Too much bioload?

[Froggirl]

Hello,

I have a 18 gallon planted shrimp tank with currently about 15 shrimp, 3 ramshorn snails and one small super red pleco.

I would like to add pygmy corydoras (~10?) and eventually maybe some dwarf rasboras (~10?).

Would this be too many animals for an 18 gallon? It would be nice if the shrimp could still breed as well. If it's not too many animals, how many shrimp can I still "add" to the tank after adding the corys and rasboras? I want all of them to live their best lives, ofcourse.

Thanks in advance!

[Scapexghost]

You can add the fish. Shrimp won't interfere with the fish's swim space so its just a matter of how many water changes you are willing to do.

[Froggirl]

On 7/2/2022 at 11:19 PM, Scapexghost said:

You can add the fish. Shrimp won't interfere with the fish's swim space so its just a matter of how many water changes you are willing to do.

I'm currently doing ~20% 2/wk, can I keep it like that or should I do more?

[Scapexghost]

On 7/2/2022 at 3:27 PM, Froggirl said:

I'm currently doing ~20% 2/wk, can I keep it like that or should I do more?

It depends on a lot of factors: plant mass, plant growth, feeding frequency, type of food, etc. Test nitrate levels every month to see if it stays within safe levels. My guess is that it will.

[gardenman]

In the commercial aquaculture world, bio-load is often determined by the weight of the fish and the weight of the food fed to them daily. Suffice to say the combined weight of all the fish you're talking about adding is minimal, so the impact on your filtration should be fairly minimal. I might stagger the additions a bit rather than dump all twenty new fish in at once, but I don't think you'll see any major issues. The good bacteria grow relative to the surface area available for them to colonize and the food available. If your shrimp are happy and healthy you won't have to add more. They'll do it themselves through reproduction. 

[Gwallace]

I don't see an issue with gradually adding the fish you mentioned.  But...you mentioned that you would like the shrimp to continue breeding.  I'm sure they will but the new Corys will absolutely try to munch the shrimplets. 

[Froggirl]

On 7/3/2022 at 5:18 PM, Gwallace said:

I don't see an issue with gradually adding the fish you mentioned.  But...you mentioned that you would like the shrimp to continue breeding.  I'm sure they will but the new Corys will absolutely try to munch the shrimplets. 

That's alright, thank you for replying!

On 7/3/2022 at 3:48 PM, gardenman said:

In the commercial aquaculture world, bio-load is often determined by the weight of the fish and the weight of the food fed to them daily. Suffice to say the combined weight of all the fish you're talking about adding is minimal, so the impact on your filtration should be fairly minimal. I might stagger the additions a bit rather than dump all twenty new fish in at once, but I don't think you'll see any major issues. The good bacteria grow relative to the surface area available for them to colonize and the food available. If your shrimp are happy and healthy you won't have to add more. They'll do it themselves through reproduction. 

Thank you for your reply!

On 7/2/2022 at 11:43 PM, Scapexghost said:

It depends on a lot of factors: plant mass, plant growth, feeding frequency, type of food, etc. Test nitrate levels every month to see if it stays within safe levels. My guess is that it will.

Thank you!