stocking limit.

M

maaltan

AC Members
Sep 11, 2004
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I am confused about stocking limit of a tank. 1 inch per gallon rule is unreliable, but i cannot find anything better. is my tank overstocked for a 20g long?

5 swordtails (10 total including babies)

2 neons (will be gone soon... NTD decimated thier numbers and I expect them to show signs any day)

5 kuhli loaches.

Lots and lots of plants (apongengeton, java moss, dwarf lilly, anacharis, algae rocks, etc

also several snails. currently baiting them for proof of concept if they get out of hand in the future.
 
Well, it's not really 1 fish per gallon..it all depends on what type of fish you are putting in your tank..and not how big they are when you get them, you have to research or talk to someone about how big they might get and baby swordtails need room to grow too. Even though they look small, and seem not to need much room, they will need a lot more room in order to grow..
 
well i expect a high mortality rate but thats a subject of another thread already posted. i forsee having about 3-6 adults in the tank in 6 months.. unless they all come out male again which means i will have 2 adults.

so are you saying im overstocked?
 
In my opinion, you are ok, provided that you have good filtration and keep up with water changes. As far as the one inch per gallon rule - all inches of fish are not the same - 5 neons at one inch is not the same as a 5 inch oscar - you've got to take into account the overall mass of the fish as well. Try to stock your tank based on the eventual grow out size of the fish you are getting, so that they will grow steady and healthy and will not need to be taken back to a store or, worse, destroyed. Good luck!
 
If all the babies make it too adulthood Id say your kind of pushing it. Otherwise I probably wouldn’t add anything else and would want good filtration.
 
i have a 100gph aquaclear which is 5x turnaround .. displacement from plants and substrate probably pushing it to 5.5x to 6x.

If all the babies make it too adulthood Id say your kind of pushing it. Otherwise I probably wouldn’t add anything else and would want good filtration.
Click to expand...

ok thats what i was afraid of. but thats ok. thanks.
 
I think you are okay if you remove the baby swordtails (so they don't grow into adults). 5 swordtails and 5 kuhli loaches sounds about right for a 20 gallon. Swordtails can get quite large, around 4 inches, sometimes more, so I wouldn't add any more fish. If you let the babies grow into adults, then you will have an overstocked tank that will need constant water changes to keep up the water quality.
 
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