Is My Tank Over Stocked?

[nameless01]

Hello fellow fish-keepers. I am relatively new to fish-keeping. Ive been doing it for about 3 months. At the moment i only have 1 fish tank which is a 10 gallon. Its a pretty neat set up. i have some good decorations with hiding spots for the fish, fake plant, rocks etc. At the moment 4 guppies and a young female crowntail betta(i know its not recommended to house bettas and guppies together but shes been in there about 2 weeks, more or less, and they seem to enjoy each others company and they dont bother one another if in the future theres problems i will seperate them and put betta in its own tank.) so here is my question: is it possible for me to add 1 or 2 peppered corydoras in there? To me it sounds like a lot of fish, but when i look at my tank it looks empty and it looks like if i add 2 corys the fish would still be happy. Like i said the fish are all healthy, they seem happy. there havnt been any problems  with them yet. Any words of wisdom you more expirienced fish-keepers can give me? Or maybe is there any other fish that are good tank mates that will make my tank look more alive with fish life(preferably a small bottom feeder but suggest others if you have any in mind)

 

[stanleo]

Adding two peppered corys wouldn't be overstocking IMO but they need schools of 6 or more. They really do, I had just two and they were always hidden and shy until I got more and they just came alive! And putting 6 in there would be overstocked.
 
Im not sure about a bottom dweller you could get.

 

[nameless01]

Adding two peppered corys wouldn't be overstocking IMO but they need schools of 6 or more. They really do, I had just two and they were always hidden and shy until I got more and they just came alive! And putting 6 in there would be overstocked.
 
Im not sure about a bottom dweller you could get.

Thanks for the advice. Whats the max amount of peppered corys i could house in this tank without it being over stocked. Do you think that would be a good amount for them to live happily?

 

[stanleo]

Honestly, I have 4 corys and they seem fine but I really do want to get 2 more (I just have to figure out how to get them without my husband finding out that I got MORE FISH!!!) 4 would be pushing the stocking. You want an inch of adult fish for every gallon of water. So 2 inches for your guppies, 3 inches for the betta, and 3 inches each for the corys. With 4 corys you would be at 17 inches of fish. That's 7 inches over. A lot of people would say no way, I say its doable with frequent water changes (30% every 3 or four days) and a lot of filtration. Prolly a filter designed for a 20gl tank if you are going to be that overstocked.

Have you considered shrimp? Amano shrimp would safe from your betta and they would add some character to the tank.

 

[nameless01]

Honestly, I have 4 corys and they seem fine but I really do want to get 2 more (I just have to figure out how to get them without my husband finding out that I got MORE FISH!!!) 4 would be pushing the stocking. You want an inch of adult fish for every gallon of water. So 2 inches for your guppies, 3 inches for the betta, and 3 inches each for the corys. With 4 corys you would be at 17 inches of fish. That's 7 inches over. A lot of people would say no way, I say its doable with frequent water changes (30% every 3 or four days) and a lot of filtration. Prolly a filter designed for a 20gl tank if you are going to be that overstocked.

Have you considered shrimp? Amano shrimp would safe from your betta and they would add some character to the tank.

Now i am :b.
How many Amanos would you recommend? Im about to start researching on them.

 

[stanleo]

Shrimp have a low bioload so the same rules about stocking don't apply. You could get 10 or more if you wanted to. I would definitely go with shrimp if I were you. I love shrimp though. I have indian whisker shrimp and they are fascinating to watch. But they are hard to find in the states.

 

[nameless01]

Shrimp have a low bioload so the same rules about stocking don't apply. You could get 10 or more if you wanted to. I would definitely go with shrimp if I were you. I love shrimp though. I have indian whisker shrimp and they are fascinating to watch. But they are hard to find in the states.

Thanks alot! Ima do some research first then off to my LFS if i don't change my mind. I cant believe i hadn't considered them. Theyre perfect. Thanks again =)

 

[attibones]

Definitely go with shrimp. Even ghost shrimp have tons of personality. Every time I plunge my hands in the tank (okay, so daily), the little guys all come up and "clean" me. The females are bold and big and bossy, which is why I like them so much. 

 

[nameless01]

Definitely go with shrimp. Even ghost shrimp have tons of personality. Every time I plunge my hands in the tank (okay, so daily), the little guys all come up and "clean" me. The females are bold and big and bossy, which is why I like them so much. 

Im headed towards my LFS right now =)

 

[Noahsfish]

I have to disagree with the inch rule...I mean, I know it's used as a very GENERAL way of measuring how attacked your tank is, that is if it's a small tank. However, a few guppies, a betta, and maybe 4 Pygmy corydoras would be doable (in my opinion). Anyways, since you decided on shrimp why not research some of the more colorful shrimp? Like said if you're looking just for personality any shrimp would do fine, but if you have live plants then having a bunch of clear shrimp isn't the coolest...red cherry shrimp are great beginner shrimp, and they're very red. You might have to order online to find the shrimp you want, but there's really good deals on shrimp, and they almost are always alive on arrival.
*stocked

 

[stanleo]

I have to disagree with the inch rule...I mean, I know it's used as a very GENERAL way of measuring how attacked your tank is, that is if it's a small tank. However, a few guppies, a betta, and maybe 4 Pygmy corydoras would be doable (in my opinion). Anyways, since you decided on shrimp why not research some of the more colorful shrimp? Like said if you're looking just for personality any shrimp would do fine, but if you have live plants then having a bunch of clear shrimp isn't the coolest...red cherry shrimp are great beginner shrimp, and they're very red. You might have to order online to find the shrimp you want, but there's really good deals on shrimp, and they almost are always alive on arrival.
*stocked

Wouldn't the betta eat the cherry shrimp?

 

[attibones]

 

I have to disagree with the inch rule...I mean, I know it's used as a very GENERAL way of measuring how attacked your tank is, that is if it's a small tank. However, a few guppies, a betta, and maybe 4 Pygmy corydoras would be doable (in my opinion). Anyways, since you decided on shrimp why not research some of the more colorful shrimp? Like said if you're looking just for personality any shrimp would do fine, but if you have live plants then having a bunch of clear shrimp isn't the coolest...red cherry shrimp are great beginner shrimp, and they're very red. You might have to order online to find the shrimp you want, but there's really good deals on shrimp, and they almost are always alive on arrival.
*stocked

Wouldn't the betta eat the cherry shrimp?
 

If this is a particularly docile betta, she may not eat them. The best way to try this is to let a single shrimp in the tank and see what happens. Starting with ghost shrimp is not always ideal as many betta fish do not see them well. The true test is with more brightly colored shrimp.

 

[discusking742]

I agree, the inch rule is a load of old ****. I personally wouldn't even try keeping guppies with a Betta Splendens, as I have had bad experiences myself (also with guppies themselves)

 As far as the Corydoras are concerned, I think that you will need more than four, which is too many for your tank. The shrimps will probably be eaten by the Betta. Sorry for the bad news.

 

[GAB99]

I woukd say no to the corys and I would also say no to 10 amano shrimp. I have had some very large specimens and to the foot print of the tank plus 10 of those shrimp would make the tank very bottom heavy, I would get 5 max, but again just my opinion.

as for the "rule" to me its nice to stick to if you're setting up low maintenance (which would require equally hardy fish) or a beginner (like you)

but after you get your feet wet (some time after the 9 month mark) or extreme overfiltering and research on what your putting in, you can do whatever within reason.
And 9 months of proper care actually knowing what you are doing haha.