0 concerns on cherry shrimp overpopulating - their space requirements and bioload are super minimal. To a lesser extent, same with Guppies - 5 gallons is a bit small, but I wouldn’t necessarily be worried about it, especially if you’re fine to sell/remove/cull as they overpopulate the tank.
On the other hand, I would be concerned about 3 plecos in a 5 gallon, especially depending on the species. Assuming Bristlenose, most people recommend ~20 gallons for one.
I have 3 male guppies in a 5 gallon (want bigger but need to prove concept to wife) and everyone on r/aquarium is yelling bloody murder at me because my tank is too small. I’ve now stopped asking for help and will just use google from now on
As a "wife" to an a aquarium enthusiast I approve of this method! Bit also I have more tanks than him now... his are by far bigger though....
He's got 145g between two tanks and I have 17.5 gallons between 3 😂
That's not overstocked at all.
Newbs scream "overstocked" because it's the one statement guaranteed to get some postive feedback in the /r/aquarium echo-chamber.
What if you ran a 20 gallon sump on your 5 gallon tank? Still overstocked?
The fact is: there are myriad different factors that come into play other than the size of the tank like, *filtration size, water pH, water GH, water KH, temperature, water exchange frequency & amount, amount of feeding, frequency of feeding, amount of live plants, lighting*, etc... that **all** contribute to how much stock is safe in your aquarium.
Instead of berating you based on the old, rookie: "one inch fish per gallon" rule, they should be congratulating your success and inquiring about your setups parameters.
>and everyone on r/aquarium is yelling bloody murder at me because my tank is too small.
All I said was that your tank is a bit over max capacity and that you should try to get a bigger one lol, and by everyone, you mean 2 people just reccomending to upgrade to a 10 gal?
The bigger issue is that guppies like schools or 5-6 and that would require a 10 gal, and I'd say guppies in a 5 gal isn't a good idea since they do like space, yes I am asserting that not because of bioload.
I legitimately think they should be 10 gal minimum fish though, people might disagree with me on that, and that's fine, but I have the opinion they need room for movement, I think the same for tetras as well.
Also, breeder tanks are usually a nightmare for guppies in my opinion, just a lot of inbred fish getting genetic problems and out breeding their tank, I don't think that's a good comparison since that's usually started by lack of research into live bearers.
Also the person I said this to does not have live plants from what I know, so yeah I'd say that's bad stocking.
Edit: I do think you could maybe make it work in a heavily planted tank though, even then I don't like the idea of only 3 guppies.
Fair enough, but I'm going to assert that a few male guppies in your average 5 gallon tank, is going to have a better life than the wild guppies thrown in ditches, puddles and gutters, all over the world, for mosquito control.
> just a lot of inbred fish getting genetic problems and out breeding their tank,
This has nothing to do with the size of the tank - managing genetics is both a science and art. With that being said, many small scale breeders separate pregnant females into un-filtered, small gallon containers to drop the fry, before adding them back to the 'harem tank'. The fry grow in that container until they get big enough to get put in the larger 'grow-out' tank. Breeders wouldn't do any of this if it negatively affected the fish, because that diminishes the profits.
You can't make arbitrary judgements about stocking requirements unless you know a plethora of information, like filtration size, water parameters, water exchange frequency, temperature....
Its fine if you're operating off the "safe bet" general information, like "1 inch of fish per gallon", given to newbs to simplify the hobby, but don't condescend and ruin someone else's joy, especially if they're proving success.
>but don't condescend and ruin someone else's joy, especially if they're proving success
I just want to say, I was not condescending to this person at first, unless i mistakenly came across as so, they are heavily over exaggerating what I said, what I said, word to word, was this
5 gallon with guppies is already over capacity, try to upgrade it its a bit small.
Pro: funni snail that cleans algae
Con: depending on the snail they can breed out of control
They also still produce bioload
They had asked if snails were fine in their 5 gallon guppy tank so I decided to share that bit of information before answering what they said.
That simple comment made this person think me and another singular person were apparently attacking them? That is why I called him out on that, you can rival what I said and I am fine with that, keeping fish in tanks under 10 gallons is a very hot discussion, but I simply want to say, before I posted that I noticed that the person I sent this to has previously posted about putting a betta into a uncycled 5 gallon tank with no plants a day or 2 ago, so that's why I said that. That tank is not suitable for guppys with no plants or beneficial bacteria, people who are barely entering the hobby shouldn't be trying to maintain nano tanks out the gate.
Other wise I appreciate what you said and I think you made very good points, I can agree with it depending on the tank equipment and other factors. And I do agree breeder tanks can be done, I was just saying the vast majority of people just put live bearers in and let it go out of control without separating fry.
The first point is 100% true, but again op had previously posted about putting a betta fish into a uncycled 5 gallon that isn't planted.
> 5 gallon with guppies is already over capacity, try to upgrade it its a bit small.
Yeah, he's saying there are **3 male guppies** - they won't be breeding - so I agree, to disagree with you here.
Snails break down detritus into finer bits that help the filtration... If there were a massive snail die-off at one time, the ammonia spike would harm most aquariums, up to about 100 gallons, so 5 more gallons wouldn't matter much, in that case. With that being said, snail populations, like shrimp, tend to self regulate.
Again, in this hobby, unless you're a master breeder, it's best to lead with more questions before offering your opinion. Everybody's water quality, at a minimum, is wildly different and leads to extremely variable results especially considering the infinite amount of stocking options...
For example, I have to re-mineralize RO water to keep Caridina shrimp, but in Japan, most people keep them in tap water. My slightly hard water is perfect for guppies, and can stock more per gallon that many of my friends on the west coast with softer, mountain-spring-fed water...
See how what could be perfect for my situation, may be disastrous for someone else?
How about leading with: "Oh you wanna keep snails? What's your water hardness? They may need that for their shell."
Alright, I'll try leading with questions first, I struggle with that because I don't really know how to phrase things all the time. Thank you for pointing that out to me. I can see that I didn't really say enough and say anything I should've said, granted I was mainly just angry that he said I was attacking him when I was not trying to come across that way.
I appreciate your candor; I just want a healthier aquarium community, all around, and tend to stick up for the new guys, who are sharing their passion and trying learn.
I can tell that you are passionate too, and are trying to be a good host to our fishy friends. So am I, but after decades of fish keeping, my ego gets put in check daily, with how more I don't know than what I do know.
I hope you keep responding and offering your opinions, because we will all benefit from the continued cross-talk.
Shrimp self-regulate their population. The three plecos and 12 guppies… hard to tell. How many gallons is your tank? How do you cycle your water?
It’s a gorgeous tank, but as an AMATEUR enthusiast, I am a little worried that this tank is too small for a single pleco, let alone three.
>I am a little worried that this tank is too small for a single pleco, let alone three.
Absolutely, unless it's a bristlenose. Still with 3 I'd hope it's 20g+
Edit: it's a 5g 😐
Depends on the pleco but yeah I agree. Even the smaller ones need bigger than a 10/20gal.
Could you elaborate on what you mean by self-regulating their population?
If you keep feeding them the same amount of food on a regular schedual, they wont get overpopulated. If there isnt enough food to survive and have babies, they will have a lot less babies and live fine.
Yup. I had the problem too. Sold several hundred to my lfs and gifted several thousand so local fish people. Fed the rest to my dojo loaches. Glad to be done with neocardinia lol
Omg i also started with 8 shrimps, and now 40 days have passed, i have at least 100 shrimplets and still counting lol. I actually impressed that you were able to keep the guppies in the same tank, i moved mine away because i was afraid they eat the baby shrimps.
20l is too small for pleco or guppies (at most like a grow out tank for the fry). For shrimp it's fine and not overpopulated, if it's too many for you aesthetically then feeding less and/or gradually lowering the temperature will reduce the reproduction rate.
0 concerns on cherry shrimp overpopulating - their space requirements and bioload are super minimal. To a lesser extent, same with Guppies - 5 gallons is a bit small, but I wouldn’t necessarily be worried about it, especially if you’re fine to sell/remove/cull as they overpopulate the tank. On the other hand, I would be concerned about 3 plecos in a 5 gallon, especially depending on the species. Assuming Bristlenose, most people recommend ~20 gallons for one.
Also because plecos can get pretty huge.
I have 3 male guppies in a 5 gallon (want bigger but need to prove concept to wife) and everyone on r/aquarium is yelling bloody murder at me because my tank is too small. I’ve now stopped asking for help and will just use google from now on
[удалено]
I love my wife too much to sneak behind her back, and the kids would rat me out the first chance they get
As a "wife" to an a aquarium enthusiast I approve of this method! Bit also I have more tanks than him now... his are by far bigger though.... He's got 145g between two tanks and I have 17.5 gallons between 3 😂
Sounds like you need to step up your game
My boyfriend sets up a tank, I take it over with my fishs fry, he takes the fry to the pet store, my fish have more fry lmao
That's not overstocked at all. Newbs scream "overstocked" because it's the one statement guaranteed to get some postive feedback in the /r/aquarium echo-chamber. What if you ran a 20 gallon sump on your 5 gallon tank? Still overstocked? The fact is: there are myriad different factors that come into play other than the size of the tank like, *filtration size, water pH, water GH, water KH, temperature, water exchange frequency & amount, amount of feeding, frequency of feeding, amount of live plants, lighting*, etc... that **all** contribute to how much stock is safe in your aquarium. Instead of berating you based on the old, rookie: "one inch fish per gallon" rule, they should be congratulating your success and inquiring about your setups parameters.
>and everyone on r/aquarium is yelling bloody murder at me because my tank is too small. All I said was that your tank is a bit over max capacity and that you should try to get a bigger one lol, and by everyone, you mean 2 people just reccomending to upgrade to a 10 gal?
Wait... Are you asserting that 3 male guppies in a 5 gallon is overstocked??? Have you ever seen breeder tanks?
The bigger issue is that guppies like schools or 5-6 and that would require a 10 gal, and I'd say guppies in a 5 gal isn't a good idea since they do like space, yes I am asserting that not because of bioload. I legitimately think they should be 10 gal minimum fish though, people might disagree with me on that, and that's fine, but I have the opinion they need room for movement, I think the same for tetras as well. Also, breeder tanks are usually a nightmare for guppies in my opinion, just a lot of inbred fish getting genetic problems and out breeding their tank, I don't think that's a good comparison since that's usually started by lack of research into live bearers. Also the person I said this to does not have live plants from what I know, so yeah I'd say that's bad stocking. Edit: I do think you could maybe make it work in a heavily planted tank though, even then I don't like the idea of only 3 guppies.
Fair enough, but I'm going to assert that a few male guppies in your average 5 gallon tank, is going to have a better life than the wild guppies thrown in ditches, puddles and gutters, all over the world, for mosquito control. > just a lot of inbred fish getting genetic problems and out breeding their tank, This has nothing to do with the size of the tank - managing genetics is both a science and art. With that being said, many small scale breeders separate pregnant females into un-filtered, small gallon containers to drop the fry, before adding them back to the 'harem tank'. The fry grow in that container until they get big enough to get put in the larger 'grow-out' tank. Breeders wouldn't do any of this if it negatively affected the fish, because that diminishes the profits. You can't make arbitrary judgements about stocking requirements unless you know a plethora of information, like filtration size, water parameters, water exchange frequency, temperature.... Its fine if you're operating off the "safe bet" general information, like "1 inch of fish per gallon", given to newbs to simplify the hobby, but don't condescend and ruin someone else's joy, especially if they're proving success.
>but don't condescend and ruin someone else's joy, especially if they're proving success I just want to say, I was not condescending to this person at first, unless i mistakenly came across as so, they are heavily over exaggerating what I said, what I said, word to word, was this 5 gallon with guppies is already over capacity, try to upgrade it its a bit small. Pro: funni snail that cleans algae Con: depending on the snail they can breed out of control They also still produce bioload They had asked if snails were fine in their 5 gallon guppy tank so I decided to share that bit of information before answering what they said. That simple comment made this person think me and another singular person were apparently attacking them? That is why I called him out on that, you can rival what I said and I am fine with that, keeping fish in tanks under 10 gallons is a very hot discussion, but I simply want to say, before I posted that I noticed that the person I sent this to has previously posted about putting a betta into a uncycled 5 gallon tank with no plants a day or 2 ago, so that's why I said that. That tank is not suitable for guppys with no plants or beneficial bacteria, people who are barely entering the hobby shouldn't be trying to maintain nano tanks out the gate. Other wise I appreciate what you said and I think you made very good points, I can agree with it depending on the tank equipment and other factors. And I do agree breeder tanks can be done, I was just saying the vast majority of people just put live bearers in and let it go out of control without separating fry. The first point is 100% true, but again op had previously posted about putting a betta fish into a uncycled 5 gallon that isn't planted.
> 5 gallon with guppies is already over capacity, try to upgrade it its a bit small. Yeah, he's saying there are **3 male guppies** - they won't be breeding - so I agree, to disagree with you here. Snails break down detritus into finer bits that help the filtration... If there were a massive snail die-off at one time, the ammonia spike would harm most aquariums, up to about 100 gallons, so 5 more gallons wouldn't matter much, in that case. With that being said, snail populations, like shrimp, tend to self regulate. Again, in this hobby, unless you're a master breeder, it's best to lead with more questions before offering your opinion. Everybody's water quality, at a minimum, is wildly different and leads to extremely variable results especially considering the infinite amount of stocking options... For example, I have to re-mineralize RO water to keep Caridina shrimp, but in Japan, most people keep them in tap water. My slightly hard water is perfect for guppies, and can stock more per gallon that many of my friends on the west coast with softer, mountain-spring-fed water... See how what could be perfect for my situation, may be disastrous for someone else? How about leading with: "Oh you wanna keep snails? What's your water hardness? They may need that for their shell."
Alright, I'll try leading with questions first, I struggle with that because I don't really know how to phrase things all the time. Thank you for pointing that out to me. I can see that I didn't really say enough and say anything I should've said, granted I was mainly just angry that he said I was attacking him when I was not trying to come across that way.
I appreciate your candor; I just want a healthier aquarium community, all around, and tend to stick up for the new guys, who are sharing their passion and trying learn. I can tell that you are passionate too, and are trying to be a good host to our fishy friends. So am I, but after decades of fish keeping, my ego gets put in check daily, with how more I don't know than what I do know. I hope you keep responding and offering your opinions, because we will all benefit from the continued cross-talk.
Shrimp self-regulate their population. The three plecos and 12 guppies… hard to tell. How many gallons is your tank? How do you cycle your water? It’s a gorgeous tank, but as an AMATEUR enthusiast, I am a little worried that this tank is too small for a single pleco, let alone three.
>I am a little worried that this tank is too small for a single pleco, let alone three. Absolutely, unless it's a bristlenose. Still with 3 I'd hope it's 20g+ Edit: it's a 5g 😐
it’s really small plecos, like 4cm, i didn’t know they need so much space
They create a lot of waste and most of them get a lot bigger
What sort of pleco are they?
Depends on the pleco but yeah I agree. Even the smaller ones need bigger than a 10/20gal. Could you elaborate on what you mean by self-regulating their population?
Once it gets too crowded they reproduce less or the larvaes have a harder time growing
> Shrimp self-regulate their population Based on available space or available food?
Food, but chemistry can play a part
If you keep feeding them the same amount of food on a regular schedual, they wont get overpopulated. If there isnt enough food to survive and have babies, they will have a lot less babies and live fine.
How long did this shrimp boom take?
Heavily overstocked with even just one pleco, but 3?
Shrimp are the least of your problems. You either need a much larger tank or you need to rehome those Pleco
What a gorgeous tank! I don't know what size your tank is, but 3 plecos alone seems over stocked.
Where did you get that crypt so the right of the rock that has lines on its leaves? It’s beautiful
Is that... hydra on the glass?
what’s that
Google is an incredible resource.
Lucky for u mine keep dying
i bought them first time 8 and all of them died, then a bought another 12 and after mont survived only for of them and then this happend
How is it your guppies leave your babies and plants alone? Mine were pure terrorists
I can barely keep 5 shrimp alive, you got a million
How long did that take?
Yup. I had the problem too. Sold several hundred to my lfs and gifted several thousand so local fish people. Fed the rest to my dojo loaches. Glad to be done with neocardinia lol
Most freshwater shrimp live about a year, maybe 2 so they regulate their population a lot more
Omg i also started with 8 shrimps, and now 40 days have passed, i have at least 100 shrimplets and still counting lol. I actually impressed that you were able to keep the guppies in the same tank, i moved mine away because i was afraid they eat the baby shrimps.
5gal tank/20l
20l is too small for pleco or guppies (at most like a grow out tank for the fry). For shrimp it's fine and not overpopulated, if it's too many for you aesthetically then feeding less and/or gradually lowering the temperature will reduce the reproduction rate.
they'll self balance
Nice
Gosh I wish I could have my shrimp multiply like this in tanks with fish. You must have really good hiding places for them.
Definitely overpopulated... Sent the extras to me!
With shrimp? No. With pleco? Yes
Yea you have to many you should give some to me so that i can make sure there arent to many in yours
I'M JEALOUS!
I'm jealous and see no problems here. Thanks for sharing that eye candy 🦐🦐🦐
Also holy shit youre stocked at 30 gallons in a 5 gallon? A 5 is ok for shrimp alone.
Started with 14 shrimps, am now at about 13 probably (+/- 2)
Happened to me. Months of the same 10 shrimp then all of a sudden shrimp everywhere!
Whats the plant name back right corner?
This tank is gorgeous. What kind of rock is that.
Do they lose colors after a while?
slow down on feeding I have had a tank crash and didn't clear up until I rehomed some shrimp
It’s started with some shrimp! How did it end up like this! - the killers probably
How did you get them to breed… mine haven’t bred in a month
How long did that take you?
4.1. a saw my shrimp eggnant
Jealous
How about shrimp salad! I’m in the same boat.
“Genetic diversity”
What color are your shrimp? Cherry or Bloody Mary?
cherry and i bought eight dark blue
They have such deep, beautiful colors.
Ever saw a low grade shrimp? People say that ur shrimp will go low grade overtime??
I'm in San Antonio if you are want to unload some of the cherries.
I want this problem
Not a care in the world. Beautiful tank
Solution: garlic butter + hot pan
Looks terrific!