# no/Low tech 33 gallon tank



## chrys_03 (Feb 11, 2009)

Hi,

Been reading a lot of posts lately and I find them very informative.

I have a question regarding my low tech 33 gallon tank. It currently have 6 zebra danios n 6 amano shrimp and I'm planning to transfer 2 swordtails, 2 neon tetras and 1 corydora into this tank. Will it max out the stock limit?

I am also planning to add 4 more neon tetras so they could school.

Thanks.


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## barthed (Sep 26, 2008)

Hi,

There are different "rules" and they should always be adapted to the type of fish and your particular tank (e.g., is it a NPT? is it heavily planted? do you really have 33 gal of water with all the decorations/plants? if it's not a NPT, how often do you want to do maintenance of the tank? what kind of filtration do you have? will your fish reproduce and do you want to keep the offspring?). That being said, I found most people recommending 1 inch of fish per gallon (or in some stores, one fish per gallon with a scale like a neon = 1/2 fish).

You should thus be fine with this rather small population (neon tetras are small, amano shrimps too and they should not reproduce). You might have babies from the swordtails though. 

Having at least 6 neon tetras is a good idea because they prefer to be in group. You should also have at least 4 corys (the more, the better), because they are schooling fish too.

By providing more info about your particular setup, others will probably be able to contribute with more useful insights.

Cheers,


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## chrys_03 (Feb 11, 2009)

Thanks for the reply.

My tank has a lot of plants in it and a driftwood. I want little maintenance like a water change after a couple of months. It doesn't have any filter and relies on a filtered sunlight. 

Tank size is 18x27x18

What is NPT?

Thanks.


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## 1aqumfish (Jul 28, 2008)

Read http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/el-natural/26458-what-el-natural-step-step.html for info about NPT, for more complete information get the book.


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## chrys_03 (Feb 11, 2009)

Thanks for the link. That was one of my reference for my low tech tank.

But my question is what does NPT stand for? It doesn't say in the link.


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## barthed (Sep 26, 2008)

Sorry for not responding earlier. NPT stands for Natural Planted Tank (sometimes called El Natural, or Walstad-type tank or...).


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## chrys_03 (Feb 11, 2009)

ok. thanks...


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

chrys_03 said:


> Hi
> 
> I have a question regarding my low tech 33 gallon tank. It currently have 6 zebra danios n 6 amano shrimp and I'm planning to transfer 2 swordtails, 2 neon tetras and 1 corydora into this tank. Will it max out the stock limit?
> 
> ...


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## chrys_03 (Feb 11, 2009)

Thanks Diana,

That is good to know. So far my fish are not gasping for air. I am planning of adding 2 more cories. 

I'm thinking of adding either a dwarf gourami or a betta. what do you think?

Currently my tank have
6 neon tetras
6 amano shrimps
6 zebra danios
2 swordtails
1 corydora


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

chrys_03 said:


> Thanks Diana,
> 
> That is good to know. So far my fish are not gasping for air. I am planning of adding 2 more cories.
> 
> ...


It sounds like you don't have water circulation in this tank. If that's the case, I would add two more Corys and stop. Corys like to school, so a adding a couple more will be good company for the one you've got.

Remember, that every time you add a new fish, you're increasing your chances of bringing disease into the tank. Nothing kills the fun like having a fish disease take over an established tank. Try to enjoy the fish, plants, and invertebrates you have.

I'm glad that you're checking fish behavior. For the first 2-3 months, especially with an organic soil, there may be oxygen deficit. That's because the soil bacteria chewing on all that fresh organic matter can suck oxygen out of the tank water. Once the soil settles down, this problem solves itself.


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## chrys_03 (Feb 11, 2009)

I've just added two more cories and they are inseperable from the moment I've introduced them. Even if one of them would dart at the surface the rest follows... Interesting fellas!!!


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