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Max Amount of fish


schmofam
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I'm a little confused when it comes to the 1" rule. I have a 10-gallon tank and currently have one platy, two guppies, and three large snails. I am looking to get more fish but don't know if the snails count as part of that equation.

I was hoping to get 3 platies and possibly 4 black neon tetras.

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The inch-per-gallon rule isn't a good means at arriving at stocking choices.  Or at least it's not highly fallible.  It might be kind of accurate for nano or nano-ish fish.  But using the same logic you could put a full grown oscar in a 10 gallon aquarium and he'd have to touch his tail and face to the glass in order to turn around.  But would have met the inch-per-gallon "rule".  

 

Unless you get all male platys, you're going to end up with dozens of them in short order.  Live bearers are typically EXTREMELY prolific.  You really need to have gameplan for the offspring or prevent it all together.  Perhaps you have experience with this already because you also said you have guppies.  I do not personally "count" snails or shrimp as their populations are typically fluid to meet the food available.  For example.  I have a 10 gallon with basically six celestial pearl danios (one is actually a furcatta rainbow, but you get the idea).  That same tank has a handful of snails (MTS and bladder)... and probably 100 shrimp.  It's a jungle of plants as well, so that's another factor to consider.

I don't have any experience with the black neons, but I think I would (personally) forgo the platys and maybe get a few more black neons.  Or just make it a shrimp tank. 😄

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Could you please explain what the large snails are? 

If you mean mystery snails, they have very big bioload. One inch rule means nothing really. It generally is about meeting fish's needs, giving them enough swimming space, and planning your tank maintenance and water changes accordingly.

The thing is, If you have 3 mystery snails, you should have some gap on the top for them, so 10g ideally won't really be a 10g, including all the top gap, decorations, etc. included. I personally would not crowd tank much more. Are two guppies males?

 

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The one inch per gallon rule is simply a starting point for a brand new tank. 
some fish are very active swimmers do need more swim room. Some are not so need less. 
Bioload max out can be adjusted with extra filtration and plants. As long as you see no ammonia and no nitrite (and that load handling capacity increases with time as the tank seasons) and you keep your nitrates reasonable say below 40 by the time you are ready to do a water change you are ok. If you only want to do monthly water changes then go with less stock. Weekly water changes and dense plants same thing. If it goes decently over you may need to do twice weekly water changes or add more fast growers and emersed plants like pothos and lucky bamboo. 
In other words bioload capacity = how much maintenance you choose to do and how many fast growing well established plants you have. 
Personal space, elbow room and appropriate swim/ crawl/floor space for each critter based on their activity is what is key. If if feels crowded to watch it probably is overcrowded. I always add a few critters at a time that are recommended appropriate for the tank size. Once it’s active without feeling crowded I stop. 
 

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Here are two of the snails. We bought them at the fish store and I can't remember what kind they are. The third one is hidden in the tank right now but is pink. Each one is about an inch 1.25" long. I have always filled the tank up to the top since we have a full cover but I understand what you are saying.

We have had the tank running now for about 6 months.

IMG_2879.jpg

IMG_2881.jpg

Edited by schmofam
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On 4/6/2023 at 10:47 PM, schmofam said:

Here are two of the snails. We bought them at the fish store and I can't remember what kind they are. The third one is hidden in the tank right now but is pink. Each one is about an inch 1.25" long. I have always filled the tank up to the top since we have a full cover but I understand what you are saying.

IMG_2879.jpg

IMG_2881.jpg

Those are blue mystery snails. Very cute, but indeed a big bioload. They like to take a breath with their siphon on the surface, so try not to fully fill the tank. Also when they mature and if you happen to have a female, they leave water to lay eggs so they need somehwere they can go to.

Maybe you know, but they need a dedicated feeding. Blanched calcium rich veggies are great. I would advice at least giving blanched veggies once every two days. You can try zucchini, carrots, pumpkin, kale, spinach, collar greens, turnip greens, peas, green beans, etc. The key is organic, so no pesticide, preservatives and salts. Peel everything you can just to be safe! 

You can also prepare snellos which are quite easy to make, and you can store them in your freezer and feed anytime! You also should support their diet with protein and calcium foods. Hikari crab cuisine is pretty good in that regard. You can also feed algae wafers/spirulina tabs from time to time

You can keep a piece of non-flavored cuttlebone in your tank for calcium purposes.

Also make sure you ph is above 7.0, and you have a good amount of gh and kh in water, and calcium content. Otherwise their shell starts erosing and they start growing weak shell. Ideal temp to keep them is 74F. Hotter temps mean faster growth, shorter lifespan, fast but weak shell growth. Colder water means inactive snail.

If you have any questions, please let me know. 

Here is a great care video for mystery snails. You can check Lav's channel for snellow recipes too

 

Edited by Lennie
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Yeah, I'm working on getting the kh up but all the other parameters you stated I have. I use Mini Algae wafers daily ( 3 of them ). With those conditions, they have gotten bigger over time. With that in mind, does anybody have an opinion on how many fish I could stock? I'm still thinking of platies and some other small fish as well. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

your tank is too small for platys. platys wont do well in a 10 gallon and need at least 20 gallons with a ratio of 1:2 male to female platys, so I would recommend getting a bigger tank for your platy, and getting it at least 3 more friends. and for the 10 gallon maybe get a few more guppys. gl! 🙂

Edited by Sora
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