Riddle me this...
- Thread starter twhittle
- Start date
The above quote is my opinion in general not specific to anyone or any ones tank if you feel you are experienced enough to evaluate your own tank then that statement, as it is written, does not apply to younc_nutcase;1431111; said:
From the beginning of this thread Ive agreed that the advice you received on the other forum is exaggerated but then again I also feel some statements in this thread are just as exaggerated but to the other extreme
Some of the suggestions in your original post seem to be for a solo fish in a tank where others seem more appropriate for what one fish would require in a community setting all in all it looks to me like you were given a poorly thought out and/or poorly presented suggestion
jasonmac978;1430950; said:
Oh really? Good job, you get an A for the day.ZCciVic22;1431240; said:
I dont have 23 years of cichlids experience yet. But what i think they are using a combination of bioload and appropriete swimming space but once you get to a certain size you could then you can begin to stock a bit heavier as long as the bio load is addressed.
But one thing i think about when thinking of larger tanks is square footage. For example a standard 240 96x24x24 is 16 square feet allowing for more territory spaces and room to escape as opposed to a tall 240 thats 96x18x36 while the tall would be the same volume the square footage would be only 12 square feet so less space to move around and set up a territory. So the standard 240 in my opinion would allow for a heavier stock as long as bioload is addressed.
Another thing id think you have to factor in is aggresion and if a fish is territorial so that could dictate stocking and mininum tank size. I think the only way to over stock a tank is to not address all of the followin bioload, swimming space, aggression, and territorial fish.
For example i could shoe horn an adult pime into my 240 and address the bio load with massive filtration but the fish wouldnt even be able to move. Or i could fit in a 240 all full grown males a Umbee dovii black nasty butti red devil Jag Trimac beani and have a huge sump but theyd all kill each other eventually. Or I could have a school of 12 oscars but if i just have 1 ac110 filtering it. As long as these three things are addressed there stocking levels are way off in my personal opinion.
But one thing i think about when thinking of larger tanks is square footage. For example a standard 240 96x24x24 is 16 square feet allowing for more territory spaces and room to escape as opposed to a tall 240 thats 96x18x36 while the tall would be the same volume the square footage would be only 12 square feet so less space to move around and set up a territory. So the standard 240 in my opinion would allow for a heavier stock as long as bioload is addressed.
Another thing id think you have to factor in is aggresion and if a fish is territorial so that could dictate stocking and mininum tank size. I think the only way to over stock a tank is to not address all of the followin bioload, swimming space, aggression, and territorial fish.
For example i could shoe horn an adult pime into my 240 and address the bio load with massive filtration but the fish wouldnt even be able to move. Or i could fit in a 240 all full grown males a Umbee dovii black nasty butti red devil Jag Trimac beani and have a huge sump but theyd all kill each other eventually. Or I could have a school of 12 oscars but if i just have 1 ac110 filtering it. As long as these three things are addressed there stocking levels are way off in my personal opinion.
On square footage…
But… another thing to consider… I have a 6’ round 300 gal tank… so that is a little over 28 square feet. But at best the fish can be 6’ from one another…
If we built a tank with 28 sq ft using the typical rectangle shape and 2x2 dimensions… it would be 14 feel long… I think you could stock more large aggressive Cichlids in a 14 x 2 x 2 than you could a 6’ round… even though they are the same square footage (This assessment is based on aggression alone, as overall volumes will be different comparing bio would be unfair).
But… another thing to consider… I have a 6’ round 300 gal tank… so that is a little over 28 square feet. But at best the fish can be 6’ from one another…
If we built a tank with 28 sq ft using the typical rectangle shape and 2x2 dimensions… it would be 14 feel long… I think you could stock more large aggressive Cichlids in a 14 x 2 x 2 than you could a 6’ round… even though they are the same square footage (This assessment is based on aggression alone, as overall volumes will be different comparing bio would be unfair).
jasonmac978;1430950; said:
This seems like a very nonchalant way to say you're worried about your pets lives... my $0.02
Yeah....... It's just a hobby, so you don't really have any responsibility to properly provide for the living creatures in your care. Just do whatever makes you happy! My $0.02.
Hey if everybody keeps putting in .02, maybe we could save up for a mfk event! 
No matter how you say it (nonchalant or otherwise), the fish are living animals in your care, therefore it is your responsibility to take care of them. With that addressed (since that's not actually the topic), tank surface area has a lot to do with your question. The larger the surface area, the more gasses can expel.
No matter how you say it (nonchalant or otherwise), the fish are living animals in your care, therefore it is your responsibility to take care of them. With that addressed (since that's not actually the topic), tank surface area has a lot to do with your question. The larger the surface area, the more gasses can expel.
