How many fish?

jdiaz

I just got a 15-20 gallon fish tank filter and it is on my 10. I was wondering how many fish can i keep in the tank with the new filter, it also has the ammonia remover rock things in it and so far I have two mollies a Swordtail and a betta with 4 ghost shrimp in it. the betta is about 1 inch and the sword tail and mollies are inch and a half. What do you guys think can i fit more fish in there than the limit because I had a 10 gallon filter in it and the water was crystal clear without the ammonia rocks and with them and the new filter it is super clean and i want to get more mollies or get some tetras and i dont care what kind of tetra just WANT MORE FISHES, lol.

Calmwaters

No you can not in my opinion add more fish just because you get a bigger filter. I know what its like to want more fish and not have room for them but its also very important for the fishes health not to over crowd them.

jdiaz

Ok cool I understand now, there is not enough room in the tank for the fish to roam happy, i will try to get a bigger tank insted maybe a 20 so that i can have a bunch thanks!

MinaMinaMina

Also, keep in mind their adult sizes:
Molly 3"-5"
Swordtail 4"-5"
Betta 2"-3"

So you'll have 12"-18" of fish when they are full grown. Also, these are fairly full bodied types of fish, not thin like a Neon or Whiptail Catfish. So that makes a difference, too. So that's a lot of fish for a 10 gallon! Sometimes I use AqAdvisor.com for a rough idea, or if I'm feeling low-tech I cut pieces of paper (from my recycling pile) to the approximate size of the fully grown fish and tape them to the front of my tank. Then I have a concrete visual aid for available space.

Just for kicks, I entered your stock on AqAdvisor:
AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor
You can see that you are at full capacity, according to this site. Of course, I didn't enter your filtration, but that has no bearing on physical space. Its a good tool, especially for beginners, but realize that its just a rough guide. Good luck!

jdiaz

OK cool, one of my mollies (male) is like an inch and the other (female) just a bit bigger and had therm for like 3 months and no growth, the betta is like 1 inch and that is the body only, the sword is the same size the female molly is and then it is just the ghost shrimp at half inch each.

AbbeysDad

This post we be a bit redundant to the others... Although better filtration and overall tank maintenance like routine partial water changes will allow a larger bio-load, this is similar to the fact that routine water changes are not all about removing nitrates. Fish need space to promote the best health and well being. Lets consider that we've taken creatures that in the wild, could live in vast rivers or lakes. Some may be content to live their entire lives in small pools and estuaries while others may roam for countless miles and miles.
We put them in these tiny glass cages. Sometimes letting the water get rank. Feed them processed man made food. Subject them to harsh, unnatural lighting so we can see them better...and sometimes crowd them with too many tank mates or other unfriendly territorial species that chase and hound them.
Some would say, 'but these are fish that were raised in tanks and never knew life in the wild'. This is true, but just means is our responsibility to do the very best for them.
I tend to like the diversity of the community tank. But then I saw a 55g with a couple of dozen neon tetras...and another 120g with a few dozen zebra danos - it was awesome watching these fish school.
Then I was at a pet store and saw two very large, very sad Otto's in a tank they could barely turn around in. How awful it must fell to be trapped in such a small space, with no hope of escape. (shame on them!)
The point, if there is one, to my rambling on and on here is that we need to be ever mindful that the more fish we put in the tank, the required maintenance goes up exponentially...and at at a point, the occupancy is full and the 'no vacancy' sign must go out.

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