Swapping Fish

[Dan Crawford]

Sorry to hi-jack, my cardinals have gone to Aeropars. Cheers.

 

[Superman]

Stocking level doesn't matter really as long as its not ridiculously large. lol

You can adjust your dosing to the amount of fishload there is.

I personally stock very heavily and when fully stocked my 33USG tank will have:

I ignore the inch per gallon rule totally in that I tend to have up to 2" per gallon which of course would bring a chorus of dissaproval in a non planted forum, but they are a mix of bottom and middle dwellers and with plants and overfiltering they are fine and there isn't overcrowding (IMO).

Most pure scapers who add fish to compliment their scape tend to lean stock whereas people who just have plants (like me.lol) tend to 'overstock'

Choice is yours really but if having a heavy fishload it is better IMO to have fish that occupy different levels of the tank.

Andy

Interesting points Andy on the stocking levels.

My 180 ltr can only hold about 50" of fish and having a mixed species of two shoaling fish is not really an option.

However, as you say if we overfilter (I guess an external filter is required for this? If not what is the definition of overfiltering?) can have a denser population, I should be able to have a nice shoal of two species suchs as Harlequins & Pencilfish.

If not I was thinking of a large shoal of one and maybe a pair of discus as feature fish but heard that discus are fussy?

Then thinking of getting some shrimp for the clean up crew. Whats a good number of shrimp?

 

[beeky]

The only fish I've ever taken to a shop was a large cantankerous sucking loach. I avoid them at all costs now and get annoyed when I see them for sale as I think they're completely wrong for a community tank (pet hate - can you tell?!)

If any of you have read the recent PFK about fish longevity, it's sometimes surprising that fish can live as long as they do. It's not unusual to have neons etc living for nearly 10 years. If you didn't swap them, you'd either have alot of tanks, or not be able to keep that much. In my community tank I've got 1 lemon tetra, 1 harlequin, 1 cardinal, 1 variatus platy and 1 ruby barb that are all the last remaining ones from their respective shoals that have existed over time. I've also got one elderly moonlight gourami. I've got quite attached to them over time. I know they're fish, but I feel responsibility towards them and wouldn't want them ending up with a noob and used for cycling his tank!

Maybe we should start a fish swap/donate scheme?

Anyone want two angelfish with ASBOs?

 

[Themuleous]

The onyl fish I've had to return was my snowking pleco. I was told he would get big but that would take years. Well he out grow the limit of my tanks in around 4 years, not every long really. I was sad to see him go, he was a great fish and one of my first, but I really couldn't provide for his needs and that was unfair.

Sam

 

[GreenNeedle]

Superman

By overfiltering I mean that most people on this forum (planters) tend to use filters with 5-10x volume per hour. This is overfiltering. Coupled with plants using some ammonia then it gives lee-way for 'overstocking'

By my estimations you are going by the inch per gallon rule. This is for beginners really as 1 inch of tetra is virtually zero poop compared to 1 inch of plecs.

You can always have 2 large shoals in your tank. For example a shoal of mid dwellers like cardinals/neons and a shoal of top dwellers like danios etc.

Its up to the user what the max is and as long as they don't get ridiculous over the stocking as in 3-4 inches per gallon, then filters and plants can cope with the 'overload'. Most important thing is that there is enough room for the fish to live, swim and generally have as decent a life as possible.

Andy