Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

How many

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • How many

    How many fish is safe to have in a 72 Gal Bowfront. I want to keep a nice variety of color and size, but I dont want to have too many that it causes problems, health and filtration wise. I use an eheim 2215 right now and can put a second one on it if need be. I have the second as a back up in case my main goes down.
    Live Fast, Die Young, Leave A Good Looking Corpse!

    Been in hobby since March 2006

  • #2
    Re: How many

    what do you have now?

    community, africans, sa, ca

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: How many

      I am reminded of the rule of 1" of fish per gallon, but then there is another that has something to due with 1" of fish per so much surface area not sure on that one.

      My personal theory is start adding fish very slowly and check your nitrates prior to each water change. This works great if you don't have plants. You then make your own decision on the tests and number of water changes you want to do.

      Are you going to have live plants in it?

      What kind of fish do you want?
      Smokin_Cache
      Planning a new 150+ tank. Any suggestions?
      Lets see what the imagination fruits.
      Check out my last tank

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: How many

        How ofen do you plan on changing water?
        Board Member of Houston Aquarium Society
        Mod OF Marshreef

        Breeder of Discus, Angels, Bristle nose & Sail fin Mollies
        Coming soon Daphnia

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: How many

          The 1" per gallon rule can get tricky with fish that actually get over 1" TL. If I remember correctly, I read an article about this. The thing is, once you get into the bigger fish, oscars for example, the 1" rule can't apply. That's because you have to take into account the actual mass of the fish, not just the length. So, if you have a 6" oscar, that's not the same as having 6 neon tetras. I imagine 6 neons could do well in something smaller than 10 gallons, but there's no way even a juvenile oscar (6") could thrive (or even fit!) in such a small tank.

          So, to echo what everyone else has said, it really depends on which fish you choose. And also, how often you do water changes, if you have plants, etc. etc. You do have great filtration, however, so that's one thing you don't have to worry about!  :)
          "Millennium hand and shrimp!"

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: How many

            If I remember correctly, the 1" rule has a modifier.   "with or without an airstone"  This means that if you increas water circulation you get a better O2 transfer on the surface and can therefore keep more fish in the tank

            Bettas, gouramies & paradise all breath air so the 1" rule doesn't strictly apply.   I should say they are not dependent on the O2 level in the water but they still create by-products so a better filter system would be a good investment along with frequent partial water changes.
            'Dear Lord,' the minister began, with arms extended toward heaven and a rapturous look on his upturned face. 'Without you, we are but dust ...'
            He would have continued but at that moment my very obedient daughter who was listening leaned over to me and asked quite audibly in her shrill little four-year old girl voice, 'Mom, what is butt dust?'

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: How many

              Well I know that I have too many fish, or at least in my mind. I am getting rid of some in the next few days, so I should end up with about 20-22. Sizes from 1 1/2"-4" mostly with one 8" and two 6". I have an eheim 2215 and can put a second one on if needed, but I am trying not to use two. All my chemical tests come back ok. I do a 15-20% water change once a week. I would like to make that once every two weeks but dont know how safe that is. My water really has no odor, except when I was trying some frozen dried shrimp, nor does it get cloudy. I also have two powerheads to keep the surface water moving and I have two airstones, one on each side of the tank going. This is a 72 gal bowfront. Here is a list of the fish I have.  Pseudotropheus Socolofi (Powder Blue), Pseudotropheus Socolofi (Orange), Cichlasoma Octofasciatum (Jack Dempsey), Orange Metriaclima Estherae (Orange Zebra), Pseudotropheus Demasoni (blue/black stripe), Cyphotilapia Frontosa Brundi (white/black stripe), Labidochromis Caeruleus (Yellow Lab), Aulonocara nyassae (German Red), Botia Macracanthus (Clown Loach), Tetraodon Biocellatus (Figure 8 Puffer), Tetraodon Nigroviridis (Green Spotted Puffer), Nimbochromis Venustus (Giraffe), Cichasoma Nigrofasciatum (Black Convict), Protomelas Taeniolatus (Haplochromis Red Empress), Sciaenochromis Ahli (Electric Blue Hap), Hypostomus plecostomus (Common Pleco), Chaetostoma Milesi (Rubberlip Pleco), and a Blackish almost like a Convict but has a bluish color that is similiar to the blue on a electric blue hap
              Yes I know some of these shouldnt be together, but they are doing wonderful for some time now and dont seem to have a problem at all.
              Live Fast, Die Young, Leave A Good Looking Corpse!

              Been in hobby since March 2006

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: How many

                Your puffers are not freshwater. Even tho they can survive in freshwater as juveniles. They are brackish water. I'm not sure about the figure 8 but I know that the green spotted puffer should be in full saltwater as an adult.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: How many

                  Just checked, figure 8 is true brackish.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: How many

                    what is brackish water? I am still new to this whole thing. Also what puffers are freshwater?
                    Live Fast, Die Young, Leave A Good Looking Corpse!

                    Been in hobby since March 2006

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: How many

                      Brackish water is a salinity level of 1.080 +/-.03. Do you have another tank to slowly acclimate your puffers to brackish? Puffers are not a beginner fish. But I would say a dwarf puffer is best to begin with.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: How many

                        What are your nitrates running with the amount of water you are changing now?
                        Smokin_Cache
                        Planning a new 150+ tank. Any suggestions?
                        Lets see what the imagination fruits.
                        Check out my last tank

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: How many

                          About 40
                          Live Fast, Die Young, Leave A Good Looking Corpse!

                          Been in hobby since March 2006

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: How many

                            40 is about the highest I would like to see in my tanks, and usually I would change the water. It's technically safe, I guess, but like you said, you know you have too many fish!  :)  It's hard to not overstock, I think that's why so many of us just start multiplying tanks, rather than fish inside them!

                            There are a few that I would be concerned about. First off, like Jose said, both the puffers will do much better in brackish water. If you haven't done saltwater, what Jose is saying is that BASICALLY brackish means somewhere in the middle of fresh and marine. Usually for true brackish species, one uses marine salt mix rather than freshwater aquarium salt, especially since a lot of brackish fish migrate to full sea water as adults. Yes, there have been those who have kept puffers in freshwater, and they claim that they did wonderfully, but I tend to see a lot more success with keeping them in brackish. They seem happier, as well. When I worked at a fish store, I was still learning about fish, and when I read that the puffers we had were brackish and changed the water accordingly, the puffers amazingly survived for more than a week! Stories aside, though, even if your puffers are doing well, they will grow to be larger, and their teeth will also grow, and your other fish will be nipped at. That's just how puffers are. If you want to know more, there's actually an article in this month's TFH about true freshwater puffers.

                            A few more concerns are with the frontosa and the clown loaches. The clowns, in addition to possibly getting quite large, are happier in a group. How many do you have? And from my experience with frontosas, they get really large (12"-18") and might become a problem later on when it becomes the largest fish in the tank, besides maybe the common pleco!!

                            Hope that helped a little bit. You said you are getting rid of a couple, which ones?
                            "Millennium hand and shrimp!"

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: How many

                              Thanks alot all. The puffers I will most likely give to a friend when they get a little bigger. I hate to get rid of right this second. They seem to be doing really great and have been in the tank for about 1 1/2 weeks. I guess I am greedy in the fact that I have grown attached to the little things. They are awesome. Anyway, thanks for the breakdown on  brackish, I wasnt really sure what that was at all. As for the overstock issue, hopefully by tomorrow the tank will be back to a better stock size, again in my mind, which isnt the most correct at times. I will be getting rid of my large jack dempsey and my extremly large common pleco soon. Anyone know how much they would possibly go for, a guy i work with is interested in them. The jack is about 8" and the pleco is about 9-10". They are both healthy. What is TFH. Still new to the scene, sorry. When most of my fish get too large to swim comfortably in my tank, I will get rid of and most likely get a smaller one to go back in. The two fronts are only 1 1/2". Right now I only have one clown loach. I have been meaning to get at least one more. Thanks again all for the info. I am trying to maintain a healthy and nice tank.
                              Live Fast, Die Young, Leave A Good Looking Corpse!

                              Been in hobby since March 2006

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X