RCS Bioload?

[CaitxSith]

Hey, all. For some reason, I have a feeling I made this thread before...

So, I'm planning on stocking in my 10 gallon:
10 Neon Tetras
1 Dwarf Gourami
7 Red Cherry Shrimp

Being Cherry Shrimp, I know they will inevitably start to mass breed. I'm going to have a filter bag over a Penguin 100 HOB filter intake. I'm sure that the tetras and the gourami will take care of some of the young. However, the tank is going to be planted, so some of the baby shrimp will inevitably survive by hiding in the plants.

I'm wondering, I'm already slightly overstocking with my fauna (using plants to counteract this). How many more Cherry Shrimp can I have in the tank?

I'm wondering this, because I really don't want to have a crashed cycle caused by a shrimp overpopulation. I know I'm going to end up selling and giving some away, but I want to make sure what the maximum load of RCS in my tank is so that I can make sure I can stay below that number.

 

[blue2fyre]

I've always heard 10 per gallon. Cherry shrimp have a very low bioload so you should be fine.

 

[bradlgt21]

yeah you will be fine. All dwarf shrimp are very low compared to fish. Just be careful that Dwarf Gourami might be big enough to take out full grown shrimp.

 

[CaitxSith]

I've always heard 10 per gallon. Cherry shrimp have a very low bioload so you should be fine.

I heard about that general rule of thumb, too, but I thought that only applied to shrimp-only tanks.

I'm asking this question because I'm already slightly overstocked, so the "10 per gallon" rule may not apply well here with a tank that's already reaching its limit.

 

[happypoet]

Yeah, I wouldn't worry about the shrimp. Your gourami will take care of plenty of them, and possibly some adults as well. Even if you do get a stable colony going, I think you'll be fine. Just don't overfeed.

 

[CaitxSith]

Oh, so my tank with the stock can hold a colony of RCS, and it's just up to me to decide how much I should lower the colony population (via selling & giving away)?

Thanks, all.

 

[patrick.paul]

I have far too many shrimp (mostly babies) in my growout tank and I never had any issues..

 

[wespastor]

You might want to check out this tank calculator. It's really great and it updates monthly by the users like me and you from OUr input.

http://aqadvisor.com/

Best wishes,
Wes

 

[CaitxSith]

You might want to check out this tank calculator. It's really great and it updates monthly by the users like me and you from OUr input.

http://aqadvisor.com/

Best wishes,
Wes

I already used that tool beforehand.

I dismissed it, however, because apparently adding 4 more Red Cherry Shrimps bring me over 100% stocking level.

I will admit that it's nice as a general helper tool, but I'm a little wary of the numbers it gives me, especially because it's not taking my plants into account.

 

[wespastor]

I already used that tool beforehand.

I dismissed it, however, because apparently adding 4 more Red Cherry Shrimps bring me over 100% stocking level.

I will admit that it's nice as a general helper tool, but I'm a little wary of the numbers it gives me, especially because it's not taking my plants into account.

Yeah I know that is one of it's short comings.

But, I usually go as high as 150% or to allow for my plants filtration capacity and the like. And it works out pretty well for me. That's where it gets a little of the crafty side of me (crafty is not a bad thing this time :grinyes

Best wishes,
Wes