Am I Overstocked?

[Dizzle]

I've seen several posts for overstocked tanks but these are my first ones, and I don't want the fish to be uncomfortable!

In a 15 U.S. gallon :

Cardinal tetra X 3
Neon tetra X 2
Guppies X 5
Mollies X 3
Chinese algae eater X 1
Female betta X 1

I also found two newborn molly fry in there yesterday.

In a 5 U.S. gallon :

Swordtail X 2
Glo-fish X 3

What do you think?

 

[mattlee]

using the inch per gallon guide line then yes your overstocked but it depends on the filtration and tank routine really.

 

[fishfinderdave]

all depends on your filter size really and how often u do water changes?

but like the other guy said....using the inch per gallon guide then indeed u are over stocked but not by that much.

 

[kaivalagi]

Stick your stock info into http/www.aqadvisor.com, you can bookmark the page too so modifications to your stocking or what ifs can be done...

 

[Ben M]

the swordtails definitely need a bigger tank, unless they are small fry.

cheers

 

[Curiosity101]

Stocking levels look fine with the exception of:

• Chinese algae eater - Grows to around 10" and has a nasty tempremant as it matures. It will literally suck a fish to death, removing all scales and eventually causing bleeding/infection.
  Chinese algae eater link
  
• Swordtails (presuming they're the 'common' type). Grow too big for a 5gal at around 4-5" fully grown.
  Swordtail link

My suggestion would be to rehome the CAE before it has a chance to cause any trouble. I'm guessing it's still only a couple of inches now?
Replace the CAE with the swords from the 5gal and get the glow fish some more company and/or move the betta from the 10gal to the 5gal.

That still wouldn't be great because shoaling species should really be in groups of 5 or more of their own species (neons, cardinals and glofish).
Also there are still a couple of size issues in the sense I wouldn't have the glofish in a 5gal.
And you might want to think about lowering the number of livebearers you have because if you have males and females you could quickly be over-run with fry.

Eitherways overall things don't look too bad, I'd definitely shuffle things around a bit though if it were my tank.

 

[Dizzle]

Well I was unaware about the algae eater. In fact I specifically asked my Lfs what kind of algae eater would be appropriate knowing plecos were out of the question. My mom had a couple in her old 40 gal and they never grew more than a few inches so I assumed they were correct. As for the swords I can move them to the bigger tank for now and put some of the mollies in the smaller one. The glofish have been aggressive with my smaller fish so they are staying put. Maybe my lfs will take back the cae. I do weekly 25% water changes using a gravel cleaner. My filter is a 5-15 and I'm not sure if a larger one would fit my hood. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[GuppyGoddess]

Well I was unaware about the algae eater. In fact I specifically asked my Lfs what kind of algae eater would be appropriate knowing plecos were out of the question. My mom had a couple in her old 40 gal and they never grew more than a few inches so I assumed they were correct. As for the swords I can move them to the bigger tank for now and put some of the mollies in the smaller one. The glofish have been aggressive with my smaller fish so they are staying put. Maybe my lfs will take back the cae. I do weekly 25% water changes using a gravel cleaner. My filter is a 5-15 and I'm not sure if a larger one would fit my hood. Thanks for the suggestions.

It's not really a good idea to get your stocking ideas from pet store employees. A while back, I was in a LFS and a guy came in with a HUGE 7-8" long thick fish and has said it grew too big for his tank. He had purchased the fish there at that location and likely had been told that the fish would fit the tank forever. Sadly, the tank the LFS put him in was about 10 gallons because they had nowhere else for it to go.

How is your betta doing? Does she have nice coloring or does she have horizontal stripes across her? If she has the horizontal stripes, she is STRESSED! Her coloring should be a rich shade, not a pale one. She may need to be moved to her own tank if her coloring is off.

ETA - also five fish in a five gallon isn't a good idea. Too crowded for the fish. That tank would accomodate your betta nicely.

 

[Curiosity101]

What are your water stats at the mo?

And are you sure that your mum had chinese algae eaters? There are a few things that look similar. Could it have been a flying fox? Or a siamease algae eater? Max size is more like 5".

By the way the glofish were developed from zebra danios. These fish are super active and a shoaling species. The agression is probably for one of 2 reasons. 1. They aren't in a big enough group 2. They don't have enough room.
We often see agression from normally peaceful fish when they feel cramped. Have you ever tried them in the 15gal with the other fish? It's still not great as they need a good 80cm or so minimum to move about naturally. But you might find they're alot better behaved in a longer tank.

 

[Dizzle]

Well I'm am absolutely positive my mom had chinese algae eaters. I have no idea why they never got very big. It's my fault I'm overstocked. Some of these fish I rescued from someone who didn't want his tank anymore and was going to flush them!

As for the LFS issue, maybe I was wrong in trusting their advice but they are a family owned business that's been around for 20 or so years. Their fish are healthy and taken care of. Plus, I was going by personal experience with my mom's tank.

I guess I'm just going to have to rearrange the best I can. If anyone lives near north/central Mississippi and wants a few fish let me know. I am willing to drive a couple hours to meet up.