40 Breeder setup

[Ty Lynch]

Hey everyone!

I have a 40 breeder that I have had setup for a while but it's time to introduce some new fish. Currently I have roughly 5 otocinclus catfish, 1 corydora catfish, 3 guppies and one bristlenose pleco. Along with that I have at least 100 cherry shrimp. I am thinking about introducing 4 dwarf gouramis, 5 more cory catfish and 8 ember tetras. The tank is heavily planted with a fluval 3.0 light and a fluval 307 canister filter. It also has co2 running somewhat heavily. The tank has been setup for several months and parameters are all good. I typically change about 30% water every two weeks. Would my tank be considered overstocked with the new additions? Is there anything else I should be worried about? 

Cheers and happy fish keeping!

[nabokovfan87]

First thing I would say is to add 2-3 more corycats. You'll likely have more due to breeding, but whatever species you have, they like to have at least 3+ in their little herd.  You'll also see some different behavior.

Second thing, is going to be what temp you're running things at, what species of cory do you have, are they cooler or warmer, etc.

It's likely not an issue, but just a matter of what you might be able to add to that community.

[Ty Lynch]

On 6/2/2022 at 9:25 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

Second thing, is going to be what temp you're running things at, what species of cory do you have, are

The tank runs steady at 76 degrees F and the cory that I currently have is a Julii Cory. The other five that I am looking to introduce would also be Julii cory's. If they do breed it won't be a big deal as I have some other tanks I could move them to if they make too many. 

[nabokovfan87]

This is the AQAdvisor for your tank as it stands.

On 6/2/2022 at 9:30 PM, Ty Lynch said:

The other five that I am looking to introduce would also be Julii cory's.

I don't think you *need* to add 5.  I would add 4, but! you do have room to do so.

Temp and everything is perfect for them as well.

Edit: With 5 Corys it puts you at 63%, so you have room for 3 or so additional fish. Maybe 3 Gourami?

 

Quote

Recommended temperature range: 75.2 - 80.6 F. [Display in Celsius]
Recommended pH range: 6 - 7.8.
Recommended hardness range: 5 - 15 dH.

I wouldn't try to push it to 100% obv. because you're going to have shrimp, guppy fry, cory fry.

Edited June 3, 2022 by nabokovfan87

[Ty Lynch]

On 6/2/2022 at 9:31 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

This is the AQAdvisor for your tank as it stands.

I don't think you *need* to add 5.  I would add 4, but! you do have room to do so.

Temp and everything is perfect for them as well.

Edit: With 5 Corys it puts you at 63%, so you have room for 3 or so additional fish. Maybe 3 Gourami?

That seems pretty reasonable. It sounds like with all the fish I listed it would only be slightly overstocked, especially considering the ember tetras are pretty small. Would it be safe to assume that since it's heavily planted and is using a canister filter I should be good to go? EDIT: I should also add that the guppies are all males so they will not be making additional fish. They are also about a year and a half old so I don't expect them to live too much longer.

Edited June 3, 2022 by Ty Lynch

[nabokovfan87]

On 6/2/2022 at 9:38 PM, Ty Lynch said:

It sounds like with all the fish I listed it would only be slightly overstocked, especially considering the ember tetras are pretty small. Would it be safe to assume that since it's heavily planted and is using a canister filter I should be good to go?

You are basically just going to be increasing the % of water you need to change. Plants, fish, all are going to contribute to the load in the tank and lead to OTS if you don't change enough. So let's say you add the others, I would bump it to 50% WC instead of 30 just to avoid any issues.

[Ty Lynch]

On 6/2/2022 at 9:44 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

You are basically just going to be increasing the % of water you need to change. Plants, fish, all are going to contribute to the load in the tank and lead to OTS if you don't change enough. So let's say you add the others, I would bump it to 50% WC instead of 30 just to avoid any issues.

That sounds perfectly reasonable. Thank you so much for taking the time to iron all of that out for me! I was a little concerned but it sounds like it will make for an awesome tank without worrying too much.

[nabokovfan87]

Best of luck, enjoy it.

[Guppysnail]

Sounds like grand fun. I recommend introducing each additional critter type at 2-3 week intervals to allow you beneficial bacteria colony to grow along with the new population.  Best of luck I hope you share pictures of your new friends. 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 6/3/2022 at 12:31 AM, nabokovfan87 said:

This is the AQAdvisor

That's a cool little tool. Never knew about it.