Stocking levels for planted tank

[Sympley]

I have been reading for a few day regarding fish issues and problems that some people are a having. It seems that there is quite a bit of people with 40+ fish in their 29 G aquariums.
I myself have 90G and I have a max of 30 fish in there. I have a mixture of neon tetras, rasboras, 2 plecos, and 3 CAE.
I wonder how many more can I put in my set up before pushing the limits.

[lauraleellbp]

You have a tiny bioload (except for the 3 CAE- you really have CAE in there or did you mean SAE? IMO I'd get rid of CAE asap- they'll get ugly and mean as they grow, and they get very big.) Also, what kind of plecos?

Other than that, you should be able to add plenty more fish. If you like like the species you currently have, neons and rasboras, why not go with schools of 30-50 each? IMO that would look fantastic...

How many more fish you could add really depends on what species you are talking about; even fish of the same size do not always equal the same bioload, as their metabolisms are not always the same. Mollies, for example, are high bioload fish, probably 2x the bioload of most other fish the same size and body mass.

[rasetsu]

You can easily fill it with 50 more tetra or rasbora type fish, but yeah, get rid of the chinese algae eaters if that's what you mean and if it's a common pleco, it will get huge and eat your plants. Otos are much better algae eaters.

[newshound]

I back what laura said 100%
Nothing better than a huge school of fish.
that said get fish that'll live longer.
All the neons I have owned live at the most two years.
That means using a Qtank for the short lived fish at least once a year to keep schooling levels up. A real PITA

[newshound]

I will also say that understocked tanks are very relaxing to watch.
I hate tanks that are very busy.

[Sympley]

Wow, I am definitely understocked. I like the look of neon tetras, and the rasboras. Cool it was payday today, I know what I be doing.

I have 3 true CAE at least that is what the store sold me. It is a gray looking fish with a black stripe. It eats all day long. When I bought these they were about 1" in length and skinny, now 1.5" and they are getting fat. They are also the firts ones to go after the food when I feed tha tank. I also have 2 of the SAE which are yellow in color.

As for my plecos, yes they are the basic common plecos. One is just around 1.5" and the other one is over 3". I had no idea they eat plants. Are there any easy to see tell tell signs that my plants have been eaten? So far they are just sucking on the leafs and eating the algea, I have not noticed any holes, or ripped apart leafs. I know they uproot my plants once in a while but so far that is about it.

I need to read up more on otos, never knew they are considered algae eaters.

My final goal is to have a discus tank with neon tetras and rasporas.

Thanks all for the feedback.

[Riley]

You will notice small holes in your plants if you plecos are munching on them. I would get those plecos out of there and get some Bushynose plecos and ottos to replace them.

[newshound]

check this page out for a great way to ID these fish
http://www.aquatic-gardeners.org/cyprinid.html

[lauraleellbp]

IMO neons are not the greatest choice to keep with discus- discus prefer higher water temps than neons. Cardinal tetras are more appropriate (and of course I'm biased, but I think they're prettier anyways ) I believe rasboras may have trouble with discus temps as well.

Cardinal and Rummynosed tetras are most commonly kept in discus tanks as they are found with discus in the wild and can handle the same temps.

[BiscuitSlayer]

From my experience, harlequin rasboras might have a little bit of an issue like lauraleellbp stated. I have seen where the temps go a little high in my tank and the harlequins react quicker than the cardinals. If you keep the O2 saturation high, it might not be as much of a problem.

[Sympley]

I have my harlequins and neons for over a year now in a 82F with no problems.

Yesterday, I got 4 otos, so far they are doing great, munching at algae and swiming around. Got more neons as well. You gys were right it looks awsame.

[lauraleellbp]

82 is the lowest recommended temp for discus. Most keepers recommend 84-86. 82 might be a compromise that will work in your case, though. I'd recommend only buyin adult discus if you do decide to add some; it's very difficult to raise healthy juvie discus in a planted tank due to their specific food and water quality needs.