kim6970

I have a 125 gal tank and right now I have:
6 black skirts,
6 peppered cory,
4 cardnial tetra (had 6 but 2 didn't make it),
1 algea eater
4 serpae tetra

I just got the serpae tetra's today and didn't know that they could be nippers so now I am worried about my other tetras. Should I get rid of them? I was planning on getting 2 more serpae and 8 cardnials would this make my tank overstocked?

Thanks!

susitna-flower

Two questions...you started this tank on Feb 8....so what are your water test results for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?

Exactly what is your algae eater...that makes a lot of difference in how many inches you have left before you will be fully stocked.

kim6970

I started my tank in Dec and it was cycled Feb, so my levels are good. I got the test kit with the A, B, C solutions and try to check the levels the morning after water changes. I have a Chinese algae eater and I think he can get to be 10 inches, however if he gets bigger than 6 inches I will be giving him to a friend, I really do not want to have a really big fish in my tank. I got him because the algae in my tank was out of control and the little guy got it cleaned up in a week. I just estimated that if I add the additional fish I would have about 66 inches of fish. I heard that you can have an inch of fish for every gallon but is that true?

Thanks, Kim

wkinne02

The 1" per gallon rule is subjective, but with the type of fish you have, I think it applies. (A 12" Oscar produces more bioload than 20" of Cardinals, for example) Most of the fish on your list don't get much over 2.5" in length, so I think you can afford to put a lot more in there than you already have.

I've never kept them personally, but I've heard that Serpae Tetras do better when kept in larger groups, as it helps to spread the aggression out a bit (much like Tiger Barbs).

A large school of 15-25 Cardinals would be spectacular.

125 Gal of community tank has a lot of possibilities...I am envious.

IMO, you should trade the CAE for a Bristlenose Pleco. They max out at about 4-6 inches, and unlike CAEs, they will eat algae for the entirety of their lives, not just their younger years.

susitna-flower

You are right, I went back and read your post.....I guess I translated your statement of Feb 8th, that " Everything is new in the tank. I used cycle about 3-4 weeks ago added 4 live plants and waited." to mean that it WASN'T cycled...since you had used the product cycle, which doesn't work, and you didn't have anything in the tank to produce ammonia...which is the only thing that would have cycled your tank......

I was jumping to a conclusion that may not have been true...but I was also asking what the readings are...that is the best way for any of the experienced fish keepers to be able to know just what the condition of your tank is, and if it can take more fish right now.

One suggestion I would have, you state you change water then take your tests..... You should do this the other way around.
Take your tests.....that tells you how much water you have to change. Wait 24 hour and test again...it takes that long to see the effect of your water change... Best of Luck....

kim6970

Susitna-Flower: No problem about the cycling stuff. I do have to admit that it was very hard to get my tank to cycle and I wasted money buying the cycle stuff. I don't remember if I posted or not but I did add some fish food to try to cycle the tank, who know if that was it or a dying plant that got it going but finally it did. Last time I check my water the ammonia and nitrite were 0 and the nitrate was between 12.5 and 2.5 ppm. How often do you check your water? I am going to take your advise and check it before and after I do water changes. I usually do only about 20% water change at a time, just enough to be able to suck up the junk from the bottom of the tank.

wkinne02: Thanks for the info on the bristlenose. I thought they got really big so I didn't even look at them. Cardinals are one of my favorites so if the other fish don't play nice they may be gone. I called the pet store and they will take back the Serape if I need them to.

susitna-flower

I check different tanks on different schedules. All tanks have 0 ammonia & nitrites.

My shrimp tank, I change some water every day, 25-50% when I am home, and check the water as I take it out....usually it is between 5 & 10 nitrate....I do this so often because there are fry in the tank, and the cherry red shrimp....I want the fry to grow, which is a problem with the hormones that are in a tank with a lot of fry, and the shrimp need sparkling water....They have multiplied from 25 back in June to over 500 in the tank now, and I've sold a couple hundred!

My 125 gallon tank, I change about 50% of its water twice a week, and again I test the water coming out, and usually it is around 10...It is rather heavily stocked with mollies, redline sharks, 2 bn plecoes, a sailfin pleco, and the royal pleco. A ghost knife, 2 bala sharks, and a raphael cat...2 cories

Another 55 tank I have I change 25-50% once a week, it is lightly stocked with 2 gourami, 4 cardinal tetra, one bn pleco, 2 platties, 1 rainbow, and 4 cories. This is my oldest tank, and runs around 10 nitrates also...

I keep a 10 gallon hospital tank with shrimp, and MTS snails....I run it, feed the shrimp, and snails, and do 25% change twice a week.....just had a sick bn pleco in there that ended up dying...it got a fungus 6 white spots on different parts, it persisted then developed much like hole in the head....it was sick from the beginning, and never did thrive....finally died this morning after not eating for almost two weeks...
This fish is the reason I decided to make my own food, and force my fish to eat vitamin C....Hope never to see anything like it again..... So we all just have to do the best we can. Each tank is different, and what we want to accomplish with our tanks is a matter of individual taste. I hope to have an even larger tank soon and have a pair of angels.....nice to dream.

kim6970

Sorry to hear about your bn pleco.

Okay...I am just a newbie, I thought it wasn't okay to do a water change every week. LOL!!! I was worried that it could hear your good bacteria. I may start doing one on a week basis and checking the levels more often.