Should AqAdvisor be stocked to 100%?

I usually just post the stocking plan and see. All the fish sites tend to be…misleading, in a word. I’ve read a list stating a Oscar to be a “good beginner fish”. They’re good for general information, but I usually just look on forums for the more nuanced stuff.
 
It's like an onion.

Aqua-Advisor has always struck me a bioload tool. I admire what they've tried to do there. It is a one size fits all approach, and has holes in it, but it has probably saved a lot of fish from awful conditions, and a lot of fishkeepers from failure. As a tool, it's a handsaw, and it isn't going to work for fine detailing. For example, @CherryBerry670 wants a school of clown killifish, one of my favourites, but they don't often thrive in community tanks. Their bioload is light, as they are tiny, but their tininess gets them pushed around and driven away from food.
No site can take factors like that into consideration.


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My tank. It made me remember shoal/school requirements: this was my stocking plan.
9 Glowlight tetras.
9 Cherry barbs.
15 Rummynose tetras.
9 Clown Killifish.
9 Black Neon tetras.
11 Albino Sterbai Cory Catfish
1 BN pleco
1 Dwarf Gourami

I’ll go up to 11 on each species of tetra if I have to, but I’d like space in case I see someone I like at the store and want to put them in.

Considering the main issue to be providing the best environment for the fish, I would increase the number for the shoaling/schooling species since you have the space (unlike some unfortunates) to do this and better the lives of the fish. Obviously, or logically thought out, having 9 instead of 10 is not the issue, but providing more of such species is going to eliminate more stress, and that means healthier fish with less problems for you.

Rummynose at 15 is certainly a good number, and while I would be inclined to up this to 20, that is up to you. This fish remains (except when surfacing to feed) in the lower half/third of the water column. The cories do the same primarily, though they will explore all surfaces including floating plant leaves when they are settled and content. The Glowlight Tetra remains in the lower half of the aquarium, often close to the substrate. It will readily surface to feed. It requires fairly thick vegetation with an open swimming area, and this will cause it to really shine. I would not go below 12.

The Black Neon remains in the upper half, so a good match here, and 12 would be my minimum suggestion. Floating plants mandatory, for all these fish actually, it makes quite a difference to their stress level and their appearance.

In the interests of providing better accommodation for these fish, I would leave out the barbs. The cories definitely need more, it is just not fair with this highly social fish. A group of 15-20. You can combine species (not the dwarf species here though).

The Dwarf Gourami I would leave out. Aside from anything, it has a serious health issue possible unless the fish is acquired from a reputable breeder (not commercially).

The Clown Killifish, Epiplatys annulatus, should be in a group and 10 will do well, it will have more interesting interactions. It needs non-bright light, but so do all the other fish here, so that should be OK.
 
Considering the main issue to be providing the best environment for the fish, I would increase the number for the shoaling/schooling species since you have the space (unlike some unfortunates) to do this and better the lives of the fish. Obviously, or logically thought out, having 9 instead of 10 is not the issue, but providing more of such species is going to eliminate more stress, and that means healthier fish with less problems for you.

Rummynose at 15 is certainly a good number, and while I would be inclined to up this to 20, that is up to you. This fish remains (except when surfacing to feed) in the lower half/third of the water column. The cories do the same primarily, though they will explore all surfaces including floating plant leaves when they are settled and content. The Glowlight Tetra remains in the lower half of the aquarium, often close to the substrate. It will readily surface to feed. It requires fairly thick vegetation with an open swimming area, and this will cause it to really shine. I would not go below 12.

The Black Neon remains in the upper half, so a good match here, and 12 would be my minimum suggestion. Floating plants mandatory, for all these fish actually, it makes quite a difference to their stress level and their appearance.

In the interests of providing better accommodation for these fish, I would leave out the barbs. The cories definitely need more, it is just not fair with this highly social fish. A group of 15-20. You can combine species (not the dwarf species here though).

The Dwarf Gourami I would leave out. Aside from anything, it has a serious health issue possible unless the fish is acquired from a reputable breeder (not commercially).

The Clown Killifish, Epiplatys annulatus, should be in a group and 10 will do well, it will have more interesting interactions. It needs non-bright light, but so do all the other fish here, so that should be OK.
I think you’re confusing Cherry barbs for Tiger barbs. Cherry barbs aren’t aggressive.
I’m leaving out the Clown Killifish. Just watched a video of them, looked at the comment, researched some more…they’re so tiny and skinny, I won’t even see them half the time, so I’ll just leave them out.
Will up the rest of the shoal/school numbers, though. Rummynose to 19, maybe? Look for another top-dweller. I like hatchetfish, but they seem jumpy.

Also, if I can’t have a dwarf gourami, I’ll likely do a female giant betta, betta imbellis, or a school of Bolivian rams. Do any of those work? I don’t like pearl gourami, so they’re out. Might do a apistogramma, but slightly worried about the Cories if I do.
 
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I’m planning a dark aquarium, with a lot of floating plants. Mostly tiger lilies, Amazon frogbit, and…maybe red root floaters? That might be dangerous for anything at the surface, though. I was considering finding small trees to grow in the sides as well, for the roots, but…well, hard to find small trees for aquariums. I was hoping to have a large, open space in the center of black sand, with a lot of plants on either end. Work some driftwood in somewhere for the pleco.
 
Also, can you confirm that Rummynose school without a threat? They’re supposed to be my very large, active schooling fish in this tank.
 
I think you’re confusing Cherry barbs for Tiger barbs. Cherry barbs aren’t aggressive.

No mention of aggression was mentioned. My view is that the groups of the characins will each contribute more to this aquarium. I think you will find this long-term.

Also, if I can’t have a dwarf gourami, I’ll likely do a female giant betta, betta imbellis, or a school of Bolivian rams. Do any of those work? I don’t like pearl gourami, so they’re out. Might do a apistogramma, but slightly worried about the Cories if I do.

I would not risk any betta in with these shoaling fish. As for the Apistogramma, you would be highly unlikely to have successful spawnings with Corydoras present, but aside from this, they are OK together. My Bolivian Ram used to get annoyed with some of the cories when feeding from the substrate, but he would push one aside, and nothing beyond that, and they being true to their nature did not take umbrage.

Bolivian Rams. A group...this is risking it. Males are territorial. Some more than others, but if a pair should form the male will most likely take control of the entire tank. Other Bolivians may or may not be killed, it depends upon the individual fish. This species was first imported by Horst Linke and Wolfgang Staeck in 1985, and their reported habitat observations suggest that this species appears to live in solitude (individual fish alone) apart from reproduction periods (Linke & Staeck, 1994). Understanding this should tell us something, that "groups" are risky at best. In nature, the other rams can and will readily leave the area if a pair makes their intentions known. This cannot occur in the aquarium, where the individual degree of each fish's inherent behaviours really matters if it will be success or failure. A dominant male will make it clear this tank is his, and the other rams will read these pheromones, even if physical aggression is non-existant. The stress this causes makes things still worse. My male Bolivian in his 5-foot 115g tank spawned four times with a female I added, then overnight he killed her, probably because he had had enough. All the fish in this tank knew he was the owner, but he never physically attacked anyone except a cory annoying his meal time, but that never came to anything more serious.

Also, can you confirm that Rummynose school without a threat? They’re supposed to be my very large, active schooling fish in this tank.

"Schooling" technically covers marine fish that remain in tight formation to swim, avoid predators, and catch prey. The latter especially, the "hunt" together in a sense. This may apply to a freshwater fish species, but not one I know of (my knowledge of species is most assuredly quite limited) and not rummynose. But, they are probably the only characin (that I can think of) that remains in this fairly tight formation all the time--except when they feed, at which time they are individual. They also continually swim lengths in any aquarium I have ever seen them, including my 5-foot tank years ago. And videos of them in nature show them actively swimming like this. In all thee years I had this species, I never saw them when they were not swimming actively, though they do stop at night obviously.
 
No mention of aggression was mentioned. My view is that the groups of the characins will each contribute more to this aquarium. I think you will find this long-term.



I would not risk any betta in with these shoaling fish. As for the Apistogramma, you would be highly unlikely to have successful spawnings with Corydoras present, but aside from this, they are OK together. My Bolivian Ram used to get annoyed with some of the cories when feeding from the substrate, but he would push one aside, and nothing beyond that, and they being true to their nature did not take umbrage.

Bolivian Rams. A group...this is risking it. Males are territorial. Some more than others, but if a pair should form the male will most likely take control of the entire tank. Other Bolivians may or may not be killed, it depends upon the individual fish. This species was first imported by Horst Linke and Wolfgang Staeck in 1985, and their reported habitat observations suggest that this species appears to live in solitude (individual fish alone) apart from reproduction periods (Linke & Staeck, 1994). Understanding this should tell us something, that "groups" are risky at best. In nature, the other rams can and will readily leave the area if a pair makes their intentions known. This cannot occur in the aquarium, where the individual degree of each fish's inherent behaviours really matters if it will be success or failure. A dominant male will make it clear this tank is his, and the other rams will read these pheromones, even if physical aggression is non-existant. The stress this causes makes things still worse. My male Bolivian in his 5-foot 115g tank spawned four times with a female I added, then overnight he killed her, probably because he had had enough. All the fish in this tank knew he was the owner, but he never physically attacked anyone except a cory annoying his meal time, but that never came to anything more serious.



"Schooling" technically covers marine fish that remain in tight formation to swim, avoid predators, and catch prey. The latter especially, the "hunt" together in a sense. This may apply to a freshwater fish species, but not one I know of (my knowledge of species is most assuredly quite limited) and not rummynose. But, they are probably the only characin (that I can think of) that remains in this fairly tight formation all the time--except when they feed, at which time they are individual. They also continually swim lengths in any aquarium I have ever seen them, including my 5-foot tank years ago. And videos of them in nature show them actively swimming like this. In all thee years I had this species, I never saw them when they were not swimming actively, though they do stop at night obviously.
Ok, then…maybe a pair of apistogramma? I might also just do betta imbellis, since they’re known as a extremely peaceful wild betta. Or maybe I’ll do a group of honey gourami?

I’ll cut out the cherry barbs, then. Maybe add otos or another two plecos. Glad to see the Rummynose are active.
 

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