Who Else Do I Have Room For?

[JessiMommy]

I need some advice on just how many fish is too many. When starting out I made the mistake of overcrowding a tank and don't want that to happen again. As of now I have a Neon Tetra, a Cory Cat and a Platy. All will be moved to a new 12 gallon tank soon. It is the Eclipse 12 if that matters. I know the tetras need friends. I had more but lost them. I also think the cory cat is a schooling fish. With the 3 fish that I already have what else would make them happy but also be a safe number for my size tank. I know the whole 1 inch of slim bodied fish per gallon of water rule but I'd like to hear some actual numbers from the pro's! Thanks! Oh also... when I move my current fish to the 12 gallon shouild I add any new fish at the same time?

 

[Alien Anna]

If I were you I'd make up a school of 6 neons, get a couple more corys and another platy. Or you could have 8 neons because they are diddy little fish. That is presuming you have a well cycled tank and do regular partial water changes once a week.

I've been researching these stocking level formulae and I think I've just decided they're bunk because fish are so different and have such different requirements. However, "gut instinct" and experience aren't terribly useful guides when you're a newbie. So, stick roughly to the "1 inch of fish, not including tails, per US gal of water" but don't treat it like a religion. Also consider how a tank looks as you can tell if a tank looks like Picadilly Circus/Time Square at rush hour.

Just remember that wide tanks can usually support more fish than tall tanks, due to the oxygen absorbing on the surface, and you need to think about where in the water certain species tend to swim.

If you do fishless cycling with the new tank you can add new and old fish all at the same time.

 

[JessiMommy]

Thanks for your helpful response! One more question... Being as new as I am to this I'm scared to death of the possibility of fry. I have no idea what sex fish I have now. If I randonly add these new fish I assume I will be opening myself up to spawning.... YIKES!!! Any tips there?

 

[Alien Anna]

Thanks for your helpful response! One more question... Being as new as I am to this I'm scared to death of the possibility of fry. I have no idea what sex fish I have now. If I randonly add these new fish I assume I will be opening myself up to spawning.... YIKES!!! Any tips there?

Don't get male and female guppies together (clear sex differences there so it's almost impossible to make a mistake) and don't get a pair of yellow lab cichlids!

Other than that, it takes quite a lot of effort to make fish breed since they have a tendency to eat their fry or eggs and many fish simply won't breed in captivity.

So basically it's a non-issue.

But if at some point you wanted to breed fish getting rid of the fry is fairly easy, at least in UK it is. In some countries, where you need a licence to sell to pet shops it might be a little more difficult.

 

[Kossy]

If I were you I'd make up a school of 6 neons, get a couple more corys and another platy. Or you could have 8 neons because they are diddy little fish.

You really need around 10 neons because they are from the same family as pirahanas and these fish live in big shoals. Therefore you really need around 10 (8 possibly is the bare minimum)

 

[JessiMommy]

Other than that, it takes quite a lot of effort to make fish breed since they have a tendency to eat their fry or eggs and many fish simply won't breed in captivity.


Great thanks for your help!