sheamurai

Hi
I've read the stocking rules-of-thumb offered here and on other sites, but still have trouble translating that into #'s of fish for my tank. Straight inches to gallons is a bit vague - if you go 1"/gal, then you end up overstocked easily, but 2"/gal well wow thats half the fish and surely my tank could handle more than that? LOL
So I have a 77 gal tank.
What I have in it right now are:
1 Angelfish
1 betta (and yes, they get along fine so far, lol)
1 German Blue Ram
1 pr Golden Wonder Killifish
1 pr Cherry Balloon Platys
1 pr Hillstream Loaches
1 pr Ghost Shrimp
4 Jumbo Harlequin Rasboras
5 Cardinal Tetras

I would really like to get a bunch more shrimp - say 10 total, and 6 otos. Maybe 2 more tetras to encourage schooling, and one more German Blue Ram (just because I think they are cool ,lol)

I don't think I am overstocked at the moment, but if I add 10 inches of fish and the shrimp, I may be?

Opinions, please?

Lucy

The 1" rule has many flaws. Really only works for smaller fish and it's a good guideline for smaller tanks.
For example, a 1" goldfish would need more water than a 1" tetra.

Shrimp don't count towards the bio load, so go from there

sheamurai

shrimp don't count? wuhuu!

MizRamzi

I'm concerned about your choices of fish as far as compatibility goes.
Rams are a dwarf cichlid and have special water requirements, are sensitive to changes in water perimeters.
The Hill Stream Loach comes from fast moving rivers with a colder temp.
Angle Fish are also a cichlid and have special water requirements.
Killie also have different water requirement.

Although all these fishes may get along (for a while) They all come from different environments with totally different water requirements.
Keep your fish happy and healthy by keeping them in a environment closer to their natural habitats.

sheamurai

Thanks for your concern, but I was twigged (by a poster here, actually) about this earlier and have researched the requirements of my fish. The Rams and Angelfishs needs overlap, the Ram requiring established water but all else compromising well with the Angelfish.
The loaches are indeed the least happiest of the crew - tho they appear quite active and happy to me. For them, I added an airstone to provide them the extra oxygen, plus there are two filters running which provides additional air and water flow. A previous poster mentioned to me about their temeperature/oxygen requirements, so I lowered the temperature to the cichlids lowest listed preference, and added the aerator. Hopefully this keeps them healthy, if not completely at home.
Too bad fish stores don't mention environmental preferences on the tanks along with community/non-community habits!
I imagine most folks are like me - they see a cool fish at the store, it has a green sticker, so out comes the wallet. It's not til you get home and look them up that you realise they may not suit your tank!