Where Am I At Capacity Wise ?

[Hego_Damask]

My friend & I wanted to get some opinions on where we’re at capacity wise in our tanks. We both have 20 G high, medium-high heavily live planted tanks with natural driftwood & black sand. We both use tidal 55 filters

My build:
6 glowlight tetras
4 cory cats
2 honey gourami
2 ghost shrimp

I want to add a snail & maybe some colored shrimp. Could I add any more fish ?

His build:
13 neon tetras
3 peackock goby’s
2 blue dwarf crayfish

Could he add anything ? Any issues ?

 

[RainBetta]

I can't remember but don't the DB crayfish eat neons?

 

[Hego_Damask]

I can't remember but don't the DB crayfish eat neons?

 

[Hunter1]

In the first tank you could add 2 corys and 2 glowlights and be fine but you may have to increase water changes, testing will tell.

Second tank, don’t know about go ya or crawfish.

 

[Mom2some]

I would ask what your nitrates are before your weekly water change.

At quick glance (assuming your tanks are cycled) I would agree that your tank could probably add the additional fish you are looking at. Shrimp have a very small bioload. Snails have an in between bioload. So add some & keep testing your water and see what happens to your water parameters. I have also heard shrimp do better in a mature planted tank so there is lots of biofilm for them to graze on. In my experience, I see my Corys more when I have more of them in the tank.

 

[Genghis Karp]

I'm not sure about his stock, never kept Crayfish but my first thought is that they'll chomp the Neons. How's he getting on feeding the gobies?
Yours is absolutely fine, if it were me I'd add either 2 more Honeys, 2 cories and 4 glow lights or 2 cories and a group of 6 other Tetras, maybe neons or black phantoms. Just do your weekly 25% water changes, make sure the temperate is the same going into the tank as Honeys can be fragile especially if you chill them.

 

[Hego_Damask]

I forgot to add that we both do about 25% weekly WC’s & that we both are indeed well cycled tanks

I virtually never have any parameter issues, & my nitrates are normally at average levels before WC’s. I’ll test the nitrates right before my next WC though

I initially had 6 Cory’s, but I had 2 pass away several months ago, & thought it might be better to keep them at 4, so they’d have more room, because they never really were very active. They normally just stay kind of hidden away. I’ll add 2 if you guys think it’d be better.

I also initially had 3 honey’s, however one was a real jerk, & kept biting the other 2, so I took him back. I wanted to get another, however my LFS was out, & over the course of a couple of weeks I noticed the other 2 gourami got along perfectly, & have ever since.

Should I still consider getting at least 1 more ? I’ve always read they do better in an odd number group, or would 4 be better ?

A whole new school of neon tetras would be interesting, albeit I’d be worried about everyone being cramped, so I might opt for just adding a couple more glowlights

I’ll def add a snail & some colored shrimp though. How many could I have in a committed 20 gallon high ? 5 ? 10 ? 15 ?

Thoughts ?

& thank you for the responses! I love this site

 

[SegiDream]

Well let this be a forewarning that dwarf shrimp might be a snack. For neocaradina, I've heard the recommendation is about 10 shrimp per 1 gallon. People say they control their own population. Snails it depends what type of snail.. Mysteries I'd say 1 per 10g and nerites 1 per 5g. If it were me, I'd up the cory and tetra schools and add some nerites.

 

[Mom2some]

I would not add a new tetra school, but might up your current school by a few fish instead.