JamesF Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 Hi guys, People have a lot of different opinions on how many fish you can have in a tank, for example, i have 16 africans in my standard 4ft, the average size of the fish is about 6-7cms, i think this is just under the border of overcrowding, where as the guy at my lfs thinks i can fit a few more (btw his tanks were well full). I just wanted a few more opinions on this, not for territorial reasons or anything, but mainly for the overall well being of the fish... thanks! James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wui39 Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 16 malawis in a 4ft is about max i think If its tang then maybe that could be a little adjustment for stocking rates. I think overstocking is only acceptable if its an emergency or temp storage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark_1 Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 and when u have good filtration you can over crowd your tanks 16 is god for now but when the fish grow bigger it will become to overcrowded and you will have to remove some fish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 Make sure you keep your tank well filtratied but aswell with that keep it well airated with airstones since IMO filter filtration is not enough to airate a crowded tank such as yours. cheers; Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ViS Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 I'll ask the obvious question seeing as it hasn't been asked yet..... What africans are they? The type of fish in there will determine the numbers you can keep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stagfest Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 I'll ask the obvious question seeing as it hasn't been asked yet..... What africans are they? The type of fish in there will determine the numbers you can keep. ← Excactly!! I have a standard 4foot set up at mum's that has over 20 fish there, 5 bristle nose, 6 maingano, 3 electric yellows, 4 hongis and about 5 cobalt blues...crap I can't add up!! anyways they fight alot but aye its entertaining, not one casualty for about 6 months an the last one was a depressed little bugger that decided to jump. I'd also like to mention that I have a 2217 running that tank with 2 sponge filters an internal filter aswell as an eheim hang on filter! -Cheers Merv- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted November 22, 2005 Share Posted November 22, 2005 I have had over 20 demasoni on a standard 4 foot tank and it was fine. i think this is just under the border of overcrowding, where as the guy at my lfs thinks i can fit a few more (btw his tanks were well full). So does that mean you both think you can add more fish Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTR73 Posted November 22, 2005 Share Posted November 22, 2005 Really depends on what type of fish and how much filtration. I used the basic rule of thumb of having at least 4 litres per inch of fish aiming to have my primary filter(1000l/hr external canister) turning the water volume at least 3 times an hour. I have 65" total of Africans(11 fish) in my 4ft x 18" x 18" so this equates to approx 260litres used thus far, so pretty much fully stocked allowing for the rocks and gravel also. I added a secondary filter for insurance, like an 1000/hr internal canister for example. That way I've got a bit of overfiltration for some fish growth(but most are 6"+), and a backup measure if the primary falls over for some reason. I've also packed an absolute shed-load of bio-media(ceramic noodles) into the primary external filter for extra biological grunt, and use the secondary filter as more the mechanical filteration and water-polisher. Lots of rocks that I never scrub clean also helps IMO. Tank is always looking good and I've never had a problem with ammonia spikes, cloudy water or messy waste everywhere, but basically I'm at the limit I would think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesF Posted November 22, 2005 Author Share Posted November 22, 2005 Richard.. 'crowded tank such as yours'....? I don't think it's overcrowded at all.... Maybe a year or so down the track i may have to think about relocating some of them, but at the moment, it's fine. Good to see the different opinions on this though Vis, I have 1 14cm red kadango, 1 O. lithobates, 3 electric yellows, 1 electric blue, 1 rostratus, 1 Dimi comp, 1 fuellborni, 1 venustus, 2 bn, 1 24cm pleco, 3 clown loach Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesF Posted November 22, 2005 Author Share Posted November 22, 2005 I have had over 20 demasoni on a standard 4 foot tank and it was fine. i think this is just under the border of overcrowding, where as the guy at my lfs thinks i can fit a few more (btw his tanks were well full). So does that mean you both think you can add more fish Josh ← What i meant mate, was that i thought i had amply fish in the tank as it was, where as this guy was trying to push more onto me... maybe just to make some extra cash... fair enough, it's a business... but it's sad to see that they don't take the welfare of the fish into account Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dobbin4 Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 Not in a year mate, in 4-6 months those fish should have grown, so then you will have less Lts per fish cms !!! But then again don't we all try sometimes to overcrowd, Well I do John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ducksta Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 Some of those fish may struggle on their own in a standard 4' tank long term, so you will definately need to relocate a few in the not too distant future. In terms of filtration and water quality, I think that your 24cm pleco is doing more damage than the 14 cichlids combined at this stage. Those things are eating and pooping machines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTR73 Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 Some of those fish may struggle on their own in a standard 4' tank long term, so you will definately need to relocate a few in the not too distant future. ← Yes indeed - Your Venustus, Kadango, rostratus & Dimi comp will all outgrow a 4'. I have a beautiful male Venustus in my 4' display tank and I'm gonna have to relocate or sell him eventually (That’s him right there in my Avatar sign) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakes Posted November 25, 2005 Share Posted November 25, 2005 i think if you want a heavily-stocked 4fter it's best to stick to fish that max out at 12-15cm. And experience tells me mbuna are the best bet. You'll just end up with an active bunch of bullies. I doubt if such densities would work with a tang community, even allowing for extra careful species selection- though others might have different experiences? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.