# Overload?



## crispy0 (Feb 24, 2009)

would 12-15 ember tertras, 5 oto's and 5-7 corydoras hasbrosus have too much of a bioload on a 20 gal?


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

I don't think so. Do you have good filtration and plants?


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

Sounds fine. Just make sure you do weekly water changes, or at the very least biweekly water changes.


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## crispy0 (Feb 24, 2009)

it will be heavily planted and i always do weekly water changes


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## Tobias (Apr 8, 2007)

My planted tank is a 20L with an ehiem ecco and I change out a minimum of 6 gallons every week. This is a fairly new tank but so far I have had not problems keep the following in it.

5 ember tetras

4 georgetta tetras

6 celestial pearl danio

2 otos

1 peacock gudgeon

1 sparkling gourami

6 cherry shrimp

2 orange shrimp

2 amano shrimp

2 nerite snails

I know this is pushing the limits but I check the water ever other day and even before water changes there has not been a problem yet. The tank has been running for over two months. It has been running with this bio load for over a month. The fact that the tank is moderately to heavily planted most likely helps a lot.


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## amphirion (Nov 13, 2008)

to tell you the truth, i don't think you are overstocking your tank at all!
since all of your fish are relatively tiny (i think your largest would be the otos-2"), i doubt that they will give you problems with bioload. however, overfeeding them will!

I have a three gallon, and it has a pair of Elassoma okeefenokee, 15 Boraras merah, 100+ scuds (give or take 10 since the pygmy sunfish love eating them) , 7+ cherry shrimp, a nerite snail, plus a few pond snails. when feeding, I end up only needing 1.5 large flakes to feed them all. In fact, there is always excess when i feed them, but the shrimps and scuds eat these, and in return they are eaten by the sunfish. it's really all about efficiency.


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## crispy0 (Feb 24, 2009)

thanks for the info. i was at my lfs today and noticed they had 1" gold ram pairs for sale. i lovethe way they look so i want to replace the corys with a pair. they should only be about 6" together which is 1in. less than there would be. they stay in the lower regions of te tank too so this wouldnt be overstocked either right? how many flakes/any other food you recomend, would you advise?


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## crispy0 (Feb 24, 2009)

thanks for the info. i was at my lfs today and noticed they had 1" gold ram pairs for sale. i lovethe way they look so i want to replace the corys with a pair. they should only be about 6" together which is 1in. less than there would be. they stay in the lower regions of te tank too so this wouldnt be overstocked either right? how many flakes or any other food you recomend, would you advise?


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## amphirion (Nov 13, 2008)

crispy0 said:


> thanks for the info. i was at my lfs today and noticed they had 1" gold ram pairs for sale. i lovethe way they look so i want to replace the corys with a pair. they should only be about 6" together which is 1in. less than there would be. they stay in the lower regions of te tank too so this wouldnt be overstocked either right? how many flakes or any other food you recomend, would you advise?


hmm...that would be a little trickier since rams have larger girth and size than micro rasboras. you planned out the max size of your rams too, which is a very good idea (although since this IS a 20 gallon, I would say this size difference isn't a problem).

i've never had embers before so i can't predict their behavior. but from my Boraras, they won't tackle any sized flake larger than 1/8" (which is ironic because they can destroy a blackworm together). if your embers act the same way, you can take two or three flakes and pulverize them, and then give the larger flakes (or adult brine shrimp) to the rams. just a footnote: although rams are omnivorous, they are preferentially carnivores and as a result have shorter digestive tracts, so adjust the amount accordingly.

cichlids, like bettas are very prone to obesity. better have a slightly hungry still cichlid that is vibrant and searches the tank for food than a fat one that does not swim at all.

the fact that your tank is well planted is essential for providing a "buffer zone" as the plants will clear out excess nitrates in the water, which allows the tank to hold more fish (either intentionally or by accident)-- or excess food accidentally dropped. algae does this too but it's uglier to look at. if you're super paranoid about excess food like me, buy some shrimp. like I said, you haven't overstocked your tank, and you've also chosen specimens that wouldn't compete for the same tank space. I'd say things are looking good.


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## crispy0 (Feb 24, 2009)

THANK YOU for that excelent information! i will probably keep the ember school at 13 and get 2 or 3? ghost shrimp. i ll make slate covered with christmas moss and put it on one side of the tank for them. does this sound about right.


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## amphirion (Nov 13, 2008)

slate would be nice, but it wouldn't be necessary. plants would give plenty of hiding places for shrimp to live in. another thing to note is that shrimp do not impact the bioload nearly as much as fish do. hence the reason why I can place 7+ cherry shrimp in a 2.5 gallon tank.

also, is there a reason why you've chosen ghost shrimp? there are a lot more attractive shrimp to look at. you should look at crystal red shrimp or cherry shrimp, or even blue shrimp for that matter. these can also multiply and keep your tank maintained and the babies give your fish extra things to snack on (if you aren't too horrified by that)


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## crispy0 (Feb 24, 2009)

just said ghost shrim since thats what i have in my other tank. i didnt even think of the other kinds. they are a lot prettier than ghosts. also i can order them from the place i am getting the embers and otos. with the whole bioload thing then do you think i could get away with maybe 5


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## amphirion (Nov 13, 2008)

you could get away with more than 5! like i said before, the bioload that shrimps contribute is practically null and will not impact your tank in any significant way.

but question, are you buying embers and otos at the same time? that might not be good. one school at a time would be better. too many fish at one time could shock the system since there would be a ammonia overdose and there may not be enough bacteria to compensate for that. shrimp would be one of the last additions to your tank since they are by far the most fragile to water quality (but i guess with ghost shrimps you wouldn't lose too much)


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## crispy0 (Feb 24, 2009)

no way. 18 fish at one time would be horrible. i was going to get the plants happy then add the five otos then wait then get seven embers then wait then get six more then wait about a month to see how everyting looks then add the gold rams then shrimp a little later. i am going to be getting them from.az garden.com except the gold rams that i get from my lfs. unless they are cheaper at azgardens since i dont know the price at the lfs yet. money will definitely be keeping me true to this plan. sound good?


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## amphirion (Nov 13, 2008)

sounds good. but have you ever taken a look over here?
http://invertzfactory.com/stocklist.htm

1) it's cheaper.
2) the shipping is probably cheaper too.


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## crispy0 (Feb 24, 2009)

thanks i was just about to ask you that. wow i didnt know you read minds. 

this doesnt have any shrimp but it does have the embers for 1.50 cheaper thanks a lot.


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## amphirion (Nov 13, 2008)

no problem. aquabid might be a good place to check out for shrimp.


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