Is My Tank Overstocked
- Thread starter Rayq
- Start date
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I have a 27 inch height and 19 inch side. I guess is 3 gallon. I have 6 guppies. One big one and 5 small one. I sword and a platy. Also have a CAE and a cory, might get rid of the CAE. A filter, a air pump and a light. I know it sound overcrowded but when I look at it I don't think it is. Thats why I'm asking. I saw something that says one inch of fish for 1 gallon tank. My guppy is bout 2 inch so do they mean that I can only keep one guppy in this tank??
You guess it's 3 gallons? Seems like a fair bit of fish in there for a 3 gallon >.>
KuronoEnyo
Fish Fanatic
Oooh could try to nab a 10g while a store around may have a sale, could fit some more fish in there but still give them a lot of room to fiddle around also gives you some room to maybe add plants or fake decor. I always recomend at least tanks with double digits in the gallon size when it comes to getting fish. Since a lot of people get bored if they have so few in a tank they tend to add more but don't realize that could end up adding out more nasty stuff n the water then there filters able to take care of or the owner it self is able to keep up with the water changes.
phantomlink
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a tank with a measurement of 27 inches is larger then 3 gallons a 10 gallon tank is 20lx10wx12h
I would definitely have to disagree with you there. The above is only true whilst not taken to extremes. See the recent thread where a member recommended keeping 2 oscars and 2 jack dempseys in a 20gallon. Then you would also have to ensure that your filtration was suitable.
You could argue that this is covered by "fishkeeper's knowledge", I s'pose.....
Anyhoo, an experienced and dedicated fishkeeper could marginally "overstock" an aquarium, but not more than marginally. IMHO.
The 1 inch per gallon rule means that you add up the adult sizes of the fish (not the size they are now) and the total number of inches should be the same or less than the number of American gallons. (1 American gallon = 3.78 litres). The rule isn't very good though, and can't be used for fish that grow over 3 inches.
As for the 3 gallons, you give the height and one side, but there needs to be three measurements to caluclate volume - side to side, front to back and top to bottom. If you post all three, you can work it out.
In your first post you said
Do you mean the tank was brand new, you got it a few days ago and put the fish in straight away?
I didn't cycle it because I don't know how. I only left the water for a week before I get the tank. And I saw many people didn't cycle their small tanks so I thought its okay.
DreamertK
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Well just sitting the water in the tank is going to do anything, you either need to add ammonia/NH3 or add fish. It's too late to bother with that now though, I would seriously start doing large water changes as soon as possible and every day. It would be easier if you took some of the fish back, as some may die before the cycling is finished. And yes, it is imperative that you do 80% changes every day. Trust me, I was in the same boat about a month and a half ago, and both my fish are fine now because I put in the effort to get rid of the bad chemicals before they damaged the fish.
isnt 80% a lot? I do only 50% a week
What you are saying makes no sense, how long has the tank been running with the fish in it currently? You need to change big amounts daily to reduce the ammonia and nitrite content from the water until the cycle has completed and the bacteria in the filter has developed to a sufficient level. You must also use dechlorinated water so not to kill the bacteria you are trying to grow.
The 50% a week water changes are only for when the filter is cycled. Until then you need to do big daily water changes. You must stop both ammonia and nitrite from ever getting as high as 0.25. Once the filter is cycled, the bacteria will do it for you. Until they have grown, you need to keep them low by doing water changes. That could mean every day for up to 2 months.
Just to check - you do have a filter?
We also need to know exactly how big your tank is to advise on stocking. The dimensions you gave in an earlier post don't sound like 3 gallons. To give you an idea, a tank 12 x 8 x 8 inches is 3 gallons. You only gave 2 measurements; we need the third to calculate the volume. We need side to side, and front to back, and top to bottom - with top to bottom, that's the water surface to the bottom of the water.
If your tank really is only 3 gallons, the fish you say you have in there would be jammed in with no room for them to move properly.
Just to check - you do have a filter?
We also need to know exactly how big your tank is to advise on stocking. The dimensions you gave in an earlier post don't sound like 3 gallons. To give you an idea, a tank 12 x 8 x 8 inches is 3 gallons. You only gave 2 measurements; we need the third to calculate the volume. We need side to side, and front to back, and top to bottom - with top to bottom, that's the water surface to the bottom of the water.
If your tank really is only 3 gallons, the fish you say you have in there would be jammed in with no room for them to move properly.
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