37g planted tank issues - L018 w/ swords, + possible overstocking issues

My pleco (L018) golden nugget pleco... it seems like he tries to suck on the swords, as sometimes they algae on them. I think he might be too rough on them though. These are plantlet swords from the mother plant in my 90. I'm thinking of just moving him down into that tank.

I do feed him wafers every other day. But the angels seem to like them too... So sometimes he doesn't get as much as he would probably like. I have this issue as well in my 120g with getting wafers to my plecos in there, even after the oscars are full. :T

Anyway, I'm stuck, looking for some feedback everyone! Tell me what you think....

I think I have no choice other than move him from my 37g to my 90g.

Plecos are just too big of poopers for anything smaller than 75g imo.

The mix with 2 breeder size angels 3-4" TL, 5 black phantom tetras 1" TL, 5 green emerald cories 2-2.5" TL, 2 SAE's 3" TL, and a golden nugget (L018) 4.5" TL, is just too much for my 37g planted.

I do waterchanges of 30% weekly, and gravel vacs along with the water changes.

My plants are starting to not look as good, I'm thinking that is from the small amount of NH, and NO3.

My substrate is flourite black gravel, and 130w corallife 6700k PC, 12 hrs a day.

I think I'm over stocked. Which fish would you move? I'm thinking of taking my 2 panda cories out of my 90g and moving them upstairs, but after moving the 5 cories, or the pleco. I think the plants are paying for it.

Here's my parameters.




Here is a pic of one of my newer plants, I forget the name, but it's wilting bad in my 37g, where as in my 90g with regular gravel they are still doing well, under 170watts.






Notice how the cabomba is seeming to grow smaller at the top and also has a reddish, brownish, yellowish tint to it? In my 90g they don't do that.

All these things lead me to feel that I could be overstocked. Which is something that I don't like to do. I guess the biological filter can't take it.




So help me out, give me some insight on what you would do! Thanks!!!

Bk828 said:

Pleco issue: Yes they are big poopers but i wouldnt say that you cant have one in anything under 75g. To solve your feeding issue, try placing a piece of cucumber or zucchini in the tank. This will surely fill him up and he will lay off the swords. As far as which fish to get rid of? i would say get rid of the 2 SAE, you wont need them for now since you dont have algae and they sure do like their swimming space so the 90g would be perfect for them.

Plants: Since you are not dosing ferts/co2 but you are adding more and more plants, that could be the cause of the plants looking the way they are. With that much light there might not be enough nutrients for them in the tank so they compensate and grow smaller/deformed like leaves. I would cut back on the lighting to atleast 8-10 hrs and perhaps look into diy co2 and some ferts (even if its just regular flourish)

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I do feed the gn zucchini maybe once or twice a week. I have been using flourish. I wouldn't think to move the SAE's as I have 10 otos in the 90, and I do have some algae growing on the glass and on the sword leaves.... I do definately notice that the SAE's don't do AS GOOD of a job as CAE's, by night and day. My experience totally. They are not flying foxes 100% sure of that. The CAE's just have more of a sucker it seems for algae. I was thinking of moving the cories, since they are able to get about 4". So it's a lot for that tank. I may move my 2 panda cories from my 90 into the 37g in the future, but as for now I think I'm going to just move the cories.

As far as the co2, I plan to do it sometime soon, cause I am noticing how the plants can't take the amount of light I have going. Sucks. I will cut down on the light. I have only been using 1 of the 65w lights in there. I have also started to put a black garbage bag on the outside of the tank, almost fits perfectly. So it gets more darkness. It also seems that since I removed the air stone it's gotten more cloudy and the plant life is declining. That could be attributed to the bioload of the fish and I am aware of that.

Gonna start with moving the fish after a water change on the 90g and the 37g today. I'll report back as things progress or decline.

Thanks for the helpful response!

jm1212 said:

emerald corydoras (really bronchis, BTW) get fairly large, over 3½ inches. therefore, 5 may be a little much for the bottom of the tank eventually if you keep your current stock. if you are willing to move them up to the 90 and replace them with smaller codrydoras (peppered, schwartz's, panda, etc.) then they should be fine.

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Yeah, I realized I made a mistake by not researching them first. If they were pygmy size, that would be ok, but they are one of the biggest as you said.

Thanks for replying!