Am I Overstocked?

[SamUK]

i tried asking this before in another thread but it got missed/ignored.

ive set my 180g (6x2x2) tank up and so far the stocking is...


1 x Oscar
1 x Severum
5 x Clown Loaches
2 x Bala Sharks
1 x BGK
1 x Common Plec

fish are all still pretty small but i kno they all wont stay that way for long (except the clowns).

i was planning to add another severum, 2 more balas and maybe a birchir.

would that be ok?

thanx.

 

[demonmagus]

i don't think you are overstocked atm, but wait for 2nd opinion

 

[Ginge]

All looks fine to me except i didnt think it sounded good for the oscars and the bala to be togethers but stocking wise it all looks fine.

 

[SamUK]

thanx guys.


do you think that would be the tank maxd out then or would there still be a lil room?

 

[Ginge]

id say still a lil more room. Maybee another bala as i think they like groups 3+

 

[cane76]

yeah another bala or two and they will be happier and so much better to watch and maybe a catfish?

 

[Ferris]

I'd get at least 1 more Bala, they are much better in groups of 3 or more and don't worry about them with the Oscar, they are pretty much perfect tankmates.

 

[SamUK]

i was gonna get 2 more balas. i was thinkin some kind of mid sized cat would be kewl too.

preferably one that comes out during the day.

any suggestions?

 

[Ginge]

BNs are all nice. You lookin at a plec i take it? If so it depends how much your willing to shell out as some cost £££.

 

[SamUK]

no i already have 3 commons and a L001.


something like a syno but a bit bigger.

 

[leopard]

ooo yea! get BN's there cool with there bristles!!

 

[andywg]

You could try a mid size pim, such as a Pimelodus blochii. Should look nice in there.

I would try and squeeze the balas at least up to 5, the more there are the much happier they are. My shoal is now 8 (had 9, but lost the blind runt) and they are far more active than when I had 6, which in turn had them a lot more active than when I had 3 and 4.

 

[SamUK]

ill look into the Pimelodus blochii.


have to see what my LFS can get hold of.


ill get 3 more balas then too cos i kno what you mean. my clowns are well happy now theres a big group of them.

 

[ringham]

IMO you aren't overstocked, but as you say they will grow. I think the additions that you want to make are also fine but only add 1 bala instead of 2 more. I think that you could sub the 1 extra bala for a nicer fish IMO.

 

[andywg]

I think that is pretty bad advice. Buying a shoaling species and then only buying the smallest number that can be considered a group is just as bad IMO as buying the largest fish you can and cramming it in the smallest tank available, it just isn't good fish husbandry.