What if we narrow it down a bit. One kind of fish no bigger then 2", one kind no bigger then 4", one kind no bigger then 6" and one predatory fish no bigger then 10-12". All most feed of each other if possible.
How would you set Up a 300-500gal?
- Thread starter willyb1972020
- Start date
I recommend scuds, hydra, freshwater scallops, blackworms and fingernail clams as the lowest step. Try to avoid getting ostracods in there, they lock up nutrients like crazy! This means a sand bed, and bright enough lighting that you'd expect to grow green water, except your clams will eat all the suspended algae and polish your water. You'll want slowly decaying wood, NOT mopani or other inactive hardwoods. I like dried hemlock (the tree, not the poisonous plant) and other medium-hard woods, but NO conifers, the sap is toxic. You want some piles of gravel in the corners for the scuds to breed in, and the blackworm love those piles, too. Should I keep rambling?
In a 500g tank, you might be able to get away with a 8" predator with a separator and clouds of guppies. Have you seen a fish take out 30 guppies? Takes a day at most!
In a 500g tank, you might be able to get away with a 8" predator with a separator and clouds of guppies. Have you seen a fish take out 30 guppies? Takes a day at most!
500g won't be enough I think. Top of the chain predator will probably eat 10-20 per day when it's near it's max size of 8". I don't think a population of 500 guppies in a 500g could self sustain a population for the predator to eat. Would have to have a smaller predator that could eat maybe 10 per day max.
Im sceptical of this working properly. The balance that would have to be struck would be like winning the lottery. Just a small hiccup in the balance of predator vs prey would tip the balance and the whole system would collapse.
Any number of things could happen to upset the balance its not like in nature where you are dealing with a really large and varied ecosystem you are dealing with a micro system, even at 500 gallons this is very small.
Even if you had only one top predator and a thousand guppies or smaller fish. What happens to the balance if you lose say ten percent in a week. Thats only 100 guppies if you had 1000 to start. Will the remaining 900 replace those?
Well, you have X number that will be male from the original group. Then X number that will be born male so on and so forth. If the male to female balance gets out of whack then what happens to the populus? Do even enough females get pregnant to keep up? You will lose some of the newborns to there own parents as well so even if 100 are conceived will they last long enough to reproduce?
And remember the predator will get another 100 next week as well and as it grows it will consume even more at a faster rate.
It may be possible, But im not convinced that a proper balance can last long term. Interesting to think about though.
Any number of things could happen to upset the balance its not like in nature where you are dealing with a really large and varied ecosystem you are dealing with a micro system, even at 500 gallons this is very small.
Even if you had only one top predator and a thousand guppies or smaller fish. What happens to the balance if you lose say ten percent in a week. Thats only 100 guppies if you had 1000 to start. Will the remaining 900 replace those?
Well, you have X number that will be male from the original group. Then X number that will be born male so on and so forth. If the male to female balance gets out of whack then what happens to the populus? Do even enough females get pregnant to keep up? You will lose some of the newborns to there own parents as well so even if 100 are conceived will they last long enough to reproduce?
And remember the predator will get another 100 next week as well and as it grows it will consume even more at a faster rate.
It may be possible, But im not convinced that a proper balance can last long term. Interesting to think about though.
That is one reason i wanted to add cons very prolific and a 2-3" fish would be a good meal for a predator.
Yes, but it takes time for even a con to reach two to three inches and the predators will eat every day.
