Did I overstock?

pat123123

pat123123

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Dec 21, 2005
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Or more probably, how badly did I overstock?

I'm not used to tropical fish (have always done coldwater, except for Bettas) and fear I have made a classical "beginner's mistake" and overstocked.

Setup:
10 gallon standard rectangular tank
2" of the larger aquarium gravel
artifical cave with fake plants (yes, I know real is better but for now, this is what it has--they love the formation)
Over the edge style filter -- 5/10/15 Aqua tech
Appropriate sized submersible heater installed vertically so I can get to the control more easily to adjust temp as needed

Did not cycle it as long as I should have before adding fish -- put my Betta in for a few days prior to buying fish (and boy did he hate the big tank--happier in his 2.5g).

Fish in the tank:

5 Platys, not full grown yet I'd say, judging by size
3 Dwarf Gourami's
1 Pleco -- I'm know he'll get too big for this tank eventually but don't mind upgrading later. He's about 3" now and rather active.

Tank conditions:
78-79 degrees
undetectable ammonia and nitrites
PH 7.1
Feeding Tetra flakes & Kikari Algae Wafers. Plan to start feeding the pleco some veggies too.
Fish have been in the tank 2 days, the readings were from this A.M., will test again tomorrow.
 
test ammonia (should be zero) nitrite (zero) and nitrate (under 40).

doesnt sound bad now, but ur gouramis will fight.
 
pat123123 said:
. . .Did not cycle it as long as I should have before adding fish -- put my Betta in for a few days prior to buying fish (and boy did he hate the big tank--happier in his 2.5g).. .

Fish have been in the tank 2 days, the readings were from this A.M., will test again tomorrow.
Click to expand...

A fishy cycle can take 3-4 weeks. I'm afraid yours hasn't even started yet :(

"Undetectable ammonia and nitrites" are you using strip tests? Before this cycle really starts to kick in, I would suggest you purchase a liquid test kit. You will need to keep an eye on the nitrates as well as the ammonia and nitrites.

Aquarium Pharmaceuticals makes a reasonably priced master kit with everything you need. You can get it at BigAlsOnline.com for $15.

When the cycle starts to kick in, you will see an increase in ammonia, followed by the nitrites. You have to start doing water changes ASAP and in large quantities if you want to keep those fish alive. The cycle will "signal" the end when your ammonia is 0, nitrites are 0, and your nitrates are around 10-20ppm.

As for overstocking, yes, just a bit, but I wouldn't cycle with those fish in the tank. Especially the gouramis. You might want to consider taking them back.

Roan
 
so, you getting a much bigger tank next month. I cycle common plecos through an acrylic tank (buy them small and grow them out. trade them in and start all over again) so that the tank is not damaged by the eeth when they get too large. My commons average between 1 1/2" -- 2" of growth on a monthly basis. That makes the 10 gallon suitable for yours for about the next couple of weeks.

You might want to take that fish back as well.
 
Local store does not do returns. I was not aware the plecos grew that rapidly. I do have a liquid test kit -- Fresh Lab by Red Sea, although I'll need to purchase a nitrate test kit. In saying that levels were undetectable, I was merely acknowledging that on any home test kit, minute amounts cannot be measured. Ammonia and nitrites register as zero though obviously they aren't exactly zero regardless of what a kit says.

Water changes aren't an issue and are something I expected to do frequently while cycling. Sufficient water for up to a 50% water change is already sitting out and has been treated with aqua safe for an A.M. water change. (I'll warm it to the proper temp first, of course.) I'll test first to see what my levels are.

A larger tank isn't an issue. I'd planned on one within 3 months or so anyway. If needed, I'll set it up a few weeks sooner, though it will have to wait til on into January. Pleco won't be going anywhere (even if they took returns) even if it takes a 50 gallon tank for him, which I'll do if needed, though I'll have to figure out just where I can put it with four other tanks already in this small room.
 
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Sound like you have everything under control then :)

pat123123 said:
. . .A larger tank isn't an issue. I'd planned on one within 3 months or so anyway. If needed, I'll set it up a few weeks sooner, though it will have to wait til on into January. Pleco won't be going anywhere (even if they took returns) even if it takes a 50 gallon tank for him, which I'll do if needed, though I'll have to figure out just where I can put it with four other tanks already in this small room.
Click to expand...
Hrm, well, if that is a common pleco then you might want to think along the lines of 100-120 gallon tank. They grow pretty big, fairly fast -- 12-16+ inches, 20+ inches in the wild -- and produce a lot of waste. From what I see in searching on here, most of the commons people keep grow 12" in a year.

Roan
 
My 1 yr old pleco, Rufus the sucker mouth, is 14 inches and just had a house warming party in his new 210g. They grow BIG, and fast!
 
Shudder. Thanks for the info on the length for the pleco! I believe I'll have to have my spouse add some supports under the floor to support that kind of weight!

I had to go into town today, after all, so added three plants to the tank.

Current readings:
79 degrees
Ammonia 0.25 (actually a bit less I'd guess but that's the closest bar on the comparison chart)
Nitrites 0
nitrates -- closest color match is 0 on the card, though it is a hair darker than that

Thanks to all who have responded, I appreciate your kindness.
 
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