Overstocked Aquarium Questions

[tcarswell]

I dont want to overstock my tank and i do overfilter my tank, i was just wondering because if my nitrates go up rather quickley I cant imagine one of those tanks. Just seing if there was any other way to reduce nitrates besides water changes. figured there had to be another way.

Does your tap water have nitrates? That is why I have to struggle to keep mine down.

 

[quikksilver8]

.........I never even thought of that........ i'll find out

 

[tcarswell]

.........I never even thought of that........ i'll find out

yup , fill up a bucket (5 gallons is good) and use your water conditioner in the proper amount. Then age the water with an airstone and wait 24 hours. Then test all of its parameters that you can. It fluctuates often around here but this should help get you a baseline and maybe explain why your nitrates are hard to manage. I could never figure out why I could not get below a 20 until I tested my tap and it was 20

 

[cchhcc]

Why would you ever want to overstock a tank?

 

[tcarswell]

Why would you ever want to overstock a tank?

He doesn't intend to. He is just curious how some get away with it. If I read him correctly.

 

[packer43064]

Why would you ever want to overstock a tank?

I don't think most try to actually. It just happens. Opportunties happen and you just have to go with it. My 56 has two foot long gars and a 7-8 inch catfish, way too much but an opportunity happened and I went with it. To each his own.

 

[velanarris]

Easiest way to deal with nitrates is plants. Anubias are hardy, grow under most lights and require very little care.

 

[quikksilver8]

I have two questions 1) why cant i just test the water straight out of the tap and 2) will oscars firemouths or green terrors mess with the plants

 

[12 Volt Man]

Nitrates at 50 is debatable I have read it to death

yes, it does depend on the type of fish. you' ll notice that my formerly overstocked tanks had very hardy fish in them that live forever( the redhooks in the bottom I had for 11 years when I sold them)

but try keeping discus at 50 mg/L nitrate and you will have black, stressed discus..seen that one many times with customers bringing in water samples from stressed discus tanks.

so, yes, nitrate levels and sensitivity vary..

barbs are generally tolerant as are most characins.

certain cichlids, not so much.

some oddballs are very tough (eg gars) some are not (eg rays)

 

[velanarris]

I have two questions 1) why cant i just test the water straight out of the tap and 2) will oscars firemouths or green terrors mess with the plants

1) because if you're adding anything you're affecting the results of the test.

ie: I pour my tap water into my bucket and test it. Then I add prime.

My test didn't catch any of the ammonia/um that was broken free from the chloramines, didn't catch any of the buffer that comes inside the prime bottle, etc. It's a matter of controlled chemistry.

2) On the average, yes, yes they will. However, I have had oscars and JDs that ignored all plants in the past.