My 15 gallon community tank overstocked?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
K

karate626

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 30, 2010
125
1
0
30
Maryland
It has a 2 fluval 2 plus internal filters at opposite sides of the tank.

Stocking List:

2 neon tetras
1 golden barb
1 black skirt tetra
4 black neon tetras
3 cherry barbs
3 platys

Also, which is better for algae cleanup? 1-3 otos or a few snails? Everybody says the tetras need to be in larger schools but in my tank all the tetras are schooling together and seem happy. They have all been in this tank for over a year.

Thanks!
 
naw its ok. Those are some small fish you got there. I would add a dozen neons as those guys like to be in schools.
 
Your fully stocked. I wouldn't say your overstocked.. but I wouldn't add anymore fish either. Snails are nitrate sensitive so if your water quality is poor they won't live very long. Ottos ime are also somewhat challengeing unless you have a fairly large group in a fairly large tank. Elbow grease imo is the best algae controler. or invest in a magnetic scraper. They do a very good job.
 
Also snails will reproduce EXTREMELY fast and if you dont watch it you will quickly have a problem on your hands. Food for thought
 
Water changes is the best medicine for getting rid of algae. Use some polyfil (batting for pillows, you can buy it at walmart craft section) to rub the glass. Even hard to remove spot algae comes off if you rub it enough.

Do you have plants in the tank? If you can, buy some pothos, and dangle the vine into the tank. You can cut the vine straight off a potted plant, and it will sprout roots in the water. Hornwort, anacharis, and anubias are also easy plants, that don't need soil to thrive.
 
Thanks for the advice! So the general consensus seems to be no snails for algae control and that my tank is almost if not barely overstocked. I will have to keep up on water changes! I know most of my fish are schooling fish but none seem overly stressed. The 2 neon tetras seem really close and often school with the 4 black neon tetras. The black skirt seems to like schooling with the platys but also does with the other tetras. My cherry barbs (2 female 1 male) all chase each other and the golden barb hangs with them loosely. All in all I think it looks like a cool habitat. My tank is 1 year old. The Platys, 1 neon tetra, 4 black tetras, and all 3 cherry barbs have been there since I started it. I added the rest this weekend and there are no real aggression issues. I may add one rosy minnow just because I love the look of goldfish but know they are bad to have in the tank with small tropicals. This way I get the goldfish look without the bad effects.

Thanks!
TJ
 
I will not add a rosy minnow and I added 2 otos. BTW my heater is set at 71 degrees. The gold barb will do for the goldfish look. Why do I need more of the shoaling fish? For the most part they all stick together the tetra's in one group, the cherry barbs in another group, and they platys and the golden barb in the last group. All seem to be fine in their groups. I do have a 30 gallon that is cycling now. I planned on adding 5 male OR 5 female convict cichlids to it but maybe I will skip that and put this community into it. If I do that what should my numbers be? Here is a list fish I would have: Black neon tetras, cherry barbs, golden barbs, black skirt tetras, neon tetras, platys, otos, pleco, and rosy minnows. What numbers of the fish above could I add to fill the 35 gallon?

Thanks!
TJ
 
i think you need to up the heat to atleast 78-79 degrees. im sure someone will quickly agree if not tell you warmer.
 
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