is my tank ready to introduce new fish

[turkish ann]

hi everybody

just registered for this website, very useful to someone like me who is not too sure what she is doing.

I have had my tank set up a month now and have just tested it for the first time, my reading are

PH 7.4
AMMONIA 0.0
NITRITE 0.0
NITRATE 0.0

I have 2 guppies , and 2 tetras.

i would like to add more to my tank, and wondered if it is ready any advice what other fish we could put in their, and my children keep asking for frogs, are they a good idea?

many thanks

turkish ann x

 

[fisher_guzzi]

I am fairly new myself. Welcome
This is a great website. There are people here with tons of experience so listen to them.
IMHO I would steer away from tetras until the tank is further along. I went straight for them and they didn't do well with the cycling. I got 4, then 3 died. I got 3 more and two dies. Now two are left and they are doing well.
I don't know the hardy fish but that is what you want and don't get too attached because they might not be able to endure the heavy changes going on.
I have set up my second tank and have introduce plants and small snails. I think the snails might be the way to go.
Oh in the first tank I had african dwarf frogs and they seemed quite hardy.
I recommend you wait a little longer and get all the best information here and ask the fish store what is hardiest.
Good Luck !

 

[fisher_guzzi]

forgot to ask what size tank do you have?
I hear 1 inch of fish per gallon is recommended. You do not want to overload your tank immediately. My wife and I put a pond in our backyard and nature took a slow approach too. First the insects, then the frogs, then a snake or two.

 

[turkish ann]

hi

i am not sure what size my tank is, never was good with measurments. how do you tell?

 

[Lateral Line]

>>> i am not sure what size my tank is

Measure it. Don't worry about the units, people in the US always seem to talk about gallons, most of the rest of the world talk about either feet/inches or, (for the majority), centimeters.

>>> add more to my tank, and wondered if it is ready

Probably yes, but without knowing the size it is difficult to advise.

>>> keep asking for frogs, are they a good idea?

Absolutely not for a beginner!

 

[ytsejam02]

hi

i am not sure what size my tank is, never was good with measurments. how do you tell?

In case you were wondering, just measure the height, width and depth of the tank. Multiply those together, and you'll get your volume.

If you do it in inches, there are 231 cubic inches per gallon.
If you metric and you're measuring in centimeters, there are roughly 3786 cubic centimeters in a gallon (or 1000 cubic centimeters per Liter).

Anyway, hope that helps
-jay

 

[aernympha]

here u go use this to find out how many fish u can have and please tetras need to be in at least a group of 6

before u guys so excited about this new formula, its nots new its in both of my fish books!!!!! but the one givern to me is more correct and better for newbies its it like the 1 inch of fish to a gallon but more accurate !!!!! as both books recomend it i think its better . the one on the net its stupid there is no way u one 2 inch fish can have a living spce of 6 sq.in.!!!!!!which is 15 sq. cm its tiny!!!!! i mean this rule on the net compared to the 1 inch for every gallon says can have double the fish i have now in my 30 galllon tank, which is rubbish!!!
there is a better metthod found in these books
Aquarium Fish by Dick Mills (famous guy been doing fishing keeping 30 years!!)
Aquarium an owners manual by Gina Sandford

the method!!!!
this is quoted guys!!

when stocking a tank,the most critical factor is surface area,rather than the total volume of water.the aqurium deth is irrelevent, its the water/airinterfaceat the surface that determines the amount of dissolved oxygen needed to support life.a 160 litre (35 gallon) tank, if 100 cm long x 40 cm deep x 40 cm wide(39 x 16 x 16 in.),will have the surface area of 4000 sq. cm (625 sq in.); alternatively, it mabe be 75 cm long x 52 cm deep x 40 cm wide (30 x 20 x 16 in.) , with a surface area of 3000 sq. cm (480 sq. in.) . although both tanks hold the same amount of water, the one with the larger surface area will suport more fish. to find the correct stocking level,first calculate the surface area by multiplying the tank length by its width.then establish the adult body length of the fish you plan to keep in the tank; for each 2.5 cm (1in.), you will require 75 sq. cm (12 sq. in.) of tank space for tropical freshwater species,180 sq cm (28 sq in.) for coldwater freshwater fish ,and 300 sq cm (47 sq in.) for tropical marine species.
in certain cases, fish may require more or less space than average.for example the discus, which gorws to 15 cm (6 in.),is best kept in pairs with little else in the tank.only in this way are you likly to grow these fish to maturity and have them breed.with good water turnover and effient filtraion,stocking levels may be slightly incresed.however , do not rely on equipment to support a heavily stocked aquarium;mechanical failure could prove disastrous.remember also that fewer fish often look far more impresive than a tank crammed with bodies.

so the basic rule is "for every inch (2.5 cm) of fish you will requies 75 sq. cm"


so i did this to my tank so i did 36 cm x 81 cm =2916 sq.cm

i sthen figured out howmnay inches of fish i could keep by

2916 divided by 75 = 38.88 inches of fish!!!

i then added alll the inches of fish i had 3.75 + 6+6+4.5+4+4+4=32.25
which menas i am not over stocked!!! an di have enuf space to put babies in my tank to grow yup a little so i can sell them to the lsf !!!!

this method is used by dick mills!!!!!!!!!! DICK MILLS!!! i mena if hes been using it for the majority of 30 years its must work so i have my faith in this formula!!! no that stupid unrealistic formula !!!! whoever made it up was stupid and is mean to his fishes!!!

 

[wickedxyx]

Hi folks! I like this formula. It makes more sense really.

Though I did have a question, would an air stone or the like change the calculations? Since the air is diffusing into the water as it "bubbles", would that allow you to add more?

Just wondering?

 

[Missy]

Ohhhh! Really good question. I would love to know the answer to that as I have a hex tank which I overstocked before I knew of that calculation and I have been debating if I need to remove a few of them or not.

 

[Lateral Line]

The short answer is yes, you can increase slightly with aeration. It is not so much the bubbles giving the air, it is the increased circulation at the surface which makes the difference.

That said, if you rely on this and your air supply fails, then your in trouble. Also, IMHO, an overstocked tank looks bad.

 

[Alien Anna]

Ohhhh! Really good question. I would love to know the answer to that as I have a hex tank which I overstocked before I knew of that calculation and I have been debating if I need to remove a few of them or not.

Missy - I've got an over-stocked tank as well. I've had it for quite a while now and it's stable. I only lost an elderly pencilfish during the heatwave, whereas my newer (less populated tanks) actually did worse.

Unless you're at crisis point I suspect you can get away with it for a while at least. If you have fish that are going to grow really too big, you may have to consider re-homing them, but otherwise you should be OK.

This is what I do:
1. Make sure your filter is 100% at all times - rinse the insets in used tank water twice a week if you have to (being quick to make sure you don't kill off the beneficial bacteria).

2. Keep the temperature lower (according to the species of fish) if you possibly can - cooler water holds more oxygen.

3. Do 10-15% water-changes twice weekly, weekly at most. This will keep the levels of nitrates and other problem chemicals down to a minimum (I know all the books say nitrates aren't a problem, but if they build up over 50ppm, they most certainly can).

4. Make sure your fish have plants and caves (places to hide) if they get stressed, particularly if you have schooling fish without a school (if they aren't scared, they're not going to feel the need to school so will be less stressed). Also avoid tapping on the glass, keeping the tank near TVs or Hi-Fis or in busy hallways where people are constantly walking past. Keep vacuum cleaning in that area down to a minimum. When you do water changes or clean the filters, move slowly and deliberately as that will frighten the fish less, and try not to wear bright, alarming colours (actually, mine aren't scared at all, but they do have a tendency to get in the way as they think I'm going to feed them all the time).

5. When feeding, make sure the shyer creatures get enough to eat but don't over-feed.

6. Keep your eyes open in the paper and Ebay etc. for a 2nd hand tank set-up to re-home some of your babies. A couple of 10 gal tanks can make a huge difference, provided you restrain yourself and don't go out and buy more fish.