I think you could change the above list to include 12 neons and you'd be OK. Personally, I think neons look much, much better in larger groups. Even with a dozen neons, you still have a resonable bioload.
Jim
Questions about my new 40gallon
- Thread starter Anaxus
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I think you could change the above list to include 12 neons and you'd be OK. Personally, I think neons look much, much better in larger groups. Even with a dozen neons, you still have a resonable bioload.
Jim
Yeah, I don't think six additional neons will add that much to your bioload. Neons aren't particularly messy fish, they don't eat that much...
I'm not sure I fully agree with the assumption that you have to stock like a 30, anyway. The footprint is important, but part of your consideration is the volume of water in which wastes, etc. will be diluted. With the fish you have, that's as important a consideration, I think, as footprint. The footprint is more important with territorial fish (e.g., many cichlids) but is less of a concern with schooling/shoaling fish. Even a 30 has plenty of swimming room for the fish we're discussing, and that bioload is perfectly fine for a 40g tank.
HTH,
Jim
I'm not sure I fully agree with the assumption that you have to stock like a 30, anyway. The footprint is important, but part of your consideration is the volume of water in which wastes, etc. will be diluted. With the fish you have, that's as important a consideration, I think, as footprint. The footprint is more important with territorial fish (e.g., many cichlids) but is less of a concern with schooling/shoaling fish. Even a 30 has plenty of swimming room for the fish we're discussing, and that bioload is perfectly fine for a 40g tank.
HTH,
Jim
I thought that level of dissolved gases was directly proportional to footprint, and that was why stocking levels had to be adjusted to take that into account. But, since these are smaller fish, I think that your numbers would be okay, even if you threw in the extra half-dozen neons.
I think level of dissolved gases is probably dependent on other variables, too, like the amount of surface disruption and the extent to which there is current in the tank. Also, the presence of biowheel or trickle filter would also have a role. Footprint is part of the equation, but only one part.
Bottom line, on which we both agree, is that the stocking level would be well within the limits of a reasonably stocked tank.
Jim
Bottom line, on which we both agree, is that the stocking level would be well within the limits of a reasonably stocked tank.
Jim
Hey Anaxus...
if you haven't been welcomed yet, let me formally welcome you to Aquaria Central, home of the greatest number of neons on the net
I do say neons, because I would echo JSchmidt's advice that you double the amount of neons you have in the tank. They are a striking fish, but they are quite small and six will look lost in your tank. But after we have encouraged you to add more, let me also say that you should add them slowly. I've never fishless cycled, so I speak from ignorance here, which is supposed to allow you to add a full bioload all at once, but when you're starting out with new fish, you need to be able to see how your fish react on a normal, everyday basis, so then you'll be able to see when your fish are acting out of character. If you get 6 cories all at once, you'll have trouble (OK, I have trouble, but I have to assume I am not alone) differentiating between them. I'd get three to start with and say all your danios. Observe your tank, have fun. Then after a couple of weeks, add the tetras and then add your cories.
I have a 55g tank with 35 cardinals and 8 emperors. Obviously I cannot keep the cardinals separate anymore, but I recognize my emperors and can differentiate between them.
Note, I am aware that this advice is not necessarily applicable if you have territiorial fish, say some of the gouramis and cichlids. In that case, you'd be better off adding all of one species at a time so that everyone gets a chance to find their space.
BTW, I think the choice of danios will be more interesting than your original choice of other tetras, but that's just me...
Val
if you haven't been welcomed yet, let me formally welcome you to Aquaria Central, home of the greatest number of neons on the net
I do say neons, because I would echo JSchmidt's advice that you double the amount of neons you have in the tank. They are a striking fish, but they are quite small and six will look lost in your tank. But after we have encouraged you to add more, let me also say that you should add them slowly. I've never fishless cycled, so I speak from ignorance here, which is supposed to allow you to add a full bioload all at once, but when you're starting out with new fish, you need to be able to see how your fish react on a normal, everyday basis, so then you'll be able to see when your fish are acting out of character. If you get 6 cories all at once, you'll have trouble (OK, I have trouble, but I have to assume I am not alone) differentiating between them. I'd get three to start with and say all your danios. Observe your tank, have fun. Then after a couple of weeks, add the tetras and then add your cories.
I have a 55g tank with 35 cardinals and 8 emperors. Obviously I cannot keep the cardinals separate anymore, but I recognize my emperors and can differentiate between them.
Note, I am aware that this advice is not necessarily applicable if you have territiorial fish, say some of the gouramis and cichlids. In that case, you'd be better off adding all of one species at a time so that everyone gets a chance to find their space.
BTW, I think the choice of danios will be more interesting than your original choice of other tetras, but that's just me...
Val
I respectfully disagree with Val's advice. One of the advantages of fishless cycling is the growth of a bacterial colony sufficient to support a full bioload. If you do that, then allow much of the biofilter to die off from lack of food (because you're not fully stocking the tank), you'll risk exposing the tank inhabitants to mini-cycles everytime you add more fish. In that case, you'll not only see changes in fish behavior due to the addition of new tankmates, but also due to the presence of ammonia/nitrite in the water.
If there are health concerns (fish that need to be quarantined first), you might not want to add all the fish at once. But if that's not the case, I think you're much better off adding everyone at once.
Jim
If there are health concerns (fish that need to be quarantined first), you might not want to add all the fish at once. But if that's not the case, I think you're much better off adding everyone at once.
Jim
I will probably add all the fish at once except maby the bristlnose (going to wait till some algae is formed, but might end up adding it since some should have formed during the cycle) Do LFS ever try and stop you from adding a full bioload at once?
Very few LFSs will ever do anything to discourage a purchase. Some more conscientious places my try to limit your initial stocking, but if you let them know about your fishless cycle most won't have a problem.
Re: your bristlenose pleco, you can feed him algae wafer if there isn't enough algae growing in the tank. I've almost always found that plecos don't get enough if they're forced to graze.
Jim
Re: your bristlenose pleco, you can feed him algae wafer if there isn't enough algae growing in the tank. I've almost always found that plecos don't get enough if they're forced to graze.
Jim
Hey Jim - well actually the main LFS I frequent would try and discourage your purchase if you were buying too many fish at once or stocking a new tank too heavily. But I agree - thats the exception rather than the rule.
The one thing you may want to be prepared for though is the strange looks you may get when you mention a fishless cycle. Even if your store is knowledgeable, it seems few have heard of this method (based on my observations dealing with 4 different places)
