How much fish?

After about 6/7 weeks of my tanks being set up, im preparing my water for fish. I added some PH buffer because it was a little low and then i added a nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia remover. So for the next couple of days i will be perfecting the water (in the 20 gallon sump and in the 20 gallon main tank).

My question is: if i have a 20 gallon tank with a 20 gallon sump, does that boost up the amount of fish i can put in the tank? how much fish do you recommend? Im talking about small fish like chromis, clownfish.... like that...

Thanks,
Ryan

 

woah woah woah one at a time

 

LOL!!! Dude, be patient;D!! You ask a solid question regarding the inclusion of the sump water in the total volume with regard to stocking. The answer is two fold, kind of a good news, bad news thang.

The answer is YES, the DT can sustain more life ITO maintaining oxygen availability by utililizing a sump. You have 40 gallons of water to hold and transfer O2 to livestock.

Until there is a power outage.

Then the sump is separated from the DT and, if you are carrying a really high bioload, the system will stress almost instantly. I mean, the fish won't die immediately, but you won't have a lot of time to react.

This is what the Petsmarts and Petcos do. You see all of these fish in small tanks hooked up to a huge sump in the back. That is how those fish live and don't suffocate. The sump's volume is included. Heaven forbid the power goes out in that situation and there is no one to react.

So, my final recommendation is NO. Don't rely on the sump for oxygen. Just for that reason.

Max I would recommend ITO inches is a total of seven inches in your 20g. Me? I am a one inch per four to five gallons, so I would only keep five inches max in there. However, in that regard, I am pretty conservative.

 

i completely understand with the power issue but just letting you know, my power hasn't gone out for more that 30 seconds since the "Black Out" WAY back in like, 01? 02? remember that? o thank god i didnt have a tank back then! i was way too young to have an interest though

 

Make sure your ammonia and nitrites stay at zero for a couple of weeks after you added these 'removers'. I would be worried you're not fully cycled yet and may still have some mini-cycle's left.


In any event, one fish at a time, added 2-3 weeks apart.

I agree on that size tank, you're looking at 5-9 inches of fish, max, depending on the fish. Maybe a single clown and a single firefish and a blenny or a goby. Maybe a chromi instead of the clown. Tons of options, but you'll want the less messy fish that don't get more than 4 inches fully grown.

Measure fish as if they were grown, not their current size.

 

you need to consider the activity level and territoriality of the fish. Some fish just need more room for themselves and away from other fish. There are other factors to consider besides water quality and O2 levels.

 

That's a great point! If you're not sure, you can look online to get the maximum size of the fish you're considering.