Community creator - 600 Neon Tetras

[johnb]

Hi

Has anybody read this : http://www.thinkfish.co.uk/article/Stocking_Levels

It talks about the community creator and how its all worked out, now i know its a guide and there are many factors involved but it seems a little optimistic ?

My tanks measurements ( reduced the height by 5cms to allow for substrate) are : 201cm W x 51cm x D 65 cm H
so the Community Creator tells me i can have 1132.7355cm of fish or 600 Neon Tetras - now im no expert but it seems like a lot of Tetras ?
I’m interested in opinions and thoughts (not on how many Tetras i can have ) but the article

Regards
John B

 

[Themuleous]

600 is perhaps a little optimistic!!

 

[Ed Seeley]

It won't let me read it unless I sign up as a member!

However what you have to bear in mind with stocking levels is that they are variable. In a rearing tank with large daily or continuous water changes you could literally stock the tank until there was barely room for the fish to swim from a waste point of view.

In a planted tank, however we need to stock relatively little as the more fish the more organic wastes and the more chance we will get algae. Other tanks will sit somewhere in between these two extremes.

I have a 40 gallon that has 40 mature cardinal tetras and 6 other fish and they are all fine. In my opinion, the trick is to build up stocking very slowly and as soon as you think you're getting near capacity - stop as you're already overstocked!

 

[beeky]

I always find a tank is more interesting with fewer fish. Bizarre I know, but then you have to spend some effort in finding what's in there and then it's a nice surprise when you find it! That's also why I prefer more of the dutch/jungle type 'scapes over the nature aquarium kind. The latter are beutiful to look at from a picture point of view, but I'd rather have something a bit more interesting in my living room.

Sorry, wondered off topic a bit there!