# Is my stocking good?



## rufro1237 (Nov 26, 2012)

Hey guys, 
Just wondering if my stocking for my 29 gallon tank is ok.

Dimensions: 
30x12x18 inches

Filter: 
Fluval C3 HOB filter










As you can see, its heavily planted in the middle, with a giant clump of hairgrass and water sprite, amazon swords, and crypts. Fluval 88g CO2. Getting more plants to fill out the gaps. Slight algae problems, with hair algae on glass and plants (help?).

Stocking is:
- 1 Female Betta
- 4 Platies
- 8 Cardinal Tetras
- 1 Panda Cory
- 4 Guppies
- 7 Harlequin Rasboras
- 1 Blue Gourami (need to return him soon, almost 4 inches)
- 2 German Blue Rams
- 1 Golden Siamese Algae Eater (getting large, also need to return)

The stocking is a little scattered, but I really love all these fish.
Been set up since January, and many of these fish have been with me since my old tank. 
No problems with anything, filtration smooth and everyone gets along.

It looks balanced and everyone has their own swimming space.

Thanks and be honest!
Michael


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

how much and how often do you have to do water changes to keep nitrates in control? I'm guessing because of the c02 and good lighting that it's not a problem.


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## greg (Apr 29, 2012)

I think its pretty heavily stocked for a tank of those dimensions and filter size. Definitely stay on top of water changes, vacuuming, don't overfeed and check nitrate levels regularly. Returning the fish indicated will help. Hopefully your water sprite will grow quickly which should also help keep parameters in-check.

Hair algae often occurs in new tanks due to the presence of silicates - usually follows diatoms which are caused by same thing. Hopefully, if you stay on top of it and keep nitrates at good levels, it will start to decline soon. There are some fish that eat hair algae, but your tank is pretty fully stocked currently.

Greg


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## rufro1237 (Nov 26, 2012)

pyrrolin said:


> how much and how often do you have to do water changes to keep nitrates in control? I'm guessing because of the c02 and good lighting that it's not a problem.


I do weekly gravel vacuums of about 10% to 20%, depending on the need (messy gravel = more water changed). I have the API Nitrate tester, and i check usually weekly the levels and nothing exceeds 40 ppm, and checking the water today, after a 40% water change, the levels drop completely, back to almost zero ppm. I did the 40% because I just came back from vacation, and the automatic fish feeder was on top of the filter (can't leave the canopy opening open, because of gourami + betta), which means all the food settles near the filter and clogs it, so I had to fix all that. I dose 1ml Excel every three days, to keep the additional nitrate at a minimum. 
Greg:
I will probably return them within the next month as I want them as long as possible . I make sure my schedule stays intact, and I never leave the tank with no war changes for longer than a week. The tank is in my room, so I am constantly reminded that it needs cleaning.

Thanks guys!


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## TorontoBoy (Mar 14, 2013)

And here I thought you were talking about your socks...


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

sounds like you are about at capacity, might be able to add a couple small ones after you remove the couple you plan to get rid of.


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## NuclearTech (Mar 23, 2008)

You may find that your panda cory is happier in a group instead of solo


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## rufro1237 (Nov 26, 2012)

Just noticed this in the last couple days, but one of my cardinal tetras is always at the top of the tank (alive) but he seems to be gasping for air, but the thing is that my other fish are fine. There's enough air circulating. Yet somehow he is always up there. He swims fine, and when I shoo him away, he swims back to his friends and comes back 10 minutes later. Help?








Sorry for the bad picture

Pyrrolin: 
Once they're gone, I'll probably just leave the tank as it is, maybe complete a Cory school, and *maybe* get a small school of ottos.

NuclearTech:
Somehow, no matter how well-fed and relaxed they are, my cories all seem to die off. I have Cobalt Shrimp Pellets and they eat it, but by the end of the month they're swimming with the fishes (pun intended ). I started with 3, then the big one died after a month, then a smaller one when I was on vacation just now (don't know why, I had the automatic feeder and someone come in on 2 days to feed pellets. Maybe they don't like me as a person :'(.

I've always dreamed of having white lyretail mollies, but thats for another tank probably.
Thanks, 
Michael


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

odd, sometimes fish just have a defect.

We can only do so much, we can make sure the water is safe, all parameters are good, give them a nice place to live, but sometimes there is a bacteria, fungus, disease, something that we just can't diagnose.


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## rufro1237 (Nov 26, 2012)

I agree. One of my platies, Finny (ironic) has only one pectoral fin. Other than that, he's completely healthy and swims well. 
Thanks,
Michael


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## ppaskova (Apr 27, 2010)

Very interesting. I have very similar setup to yours also 29Gl heavily planted and overstocked. Regarding your pandas, I had same issues with my panda corries. As many as I added them, even in my old 10Gl tank, eventually they all died off and I don't deal with them anymore I have other corries in my tank who has been there for over 3 years and never had any issues with them. As per your cardinal, I had same issues with my neons and unfortunately soon after they started to go up for air often they died. Something internal unique to tetras only. In case of your overstocking as others mention you need to do 30% weekly water changes. I have in my tank 6 neons, 6 rummy nose tetras, 6 razboras, 6 white cloud Montanan minnows, 6 golden white cloud Montanan minnows 1 platty (use to have 5, rest died off), 8 guppies (4 males and 4 females, use to have much more but life breeders don't like my tank, I have more success with tetras), few corries, 3-4 ottos and 2 ancestors plecos. I have two filters AC30 and AC50 and do water changes every week. I also have Amazon sword, criptocorn, java fern and java moss in my tank. I don't use CO2 but doze 5Ml of excel twice a week and have strong 2X24W T5Ho light for 6 hrs a day. But my plants don't want to grow very well specialy amazon sword and java fern. I also use to have female bettas in my tank and honey gurami . But my bettas use to attack female guppies and guramy male guppies and I removed them.


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

your light time seems a little low. Also, are you bottoming out on nitates? If you have 0 nitrates, that can slow down plant growth as plants like to use nitrates. If your nitrates are bottoming out, do less wc so the plants have a bit of nitrates.


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## ppaskova (Apr 27, 2010)

pyrrolin said:


> your light time seems a little low. Also, are you bottoming out on nitates? If you have 0 nitrates, that can slow down plant growth as plants like to use nitrates. If your nitrates are bottoming out, do less wc so the plants have a bit of nitrates.


Longer time for lights promotes more algae in my case. My NO3 is around 3PPM according to API liquid test


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

3 is basically none, I would do less wc for a week or two to try to bring it up to 10 to 20


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## rufro1237 (Nov 26, 2012)

ppaskova said:


> Very interesting. I have very similar setup to yours also 29Gl heavily planted and overstocked. Regarding your pandas, I had same issues with my panda corries. As many as I added them, even in my old 10Gl tank, eventually they all died off and I don't deal with them anymore I have other corries in my tank who has been there for over 3 years and never had any issues with them. As per your cardinal, I had same issues with my neons and unfortunately soon after they started to go up for air often they died. Something internal unique to tetras only. In case of your overstocking as others mention you need to do 30% weekly water changes. I have in my tank 6 neons, 6 rummy nose tetras, 6 razboras, 6 white cloud Montanan minnows, 6 golden white cloud Montanan minnows 1 platty (use to have 5, rest died off), 8 guppies (4 males and 4 females, use to have much more but life breeders don't like my tank, I have more success with tetras), few corries, 3-4 ottos and 2 ancestors plecos. I have two filters AC30 and AC50 and do water changes every week. I also have Amazon sword, criptocorn, java fern and java moss in my tank. I don't use CO2 but doze 5Ml of excel twice a week and have strong 2X24W T5Ho light for 6 hrs a day. But my plants don't want to grow very well specialy amazon sword and java fern. I also use to have female bettas in my tank and honey gurami . But my bettas use to attack female guppies and guramy male guppies and I removed them.


I have lighting on from 7:15 am to 5:15 everyday to fit my feeding schedule. Also, the light is of for 45 mins around noon, to stop too much algae growth. My Amazon Swords have taken off. After only a week with the new light as I set up the aquarium, it grew over 5 inches. My plants grow fine. 
I think I figured out why my cardinal stays at the surface. He has a little gill problem, as his right gill seems to stick out more, and maybe that causes it. But he seems fine now, and he stays a little lower. The evaporation of the water lowers the water level, and the filter can oxygenate better through the waterfall. 
Thanks
Michael
(Ps does anyone know if home depot cuts glass and acrylic? I'm going to build a 18 gallon with my dad for his birthday and need sizes. We aren't doing the typical dimensions. The dimensions are 24x13x14. Thanks)


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## ppaskova (Apr 27, 2010)

pyrrolin said:


> 3 is basically none, I would do less wc for a week or two to try to bring it up to 10 to 20


It depends whtich test kit do you use. According to API Liquid kit it less than 5PPm but more that 0PPm. Accosting to API Strap / paper kit it between 20-40PPM


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

It surprises me sometimes what fish can live with. I got a pair of gold Zebra danios, awhile ago, before I decided I'd prefer only very small fish. There was one female in the store tank that was missing a gill cover and I told them I did not want to buy her. But they said I could take her for free, if I would.

Figured a free fish was worth a gamble so I said ok. She is very healthy months later. It looks odd, a bright red 'hole' in one side of her head, but it certainly does not seem to bother her. She eats well, swims fine, has spawned at least a couple of times, based on the increase and decrease of her girth. Don't often see babies, tank's not really set up for them and Danios eat their eggs and fry.

But I'd have thought she would not live long with that gill cover gone.. and she's been just fine.

I am not sure Home Depot cuts acrylic, but you could find out by calling them. They do sell it, as well as polycarbonate, but it's expensive there, and it's the same at Rona too. If you can, it would be cheaper to buy it from Plastic World, and they can cut it for you. They're on Sheppard, near Dufferin, if memory serves me. You could also ask J_T, a member here.. he does acrylic and can get good prices on it because he buys a lot of it. Very reasonable prices and a great guy to deal with.

Home Depot, to the best of my knowledge, does not sell or cut glass. You'd have to go to a glass/mirror place for that.


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