Tropical Fish Keeping banner

5.5 gal stocking question?

8K views 53 replies 7 participants last post by  Hanky 
#1 ·
I have a 5.5 gal with 3 feeder guppies, snail and 1 rainbow fish (not sure which species mostly blue in color with a yellow head). Question: do you think I am overstocking or if I am careful with the water quality would I have an issue?
Also how often should I do water changes? I normally change a 1/3 of the water weekly sometimes biweekly.
 
#2 · (Edited)
Size of your filter matters here
what hourly rating is it ?

for example my tank can be classed as over stocked if i used the recommended filter size for my 40 gal
but i have a quite over sized filter

the recommended for my tank is around 400 liters an hour
how ever i use a 600 liter an hour to compensate and all my readings (ammonia, nitrate, nitrite) = 0

do you use testing kits if so chemical or paper type ?

also fish size fully grown or growing ?

http://www.fishtanks.net/fishtank.php?fishtank=5080 <My tank setup and pic's

more info plz :)
 
#3 ·

How could you keep a turquoise rainbow in a 5 gal? Yikes. That fish needs lots of swimming room and should be kept with at least 5 others of his kind. You need to look at re-homing that fish.

5 gallons are fun as nano-tanks, with the smallest of fish or as a shrimp only tank

Gwen
 
#4 · (Edited)
Welcome to TFK and the forums.

Totally agree this fish (turquoise rainbow) is unsuitable for this tank. A betta or shrimps is about the only thing suitable for such a small tank.

Water parameters / filtration are not the issue here, it is simply the tank is too small to house anything but shrimps, snails or a single betta.
 
#8 · (Edited)
if you use facebook add it to there
open the picture up so you get it in album view
and then right click on the pic and click copy link url or image url
the come back here and click on the reply box and right click and paste like so:
http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hpho...2886000650_866620649_21974627_872503876_n.jpg

other wise you can copy to pc pics folder

then load this forum in the top nav bar click user cp and then click Pictures & Albums it the bar on the left

and as an after thought how much air do you give them and is it planted or not ?
 
#18 ·
if any of these parameters are not met then do a 25% cycle SIMPLE'S.
CYCLING is about creating the bacteria needed to break down waste NOT water changes.

I suggest for one that you are not so rude so members on this forum who have been here considerably longer than you have, also the facts you provided in your post are not accurate at all.

Fish waste creates the bad bacteria called Ammonia.
Ammonia is a chemical not a bacteria. It has also been proven to effect the long term health of fish in any quantity in the water.

Cycling a tank means you have the good bacteria needed to break down chemical ammoina, other bacteria breakdown the nitrites into less toxic nitrates. Nitrates are removed with water changes and using chemical conditioner such as API Conditioner or Prime for example.

Causing stress with little if any improvement to the water quality in most cases.
How can you justify this statement, doing water changes not only improves water quality but also removes detritus and allows one to create an environment better for the fish.

Avoiding the stress of the water change is ALWAYS the best way.
Again this statement will lead to ill health of your fish as maintaining a chemically balanced system is NOT going to happen without water changes. I stock african cichlids in a 180g tank. Leaving the tank without doing a water change would cause nitrate levels to be off the charts. Water change schedules allow for any uneaten food to be vacuumed up from the bottom of the tank as well as detritus.
I cannot stock a majority of live plants as my cichlids would simply rip them to shreds, please explain how then I would be able to have zero nitrates with no plants assimilating it?








 
#19 · (Edited)
if any of these parameters are not met then do a 25% cycle SIMPLE'S.
CYCLING is about creating the bacteria needed to break down waste NOT water changes. < WRONG
you only need to cycle if your bio filter's good bacteria is loosesing the battle diluting the chemicals means they grow stronger and kill the bad bacteria/chemicals faster


i have already said IF THE WRONG environment is created then the Nitrate will CREEP

ALSO You are wrong by FACT in saying that you need api Nitrate down to kill Nitrate
I RUN A 180G for 12 years with no chemicals at all
i NEVER EVER saw any Ammonia Nitrite OR MORE THAN 7 PPM of NITRATE < AGAIN fact


\/ AGAIN SOOO WRONG \/
CYCLING is about creating the bacteria needed to break down waste NOT water changes.

the FACT of this is that all of the good bacteria needed is already living in your Bio filter

so long as you only ever wash the sponge/media in tank water NOT TAP WATER
enough of the good bacteria will STILL exist.
UNLESS your sponge is old as the good and NEEDED bacteria will only be able to live on the cleaner bit's.

REPLACE SPONGE/MEDIA every 12-18 months depending on stocking levels


IT was wrote for an armature getting technical pointlessly achieves what ?

"Ammonia is a chemical not a bacteria."

It has also been proven to effect the long term health of fish in any quantity in the water.

AGAIN WRONG
fish actually need some amount of Nitrate Do your research (LESS THE BETTER) hence why i aim at 4.0 PPM


detritus ?
IF you mean Debris then this is why we all hoover our gravel


also FRESH WATER EVEN IF TREATED WITH FRESH START (or similar product) is always harmful to fish
now this gets mega diluted and would cause very minimal effect



DO YOU READ
i don't mean to be rude but if you read it half decent you would of saw


I cannot stock a majority of live plants as my cichlids would simply rip them to shreds, please explain how then I would be able to have zero nitrates with no plants assimilating it?
ANSWER THAT WAS ALREADY POSTED \/
is
UNDER
4 KEY FACTS TO RID OF YOUR NITRATE. < as posted before

Enough oxygen. (So plants are helpful here but not necessarily vital as we can add air stones.)

it clearly state that plants are not necessarily vita as WE CAN ADD AIR STONES (i maybe should of added curtains)

also i posted 4 PROVEN WAYS TO RID OF NITRATE

if you know so much how is this for food for though

I HAVE KEPT FISH ALL MY LIFE THIS IS MY FIRST FORUM I HAVE HAD TO JOIN
but only for advise on a rare fungus

so i got help now i thought i would pass some help on

MAYBE I WONT bother if ppl who clearly have little under standing and education in this will question things
THAT I ALREADY STATED WAS 12 YEARS PROOF
 
#20 ·
If you do NOT know what detritus is then you are ill informed with your own knowledge.

"Ammonia is a chemical not a bacteria."
It has also been proven to effect the long term health of fish in any quantity in the water.

AGAIN WRONG
fish actually need some amount of Nitrate Do your research (LESS THE BETTER) hence why i aim at 4.0 PPM....I am not talking about nitrate here, just that ammonia is a chemical not bacteria.
 
#21 · (Edited)
If you do NOT know what detritus is then you are ill informed with your own knowledge.
/\ the difference between uk an us dialect i should think
ALSO I LEARNT FROM MY DAD WITH ACTUAL EXPERIENCE NOT OUT OF A BOOK

MY dad was one of the UK'S MOST PRESTIGIOUS MOLLY and LOACH BREEDER'S

FROM what you have told me get more light in your tank and add air stone or air curtain
maybe think of upping your temp a tiny bit to help you NITRATE problem

PS if you want to cycle your 180G than more fool you when you can create an environment where it will eradicate your nitrate problem
 
#22 ·
I am originally from the UK and now living in Canada, not the US.

I do not need more light, I have 2 QUAD T5HO lights on the 180g tank...no algae problems as my synodontis multipunctus and Bristlenose Pleco take care of that.

Air stones, I personally do not like and have enough oxygenation created from the spray bar from my Rena XP4 and Penguin 350 and spraybar from my FX5.

Upping the temperature in my tank would likely cause stress to my fish as it is already at 78-80F (24-26°C), why would I want to expose my fish to higher temperatures to remove nitrates? I have Nitrates at 20ppm and do a 90g water change in the 180g tank once a week. Nitrates will be 10ppm or less after the change.

I cycled my 180g in 2 weeks heavily using filter media and decorations from my other established tanks. I have also been keeping fish for 15 years, freshwater and also some years ago a 300g reef tank, just starting again with saltwater now.
 
#23 ·
i agree your temp high enough there lol

you may not like air stones or bars but your fish will and if you want to change 90g of water how ever often ?
all because your pride will not let you learn than that is your problem

if i am wrong on all of this then explain how i kept a 180 gallon for 12 years with no cycles in such good water chemistry

i speak from experience which is FACT

if you lived in the uk and ever had molly's or LOACH

me and my dad would have more than likely bred them

As we used to pull approx 80 molly's a day at a very high standard (binning maybe 10 weak one's)

Selling them to the better fresh water sellers in the UK
Such as Stapley Water Gardens in it earlier years when it was the only place to get the very best quality of fish in the NW of England
 
#25 ·
And i would trust a doctor WHY lol :p

also as i say i will stick to what know

the fact is that not many professionals can hit a spot on setup

the second i get bad test reading i will change simple really

also your fish are well known for making lots of Nitrates

so you need lots more light as in strength not time
and lots more air also it is very good practise to have a starve day to also aid the filtration system to beat your nitrate problem
 
#26 ·
I have extremely powerful lights on my tank so almost definitely do not need more regardless of how long they are on.

My 180g tank has an ORP (Oxidation Reduction Potential) of +120mV and Biological Oxygen demand of 1.5mg/L which is almost biologically perfect for my setup and stocking level. This means that I do not require MORE oxygen and the gas exchange is easily managed by the surface agitation caused by the filter outputs.
 
#27 · (Edited)
why do you seem to think that makes and models count

it is the light power that count and MAINLY the type of light given by the bulb
not what make the light unit is
ALSO a huge factor on light is how tall your tank is not water volume


and if you are so sure you have the right amount of air then actully give these details in liter's an hour
and not any other way if you can't do this then you have no understanding of the actual out put of air

also if it is all right for your stocking levels then you would also know that charts and tables do not KNOW how much you feed so there for a a rough guide on equipment to buy only
 
#28 ·
ORP is measured in millivolts and is not shown in L/h.

The lights I have are 4 x red spectrum 3500k bulbs and 4 x 6500k Blue spectrum bulbs which results in true full spectrum lighting. 2 x 430nm Actinic fixtures and 4 BLUE led for moonlighting.

The tank is a standard 180g so 72x24x24.

Air output will NOT reduce nitrates at all and if you can prove otherwise can you provide the link.
 
#35 · (Edited)
your statement makes you look a tit

molly's may be the easiest to breed yes i agree this is not what i was saying at all

what i was saying is that

the very best of places to buy them from in the north of the uk
brought them of us at a very expensive price compared to any other farm

also these molly's would grow to a very big size for there kind even in smaller tanks

the places we sold to had two lots of molly's for sale
the one's from any farm selling them at the right price and
the HIGH QUALITY one's we had sold them

also if they where so unhealthy like you all state then why have none of you ever had them grow way past there max size no matter where you look on google or book you read

the typical size these would grow to is 3-3.5 inch's tank depending

however google and many others say there max size is 2.5 inch's
 
#30 ·

I think we should all agree to disagree :-D Madyotto, you may just want to post that your have different information/thoughts than most members here, when and if you are helping someone with cycling issues. That way people can make their own decisions about who's information to take or leave.

Thanks Taz for the article on water changes

It is possible to keep fish alive with poor water quality, (especially the more hardy species) but I still agree with what is common knowledge here: The best practice is a regular schedule of water changes. :-D

Gwen
 
#33 ·
39w for the Blue Spectrum
54w for the red spectrum.
 
#37 · (Edited)
also the taller your tank is the more power you need

i run a 40watt in a 40 gallon that is only just over 1 FT tall

you run total of 85 watt in a 180 gallon do the math and your tank is taller

when i ran a 180 gallon 2.5 FT tall
i run a 80 watt bulb and a 45 watt bulb

so run a total of 125 watt mainly because of the extra depth
 
#34 ·
I have had fish that have not bred before, breed after and during water changes. Only last Wednesday did my Yellow labs breed again during my water change.

I do not think that it was causing them stress given the fact I once had 3 sets of fish spawn during a change, ended up with 78 fry from these three fish.
 
#38 ·
My conditions are perfect for my fish...they are african cichlids and the water parameters match the natural conditions of Lake Malawi in my tanks perfectly.

Not knowing my conditions in my tank, I find it rather disrespectful regarding your comment.
I have breed africian cichlids and continue to do so. I have a group of wild caught F0 Yellow labs imported directly from Lake Malawi which would not have breed at all, if they were not happy with my conditions. The fry from these fish command a higher price and I sell to my Local Fish Store.
 
#40 ·
compering your water conditions to lake is such a wrong move they are not in a lake and so there environment is wrong

as it is for any fish in aquatics

fresh water after a change helps to promote breeding so i would say that yours only doing so during the change is them insulting your condition's

/\ conditions do not mean water chemistry at all

and that once is nothing in comparison to the amount of times you have insulted me by actually calling me a lire
 
#39 ·
I have 4 fixtures each of those bulbs.

so 156w for the Red and 216w for the Blue Spectrum. In my previous post, I got the blue and red fixtures mixed up. Lights more than capable of keeping corals in a saltwater tank if I wanted. They are very powerful but work for my tank with no dark spots at all. Photo period is varied from 6-10 hours and I have only ever had one diatom bloom in the tank and no algae issues to date.

Yes, you need more powerful lights if you have a deep planted tank, but as I do not have many live plants, this is not required. The lights are purely for viewing of the fish, they are not bothered by them when they turn on.

I actually purchased these lights with a view to converting the tank into a saltwater reef. As of this coming Saturday, the tank is sold and I will no longer have the 180g tank. Tank has been running for 5 years with no problems at all, it is the one in my signature.
 
#42 · (Edited)
I have not called you a lire at all. I merely stated points against what you have posted with you providing no evidence to back up what you are saying...other than it is FACT from your experience. Everyone's experience is different.

How can creating an environment like where my fish are naturally from be wrong for them...the whole point of keeping fish is creating an environment which mimics where the fish originate from.
The fish require certain conditions, I created those conditions. I have a sand substrate, plenty of rocks and few plants in my tank, this is what Lake Malawi is naturally, the pH is exactly the same as the Lake. The only thing different is the size of my tank compared to Lake Malawi.

We as fish keepers take on a responsibility to provide an environment suitable for the fish we purchase. In bringing them home to a small environment of a tank, we must purchase fish suitable to be kept in our tank size.
Some of the fish in my tank are from deeper water in Lake Malawi as such there is not much daylight in between their rocky environment, these are the fish that I have bred the most even with the lights I have in my tank.

The lights are more for viewing the intense coloration my fish show, there are 2 fish which I have, of show quality grade and would sell for a considerable high price for them. The person who has purchased the tank from me, offered a deal which was simply too good to turn down. I am still going to be responsible for their care and as the office they are going to is not too far away, can and will be checking on them several times a week. It took me 5 years of hard work to establish this tank and create a stunning tank which houses fish from Lake Malawi.

Am sure when you breed molly then this is what you would be doing, creating an environment which mimics the natural environment of the fish...having a bubble wand or air stone is not natural in my opinion and as such I do not use them. The filters create the water movement required for gas exchange.
 
#43 ·
I have not called you a lire at all. I merely stated points against what you have posted with you providing no evidence to back up what you are saying...other than it is FACT from your experience. Everyone's experience is different.

How can creating an environment like where my fish are naturally from be wrong for them...the whole point of keeping fish is creating an environment which mimics where the fish originate from.
The fish require certain conditions, I created those conditions. I have a sand substrate, plenty of rocks and few plants in my tank, this is what Lake Malawi is naturally, the pH is exactly the same as the Lake. The only thing different is the size of my tank compared to Lake Malawi.

We as fish keepers take on a responsibility to provide an environment suitable for the fish we purchase. In bringing them home to a small environment of a tank, we must purchase fish suitable to be kept in our tank size.
Some of the fish in my tank are from deeper water in Lake Malawi as such there is not much daylight in between their rocky environment, these are the fish that I have bred the most even with the lights I have in my tank.

The lights are more for viewing the intense coloration my fish show, there are 2 fish which I have, of show quality grade and would sell for a considerable high price for them. The person who has purchased the tank from me, offered a deal which was simply too good to turn down. I am still going to be responsible for their care and as the office they are going to is not too far away, can and will be checking on them several times a week. It took me 5 years of hard work to establish this tank and create a stunning tank which houses fish from Lake Malawi.

Am sure when you breed molly then this is what you would be doing, creating an environment which mimics the natural environment of the fish...having a bubble wand or air stone is not natural in my opinion and as such I do not use them. The filter creates the water movement required for gas exchange.
i agree we all take on a great responsibly to the fish we keep

and that your's are a tricky breed

however none of you seem to see the bigger picture that i was painting

i stated i only know from experience and yes
as a result some of what i posted is in-correct explained poorly ETC

you called me a lire by saying you have to do water changes to keep the chemistry right

evidently i don't and never have

if my chemistry was wrong i doubt that i would have apple snail eggs in my tank right now

the picture i was painting is VERY SIMPLE


THAT all but most keepers do changes as PART OF there routine

and not the routine OF THERE water chemistry

telling people to do weekly or monthly changes leave those with the right conditions and water chemistry causing un-needed stress

water change with no water chemistry improvement is un-needed stress

so much as putting your hand in the tank is stressful to them

and the main cause for many beginner's having a nitrate spike is as we all know over feeding

but by encouraging others (where possible) to create an environment that can handle nitrates quite well will only aid there downfalls
 
#44 ·
Hello?

Come on guys I've only asked a few simple questions about the maintaince of a 5.5 gal! Cause I haven't had a tank running for a couple of years and need advice. I understand the process of the nitrogen cycle your bio filer media and gravel act as breeding ground for good bacteria that will break down ammonia that the fish produce into nitrites then into nitrates (less harmful but still harmful in high amounts) into harmful biproducts.
Even though this explanation is simple there are a lot of methods out there on solving the issue of keeping the perfect parameters of your tanks. I believe the more water you have ( the bigger the tank), it is easier to maintain because you have more media- more good bacteria, easier imo to stabilize the quality of the tank's water. As well as less water changes up to 3+ months without one. But water changes are essential mainly to syphon out debris collected at the bottom but to also to sypon out the bad water as I call it, where the filter can not reach. Unless you want a brackish environment and your tank acts more like a lake than a constant flowing river. I just want to say the largest tank I cycled was a 30gal so I can not say from experience on the larger tanks. Only from trial and error and what I have learned from participating in forums.
Lastly I feel with 5.5 gal, it is much easier for things to go wrong then an established 20+ gal because of the small amount of water. The bio media alone can not keep up with the bio load, thus water changes are necessary.

The reason I posted this thread was to get advice from other hobbyist like yourselfs about my 5.5 gal. I don't need a debate on what is from fact or from experience of larger tanks, and what is right or wrong about maintaining them! Unless your opinions can help me with my questions great, if not could you please have a private message among yourselfs.

Thank you
 
#47 ·
Come on guys I've only asked a few simple questions about the maintaince of a 5.5 gal! Cause I haven't had a tank running for a couple of years and need advice. I understand the process of the nitrogen cycle your bio filer media and gravel act as breeding ground for good bacteria that will break down ammonia that the fish produce into nitrites then into nitrates (less harmful but still harmful in high amounts) into harmful biproducts.
Even though this explanation is simple there are a lot of methods out there on solving the issue of keeping the perfect parameters of your tanks. I believe the more water you have ( the bigger the tank), it is easier to maintain because you have more media- more good bacteria, easier imo to stabilize the quality of the tank's water. As well as less water changes up to 3+ months without one. But water changes are essential mainly to syphon out debris collected at the bottom but to also to sypon out the bad water as I call it, where the filter can not reach. Unless you want a brackish environment and your tank acts more like a lake than a constant flowing river. I just want to say the largest tank I cycled was a 30gal so I can not say from experience on the larger tanks. Only from trial and error and what I have learned from participating in forums.
Lastly I feel with 5.5 gal, it is much easier for things to go wrong then an established 20+ gal because of the small amount of water. The bio media alone can not keep up with the bio load, thus water changes are necessary.

The reason I posted this thread was to get advice from other hobbyist like yourselfs about my 5.5 gal. I don't need a debate on what is from fact or from experience of larger tanks, and what is right or wrong about maintaining them! Unless your opinions can help me with my questions great, if not could you please have a private message among yourselfs.

Thank you

like we all but all agreed on test for ammonia and nitrates if they are ok use YOUR own judgement on how the water it's self is doing if u feel it need a change even when the chemistry is right

i would personally advise that providing your test readings are ok to change the water every 2-3 weeks if it remains a worry of yours
 
#46 ·
My apology Katibre this thread has indeed gone over what you requested as per your original question.

The fish you have is not suitable for that size tank, however their are steps you can take to create a better environment for the fish, until such time (soon preferably) that you are able to acquire another tank (check craiglist if you are in the US), many tank can found on there for very little. If you are unable to purchase another tank, then returning the fish to your local fish store is the only real option. The store will likely give you a store credit, which you can use to purchase fish more suited to your tank.

If there is anything else, we can offer assistance to you with then, please do not hesitate to ask. This discussion will continue as per your question.
 
#49 ·

Your original question was were you overstocked. The answer was that your tank was not suitable for the fish you had. Do you still have the Rainbow in the tank? If so, that may have been a stressor that could have killed 2 of the guppies. A rainbow is a large and very active fish, and the other fish may have been stressed or had any other type of illness, that may have caused it to die. Sometimes you just don't know.

Gwen
 
#52 ·
Something sounds "Fishy" parden my pun, if your tank is not cycled you should have ammonia readings, if it is cycled you should have at least some trace of Nitrates, Very very rare to have 0 reading on all three unless you just changed all the water. If you use liquid test kit which are the best to use make sure you shake the heck out of the nitrate bottle before testing, that stuff seperates like oil and water, I shake mine like 2 min.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top