Overstocked?

[ishar]

Hey guys. My 20GH planted community tank is currently housing a betta, 7 neon tetras, 5 guppies and an amano shrimp. I don't think I am overstocked as of right now but may be at the limit. However I have two guppy fry that I think have a good chance of surviving, so I was just wondering if that would make my tank too overstocked or will I still be ok as long as I stay on top of water changes?

 

[Big Vine]

If you're able to keep nitrAtes under control (under 20 PPM being ideal) via water changes which you are willing and able to carry out on a consistent basis, then you're doing just fine from a bioload standpoint.

BV

 

[MissFishy]

I think you're right at the brink of being overstocked. I would keep a close watch on the nitrate levels and do regular water changes.

 

[ishar]

regular meaning what? I currently do 50% every week and every once in a while I do a 25% once a week as well.

 

[Seleya]

Test your water regularly and see where your nitrates are. When they are getting over 20, it is time to do a water change, even if it is not your scheduled time. If it is happening with greater frequency than you are able to do water changes, it is time to reduce your bioload.

 

[ishar]

yeah... being a student I do not buy test kits as they are quite pricey :S. I know I should, but I can't afford it right now, so I just do water changes when I start seeing signs of decay or anything in my plants or abnormal behaviour in my shrimp- he seems to hide out a lot when the water gets dirty. Now that I added quite a few new fish so quickly I will be doing water changes at least every other day for a few weeks to help cycle the new bioload.

 

[cchase85]

You should really invest in some test kits. At the very least, a liquid nitrate test is usually under 10 bucks and will last for quite a while even with weekly testing.

 

[ishar]

Yeah. I checked prices and as it turns out the test kits aren't too bad, and since my tank is cycled I don't think I need to test more often than once a week- I plan on doing it halfway between water changes. So I bought a test kit of each ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. I will do my first test tomorrow and see how I do .

So it is:
nia = 0
ite = 0
ate < 20 right??