10g tank changes

[bsmall05]

hokay so.... i have made some changes to the 10g recently. i got a peice of fake drift wood (didnt need to be treated and wont have to be replaced!) added two more fake plants and got rid of the bamboo. as for stocking... i now have 6 male guppies, a zebra loach, a yoyo loach, and 2 kiluhi loaches. i know im gonna get grief about only having 2 boitas but they school together and play with my guppies. the whole tank put together looks like a garden, with worms at the bottom (the loaches) and flowers at the top (the guppies) and plants, wood, and the rock you can see in my "rate my tank" post. ill post pics as soon as i can!

 

[bsmall05]

no comments on the changes? i expected a few wagging fingers at least. maybe ill get some input with the pictures... maybe tonight!

 

[trav_19]

10 fish in a 10 gallon tank.. isint kinda crowded?

 

[Fuzz16]

your zebra loach may get to big for that little aquarium. and yes i would have to agree with trav, your tank seems a little crowded.
just for the gupppies is 12 inches. if your following the inch per gallon rule. your already overcrowded with just the guppies.
add 4 inches for the zebra loach
add another 4 inches for the yoyo loach
and then add about 5.5 inches for the kuhlii loaches.

thats a total of 25.5 inches in a 10inch compacity tank.

but because the swimming levels are different it isnt AS bad, but the ammonia levels will need to be watched and youll have to do a lot of water changes. test your water often, maybe get some plants to help seperate them a bit, give them places to hide

 

[Big Vine]

Fuzz,

In all fairness, a full-grown kuhli loach can hardly be considered 5.5 inches. Sure, it may well be that long, but it's body size is nowhere near big enough to produce the type of output (waste) as a more typical-shaped fish of the same length.

I can't comment specifically on the other types of loaches bsmall has, because I've never kept them in my tanks firsthand. But I'm guessing they fit the same category as the kuhlis---in which case keeping 4 or 5 in a 10 gallon tank is no problem at all. In fact, they'll be a lot more uncomfortable and hide a lot more if you start getting rid of any.

I kept 5 kuhlis in a 6.6 gallon tank with other fish, and they all did just fine.


And 2 inches for each guppy?!?
That estimate is a tad high; at least in my book, anyway.


bsmall,

Do yourself a favor and toss the one inch per gallon rule out the window. Those fish you have work absolutely fine together. Just about half occupy the bottom, and the other half occupies the other levels of the tank. It won't look unsightly (as would, say, an oscar in the same tank), so I say just go with it.

Everything I've said has the following caveat though...
You absolutely must test the water on a regular basis and figure out exactly how often you need to be doing water-changes.

Stay on top of that, and your tank and its inhabitants will do just fine.

Big Vine

 

[Fuzz16]

he has 2 kuhliies though, i just added it up

and meh, i was kind of thinking different swimming levels might change it, as i mentioned that. but i still think it is a bit. i know 3 full grown mollies seemed crowded in my planted 10g tank with a pleco.

i guess everyone has thier own opinions. BV older than me though so he has years of smartness under his hood

 

[Big Vine]

he has 2 kuhliies though, i just added it up

My apologies...you're right (I think bsmall is a girl though).
And yes, I'd consider 2 of them to be about 5 inches (as far as the old inch-per-gallon rule goes), so we're on the same page there, Fuzz.

i still think it is a bit. i know 3 full grown mollies seemed crowded in my planted 10g tank with a pleco.

Yup, and I agree that if it looks too crowded, it probably is.

My stocking philosophy is like this: As long as the tank looks good and doesn't seem to be too crowded, then all is well. Sure, I may need to do water-changes more frequently, but so be it.

I've rarely had a tank (that followed this guideline) which required more than one weekly water-change to keep nitrates down.

i guess everyone has thier own opinions. BV older than me though so he has years of smartness under his hood

Hehe...
I've got more years of mistakes under my hood. Other than that, we're on an equal playing-field here, Fuzz. Don't sell yourself short.

And like you said, mostly this is based on personal opinions and philosophies as far as stocking levels goes. I tend to favor pushing stocking-limits---so long as the tank looks good, like I mentioned. Others favor what I like to call "under-stocking."

Either way works so long as the person is happy with the outcome and tank maintenance is followed so that the fish remain healthy and happy.

Big Vine

 

[bsmall05]

wow this post went from zero to hot in one night! i know that its alot, the kuhlii's are teeny right now and are in the cave 90% of the time. the tank dosnt look too crowded (sorry i didnt get the pics it IS my last day of finals today). And im averageing 2- 25% WCs a week with a vac once a week. i keep on top of my levels, dont over feed, and i think everyone in my tank is really happy. thanks for the input guys. i know its alot for a little tank, but its what i have right now, and the first sign of overcrowding i will do what i can!