# How much is overstock



## Deathscythe617 (Mar 22, 2010)

I have a 16 gallon bow front aquarium. I currently have the conditions under control, and i have 5 zebra danios and 2 peppered cory catfish. I was wondering how many more fish i could have in the tank? I was planning on getting at least 5 cardinal tetras, would that be too much?


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## ladyonyx (Apr 20, 2009)

That should be fine. I'd also get a couple more corys; they do best in groups of 3 or more. Something cool to check out that actually works really well is the thread to the "Stocking Calculator" in the post at the top of this forum that you posted in. It's fairly accurate from what I've been able to tell. Give it a try and see what it recommends


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

totally fine, you could do 10-12 cardinals still and not have an issue pending you have a filter rated atleast for 40 gallons.


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## Deathscythe617 (Mar 22, 2010)

Thanks for the info, i'll be able to make the tank how i want it then! Oh, one more question, is it ok to mix Emerald green corys with the peppered, i mean, will this count as having more than 2, or would it be like 2 of each? 

So the question is, 2 more peppered corys, or can i get 2 greens to go with the peppers?


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## ladyonyx (Apr 20, 2009)

I personally would go with the same species, but I know lots of people who mix and say they get along great and school together. Peppered and greens would be just fine together


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

my corydoras are peppereds and greens, they interbreed and school together constantly, you dont see one species without the other being within view of the other one.
I like the same species but they do school together and a variety is nice.


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## Deathscythe617 (Mar 22, 2010)

Thanks for the info! I will be sure to think of that when i go to get them, depends on the sizes available, my peppered corys are quite small, and i wouldn't really want to mix in the greens if they are a large amount bigger than the peppers. Thanks!

I know i keep asking questions, but i have another. Since i want to soon make my tank have 5 Zebra danios and 4 corys, what other species could i add to make some color stand out in the tank. I was thinking of Cardinal Tetra, but i've heard that they are very sensitive, and i really would like to add something that is going to be hardy and not a hassle to keep alive. What would you suggest to add some color? 


Also one more question, Zebra Danios, what can be done when one of them seems to be singled out and kept isolated, they keep pushing him into this one corner of the tank and not allowing him to go anywhere else, i don't know what to do, i don't want him to die of stress? Any ideas?

Thanks for reading!


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

cardinals and neons are not sensitive. Ive cycled tanks with them before, I got over 5 dozen of them and havnt had one die from water conditions yet.
My ph is 6.8 others are fine, dosing dry ferts and Co2 so the levels do fluctuate but not enough to hurt a pod.

Means he is weak, he is the lowest fish of the group, basically the spud of the group, either give him away or put him in another tank.


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## Deathscythe617 (Mar 22, 2010)

Ok, thanks so much! Now i know that i can probably make my tank the way that i wanted it to be! Thank you so much!


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## Dmaaaaax (Nov 20, 2008)

I am kind of surprised no one asked or answered your question more specifically.

How "overstocked" your tank is depends on several factors. The fish number, fish size, feeding, plants, and water changes. They are right in that you can add more fish to your tank a be just fine, but the key question is how often you plan to do water changes and how much. As long as you can keep your nitrates below "x" ppm consistantly you are fine.

So questions for you are how often do you do water changes, how much water do you change, and will you have any live plants? 

Your fish type/size are fine for that tank size, so just don't over feed them. Overfeeding adds to the nitrate build up and would mean more water changes.


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## Deathscythe617 (Mar 22, 2010)

Ok, well, i plan on doing roughly a 35% or so water change a week. When i get it up to the amounts of fish i plan on getting, for now i do about a 20% or so water change, until i add the tetras, then i will do a larger one. I do have 4 plants in the tank, 3 of a grass, and one fern. Planning on getting another few plants as well! 

Thank you so much for the help!


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