overstocked?

[alabaster]

Hello all. My tank is a 15g high with Penguin 100 filter w/Biowheel. I have a Rena 100W heater, and no airpump. As the tank has cycled, I have been gradually adding fish, and am now up to 11. They are:
4x molly (1m, 3f, and all are around 2 inches in length)
5x zebra danio
2x guppy (1m, 1f)

I also have five inverts:
4x ghost shrimp
1x apple snail (shell diameter about 1.75 inches)

In your opinion, is my tank overstocked? I think its about right. If on the off chance you think I could possibly make any additions to the tank's population, please make suggestions.

Thanks for reading!

 

[cheekeyarab]

Think you're probably slightly overstocked bearing in mind zebra danios can reach upwards of 2inches.

I believe the general rule is 1 inch / gallon (I think)

So 4 mollies (8 inches of fish)

5 Danios (10 inches of fish)

2 guppies (about 5 inches of fish)

Also think about the extra strain of all the fry you will get from your mollies and guppies!!

Am a beginner so I could be wrong about this. My tank is definitely overstocked but I keep on top of water changes and the fish seems happy and healthy - it is not the end of the world!

Lastly danios need tons of swimming space so try and keep an unplanted area for them.

Hope this helps!!

Have based the above on 15 gallon tank is that right?

 

[alabaster]

yes my tank is a 15 gallon high 20Lx10Dx17H

I also keep up with the water changes and with changing filter cartidges.

How much biological load do you think the 4 shrimp and snail add? Do the shrimp, being substrate cleaners, make up for their waste by eating otherwise uneaten food?

Also, I've had the guppies for about 2 weeks, but so far no fry (I don't think). How soon should I expect to have fry? Will the fry survive since I have no special food for them and only a couple plants for them to hide in?

 

[cheekeyarab]

Sorry but I have no idea about shrimp/snails as I do not keep these. I can't imagine they make a significant difference though I could be wrong! That wasn't very helpful was it?!

Anyway I am not too sure about your guppies as my first female hasn't given birth yet. I bought her at the weekend and she is pregnant but I think she has about a week left.

I would imagine your female is pregnant, check for swelling or a black spot appearing at the base of her abdomen.

If you want some fry to survive I suggest you add some floating plants and crumble up flakes finely for them.

 

[rdd1952]

I'd say you are overstocked, especially with the fry you will get unless you just let nature take it's course and let the fish eat the fry. I don't think the shrimp and snails are much of a problem. they definitley create waste but not in large amounts. Also, although I don't keep guppies, I think the rule of thumb is one male to 2 females. Otherwise the male will constantly harass the female.

 

[alabaster]

the male guppy chases the female, but as far as harassing--he doesn't really do any damage and she seems fine

what exactly will the gravid spot look like? the female guppy has a sort of black spot on her rear belly, but it looks like it is below the skin--hard to describe please desribe in as much detail as you can the appearance of the gravid spot on pregnant fish

how big do mollies get? mine are between approx. 1.8 inches and 2.25 inches, the male being the second largest

do mollies do as well in freshwater as they do in brackish? Is it a good environment for them> Will they be healthy and happy in completely fresh water?

sorry for all the questions but am just trying to gather insight
thanks

 

[cheekeyarab]

The gravid spot is actually the eyes of the young showing through.
Can't really describe it better than that as my guppy is hiding somewhere in the tank and I would need to look at it to describe it.

Type in gravid spot as a search to find posts or take a look at the livebearer forum for more info.

 

[freddyk]

If you're a counter of inches then perhaps you're overstocked.

I'm not a counter of inches, I'm about tank balance. Part of stocking a tank is considering biological load, but this is easily overcome by filtration and water changes.
Stocking a tank is also about balancing the tank - not overstocking any one particular area, but balancing out all levels of the aquarium.
Decoration is also important for distributing the live stock. Tall plants at the back going to the top of the water, and smaller decoration for cover on the bottom will ensure security for all the livestock involved.

The way I see it is that you have all top dwelling livebearers (danio's, guppies, and mollies) including two livebearers in there. You still have all the rest of the tank free though.

I would be inclined to choose just one of the livebearers, and then add a shoal of a characin, or other shoaling mid dweller to fill out the space of your tall tank. Numbers depend on what you choose, but a schoal is best with at least 6. It's best to go with higher numbers of less species in these cases.

The ghost shrimp will be absolutely no problem, and you can even add some cory catfish if you wish too. Both of these are easy on the bioload as well.

 

[alabaster]

thanks for the advice everyone, especially freddy.

I appreciate your input greatly, but I really (unfortunately) am unable at the present time to get another tank, so I can't really "choose" one of the livebearer species and remove the others.

Also, while I'd like to provide a secure and healthy environment for the fish, I don't currently have any live plants, only a couple plastic ones. I would like to have live plants, but I'm currently in a low-light situation, and I don't have a CO2 injector or any knowledge of chemical fertilization. My hood light, amazingly, doesn't have the wattage listed on it (or on the packaging), but I know that neither the wattage nor the spectrum of the flourescent tube are conducive to growing lush plants. My question is this: what are some very easy to grow plants that don't require much light at all? I's like some large-leafed plants and some finer-leafed ones, but I realize I can't be too picky. Can you advise me on any suitable plants? Also, my local fish stores have hardly any selection of live aquatic plants, so the plants I decide on must be very commonly available.

About the fish: If I were to not remove any fish from my tank, would it be advisable to add any more? What about adding more shrimp?

 

[alabaster]

also, I'd like to add that my mollies are active, and some seem to prefer the very top of the tank, while the rest stay towards the bottom

the zebras and guppies do stay at the top of the tank, so you are absolutely right about the "balance"--I have no mid-level swimmers! any suggestions if I remove none of the fish I've already established?

 

[freddyk]

When I refer to plants, I refer to either live or fake. The idea is to simply have them.

Annubius is a great low light plant that's nearly impossible to kill. It won't grow much in low light, but it will survive, which would make it great for bottom cover.

I'd still probably add a shoal of cardinals, glolights, or some other small characin to your tank. 8 of these little guys will fit well, and won't take a toll on the system.

 

[eudielynn]

The way I see it is that you have all top dwelling livebearers (danio's, guppies, and mollies) including two livebearers in there.

Yes, you are probably overstocked, but you do have other issues.

First of all danio's are not livebearers, they have eggs. Next, they should never be kept in less than a 20 gal tank because they require lots of open swimming room at the top of the tank, thus lots of floating and extremely tall plants are a no-no with them and they should never be kept in less than groups of less than six. Guppies should be kept in a ratio of one male for every two females. If he is chasing her around, that will stress her out and she could very easily loose her young.

It is doubtful that any fry would survive being eaten by the other fish - guppies included - unless you at least catch them and put them in a breeder net.

Snails produce a lot of waste. I like them so I put up with it. Ghost shrimp do not produce a lot of waste, but they do molt and you will have chunks of old shell to clean up on a regular basis. They will also eat just about anything, so I would expect them to munch on guppy fry as well. Just MHO.

 

[The-Wolf]

Also think about the extra strain of all the fry you will get from your mollies and guppies!!

no chance of any fry with danios in the tank,
they will eat them as soon as they see them.

 

[Kazman]

I don't currently have any live plants, only a couple plastic ones. I would like to have live plants, but I'm currently in a low-light situation

There are some plants that thrive in low light situations - we bought some from Maidenhead Aquatics over the weekend as we have one tank in a low light area, they were a bit more expensive but it may be worth it to get some live plants - not much help but the name began with 'C'

 

[GSD]

overstocked IMO i always like to leave abit of room in my tanks in case of fry.well exept my 13gal which is fully stocked