Does AqAdvisor stock 75 gallons correctly?

[Lavender]

So I’m stocking my 75 gallon, with mostly tetras. I’m not super experienced with stocking this size of a tank, since I’m usually dealing with 20-30 gallons, but it seems to me I can have a extra school of tetras. However, Aqadvisor says I’m already overstocked, so…Dunno. It also says, for some reason, that my bristlenose plecos and albino cory cats are somehow unsuited to go with a betta. I get that it’s a rudimentary stocking tool at best, but…am I right? Or are they? This is the tank without the tetra school I want.

So, as you can see, it says I’m overstocked. Unsure if this is enough to actually matter, but it is bad. Now, I’m also looking at adding one or maybe two schools of tetras to this. I don’t need them or anything, but I want them a lot.

This is the stocking with that.

So…yeah. I don’t quite get a lot of this stocking. I’m trying to avoid overstocking my tank, but this…doesn’t really appear overstocked? I mean, yes, it is a lot of fish, but the biggest fish in this setup are the little bristlenose plecos and rams, and those are only accounting for around 20% of the stocking. My Cory catfish alone were more than that. Everything else is under two inches with a low bioload.

Anyways, I’d also like Red Eye or Rosy tetras, but I don’t want to catch AqAdvisor’s server on fire. Plus, that does actually seem like too much. Unfortunately there’s not much stocking reference for a 75 gallon with just tetras. This seems to usually be a cichlid setup, sadly.

Edited July 12, 2023 by Lavender

[Galabar]

What type of filtration are you using?  What plants?

 

[nabokovfan87]

On 7/11/2023 at 10:46 PM, Lavender said:

However, Aqadvisor says I’m already overstocked, so…Dunno. It also says, for some reason, that my bristlenose plecos and albino cory cats are somehow unsuited to go with a betta.

A betta typically wants lower flow in the filtration due to the long fins causing stress and/or damage to the fish.  The warnings on AqAdvisor are generally pretty good advice.

 

 

On 7/11/2023 at 10:46 PM, Lavender said:

There are two basic types of calculation on the tool.
1.  Filtration and how often you should change water.
2.  Fish load and tank volume giving you the stocking level.

Your tank does seem pretty well stocked.  I would encourage you to only stock it to say... 85-90% just to give yourself a bit easier time with bioload, waste, and other issues that crop up from a heavily stocked tank.  You may also have fry and that would lead to an overstocked tank.

I would cut the chain loaches by half. For the tetras I am seeing minimum groups recommended of 8-10 which gives you some adjustment there as well.  Corydoras you can stock in ~10 to start with if you so choose as well without many issues.  You should have those breed for you, boosting the numbers.  I assume some of the stocking QTY is based on a sort of a buffer if you lose one or two fish in each group?

Bolivian rams, I would try groups of 3, 5, 7, etc.  Just due to aggression.  You don't want even numbers.

Edited July 12, 2023 by nabokovfan87

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

75 gives you loads of options. Start with the species you have in the 75 g and then add 1-2 groups of fish every month - 1 mid tank and one bottom dwelling fish. See how it goes, how are your parameters, how’s everyone doing getting to the food. 
5 tetras is a lot sure it’s doable but honestly from a behavior standpoint 20 glow lights are way cooler than 10. I’d pair them down to 3 types of tetra just more of each. Tetras are like Pokémon cards but I think in the long run you’ll be happier with 3 larger groups. 
Which fish do you already have that your planning to keep in the 75? This could help advise you further.

[Ninjoma]

I like to try aiming for 100% on aqua advisor for initial stocking, but once everything is setup and settled, I may add more if I think I can/ want to based on the behavior of the fish. 

[Lavender]

I don’t want to risk odd numbers of rams. I’m worried they’ll kill the odd ones out. I’m following typical dwarf cichlid stocking rule, so I might end up with a extra pair of rams in this. (A 75 gallon has space for 6 dwarf cichlids.) The betta, there’s loads of plants and floaters in the aquascaping plan, and I’m using HOB filters with the flow turned all the way down for everyone. I also buffer all my filters with a piece of plastic with holes poked in it or filter floss, which should be enough for him.

I could actually go up to 17 on most of the tetras with little more stocking. It seems Aqadvisor counts the first fish for a lot in schooling fish and then the rest aren’t as much. 

Can’t cut the loaches in half. They’re extremely social fish who don’t count for a lot of the stocking and get bitey when not in good numbers.

It’s a extremely heavily planted tank- I plan for the entire back of the aquarium to just be plants, with a small area in front sparsely planted with some kind of grassy plant for my cory catfish and other bottomdwellers, and some kind of mossy overhang effect over that area. Then plants on the sides. Also, lots of Amazon frogbit and red root floater. Overfiltered (I always overfilter my tanks) with a Aquaclear 50, Aquaclear 110, and a very large sponge filter (for 75 gallon tanks), assuming I can get said filter to work. 
 

I think I’ll probably just stock with the hardiest species first- unfortunately a fair amount of what I want isn’t hardy enough to go into a newly cycled tank (or, in the case of the loaches, much too expensive to risk).

I don’t really have anything I already have to put in the tank, but I am very locked on the betta. I’m going to start looking for bettas in the next few weeks or so, get whoever I pick into the quarantine tank. I know they’re supposed to be the last thing you add, but…well, I can always just keep him in the quarantine tank until it’s fully stocked. It’s a planted, nice quarantine tank anyways. 
 

I’m not factoring inverts into stocking here, by the way- for some reason it thinks a simple amano shrimp counts for more than my ember tetras. 

Edited July 12, 2023 by Lavender