a week gets very tedious, really fast, imagine if you needed to do'em thrice weekly. :eek:
If you decide to keep this stocking level then I suggest you feed lightly and every other day and pay diligent attention to tank/filter maintenance...
Or you'll have problems maintaining low NO3 (ideally 20ppm or less).

BP's can be fairly aggressive and territorial, it is in their genetics.
Which very aggressive cichlid(s) is used in breeding this hybrid???
Granted they are not usually overly aggressive but wait till they and the O mature...
Overstocking breeds territorial aggression.

Just my semi-educated/experienced $0.02.

[Jimbob1]

what about 3, 2 1/2 inch Jack Dempeys, one male and one female green terror about 2 1/2 inches, and one 2inch firemouth in a 95 gal? Is that over stocking?

[ChileRelleno]

what about 3, 2 1/2 inch Jack Dempeys, one male and one female green terror about 2 1/2 inches, and one 2inch firemouth in a 95 gal? Is that over stocking?
You probably should start your own thread rather than hijack, but....

First and foremost I always evaluate stocking by taking into consideration the fishes size as adults, swimming/territorial/temperament needs/habits, diet and the water volume/footprint of the tank.
I'm a firm believer in not getting a fish unless I have it's permanent home ready for habitation.
Too many make the mistake of saying, "I'll upgrade when they get bigger."...
Something almost always takes precedence.

So...
3 JD's (possible pair)(6"-9")
2 GT's (possibly pair)(9"-12")
1 FM (4"-6")
First thing that slaps me in the face is the very high likelyhood IMO of aggression issues between the JD's and the GT's, territorial little buggers that they are.
Before maturity they'll have the boundaries drawn and if they aren't mutually acceptable there'll be war.
Heck, the species will probably fight between themselves.


Overstocked.
Once again water volume per fish comes into play, but this is plays second fiddle to likely aggression issues with these species combined in such a small area.