Odessa Stocking

[Justin T]

So I saw some of these Odessa barbs at my LFS and thought they were stunning. I keep finding conflicting info though, the store employee said they could grow up to 4", the profile here in fishlore says about 3" and seriously fish says about 2". Tried plugging them into aqadvisor out of curiosity and it says that in a 55 w/ a Fluval 406 it could house 40 of them? That can't be right.

So my question is this, what would actually be a realistic stock of Odessa barbs in a 55 If it were species only?

 

[Dinoter]

40 is WAY too many for a 55! More like 20 is feasible. They grow about 3.5" but if you have a bigger tank they get 4-4.5"

 

[Justin T]

40 is WAY too many for a 55! More like 20 is feasible. They grow about 3.5" but if you have a bigger tank they get 4-4.5"

Yeah, I thought it sounded way too high. Thank you for the confirmation. I wonder why it was so far off?

 

[Dinoter]

The filtration would never keep up with a 120 inch bio load!
The fish would do just fine together, but it's a lot of fish crammed into a tank like that. Just a giant cloud of fish.

 

[FishFish221]

You can do about 20-30, if it is species only.

 

[Dinoter]

Wouldn't above 20 be pushing the limit for the bio load?

 

[FishFish221]

Wouldn't above 20 be pushing the limit for the bio load?

Twenty to thirty 3.5-4 inch long fish wouldn't really be too much for a fluval 406 in a 55 gallon.

 

[fishychachki]

20-30 odessas sounds about right for a single-species 55 gallon tank. Most properly stocked barbs shouldn't give you problems in terms of bioload, especially with the recommended 10x gph for HOB or 5x gph output for canister.

Most fishes that stay within 1-2 inches generally are not messy waste producers, with some exceptions like livebearers (compared to fish their size).

Any certain aquascaping/setup ideas you have in mind? A good sized school of odessa swimming around in a well-designed 55 gallon tank is definitely something I'd love to see.

 

[Justin T]

20-30 odessas sounds about right for a single-species 55 gallon tank. Most properly stocked barbs shouldn't give you problems in terms of bioload, especially with the recommended 10x gph for HOB or 5x gph output for canister.

Most fishes that stay within 1-2 inches generally are not messy waste producers, with some exceptions like livebearers (compared to fish their size).

Any certain aquascaping/setup ideas you have in mind? A good sized school of odessa swimming around in a well-designed 55 gallon tank is definitely something I'd love to see.

Well I'm currently in the process of re-sealing a 55 I've had in storage for a while, then using it to replace the one in my dining room. I was thinking that while I'm putting in the work I may as well do both.

As for an aquascape idea, my current 55 is a very lightly planted black water setup with all SA fish, leaf litter and manzanita wood. I would like to try my hand at a more densely planted tank with a nice lush carpeting plant and maybe some dragon stone. I think the vivid reds of the Odessa barbs would really stand out against the greens of the plants. I'll admit that I've only really stuck with the beginner type plants like swords, anubias and ferns.

 

[Natalya]

Well I'm currently in the process of re-sealing a 55 I've had in storage for a while, then using it to replace the one in my dining room. I was thinking that while I'm putting in the work I may as well do both.

As for an aquascape idea, my current 55 is a very lightly planted black water setup with all SA fish, leaf litter and manzanita wood. I would like to try my hand at a more densely planted tank with a nice lush carpeting plant and maybe some dragon stone. I think the vivid reds of the Odessa barbs would really stand out against the greens of the plants. I'll admit that I've only really stuck with the beginner type plants like swords, anubias and ferns.

Sorry what is SA fish?
I am always curious when people mention blackwater, because I want to do a Blackwater swamp-like set up myself

 

[Justin T]

Sorry what is SA fish?
I am always curious when people mention blackwater, because I want to do a Blackwater swamp-like set up myself

Sorry. South American fish, I've currently got 3 electric blue acara, 15 bloodfin tetra and 8 sterbaI cories. I absolutely love blackwater tanks. There are a lot of species of fish that will appreciate the tannins, and there are fish compatible with it in almost any size range.

 

[Natalya]

Sorry. South American fish, I've currently got 3 electric blue acara, 15 bloodfin tetra and 8 sterbaI cories. I absolutely love blackwater tanks. There are a lot of species of fish that will appreciate the tannins, and there are fish compatible with it in almost any size range.

I am looking at samuraI gouramis... I can do species only tank, but also trying to see what might be good tank mates for them...I wanna do low ph, low light, low flow black water tank with a lot of leaf matter...basically imitating swampy habitats.
Can you by any chance post a pic of yours?

 

[Justin T]

 

[fishychachki]

I am looking at samuraI gouramis... I can do species only tank, but also trying to see what might be good tank mates for them...I wanna do low ph, low light, low flow black water tank with a lot of leaf matter...basically imitating swampy habitats.
Can you by any chance post a pic of yours?

I could advise you a little on this but it's best to start your own thread instead of hijacking the OP's and going off topic here.

Well I'm currently in the process of re-sealing a 55 I've had in storage for a while, then using it to replace the one in my dining room. I was thinking that while I'm putting in the work I may as well do both.

As for an aquascape idea, my current 55 is a very lightly planted black water setup with all SA fish, leaf litter and manzanita wood. I would like to try my hand at a more densely planted tank with a nice lush carpeting plant and maybe some dragon stone. I think the vivid reds of the Odessa barbs would really stand out against the greens of the plants. I'll admit that I've only really stuck with the beginner type plants like swords, anubias and ferns.

Sounds like a great plant. I'd suggest adding something to create a moderate flow (spraybar, powerhead, corner mattenfilter, etc). The odessas and the plants will thank you for it. Keep us updated on your tanks, especially any future development of the odessa tank.

 

[Justin T]

I could advise you a little on this but it's best to start your own thread instead of hijacking the OP's and going off topic here.



Sounds like a great plant. I'd suggest adding something to create a moderate flow (spraybar, powerhead, corner mattenfilter, etc). The odessas and the plants will thank you for it. Keep us updated on your tanks, especially any future development of the odessa tank.

Are Odessa barbs fond of faster moving waters? If so I saw an interesting video in which a guy used a corner filter but piped the return under the substrate and out the opposite side of the tank to create a unidirectional glow like a river or stream. Hmmm, now I've got the old cogs turning lol

 

[fishychachki]

They can do fine without much flow but they'd be less bored (and thus less likely to be nippy or withdrawn) and also display better shoaling behavior with some water movement. Some people put them in hillstream tanks with very strong flow but I'm not sure if that would be helpful or destructive to your intended carpeters. The more low-maintenance plants generally thrive in good current.

 

[Justin T]

They can do fine without much flow but they'd be less bored (and thus less likely to be nippy or withdrawn) and also display better shoaling behavior with some water movement. Some people put them in hillstream tanks with very strong flow but I'm not sure if that would be helpful or destructive to your intended carpeters. The more low-maintenance plants generally thrive in good current.

Alright, well thank you for the info. You've given me plenty to look into. I've never really tried to do a proper "aquascape", all of my tanks have always had a central theme but otherwise I just sort of place and add things that I think looj good or will benefit the fish.

 

[OdessaDad]

I've a 55 gal with 30 Odessa's and 5 rosy barbs. As long as I do a 40% water change every week things stay just fine. (thank goodness for the Python syphon!) The HOB is at one end of the tank, creating a high energy flow at one end and calmer water at the other. The fish spend most of their time in the low energy flow area.

The few decorations and half a tank of dwarf water lettuce give them lots to do. I find that they graze a bit on the roots of the water lettuce but not enough to do it any harm.