Can I add A.cacatouides to this tank?

[Leipo]

In my 29g planted tank with the following inhabitants:
7 Paracheirodon axelrodi
5 Megalamphodus sweglesi
3 Corydoras sodalis
3 Otocinclus vittatus
5 Nannostomus eques
2 Mikrogeophagus ramirezi
3 Neocaridina sp.
1 Caridina japonica

I may be pushing my luck but I really love to have A.cacatouides in my tank.

waterparams:
PH around 7.2 - 7.5
KH = 6
GH = 7
NO2 = 0
NO3 = 0 - 5 (my plants use it all)
PO4 = 0 - 0.1

20% waterchange every sunday

 

[farm41]

I don't see a problem with that setup at all. Nice tank too.

 

[Leipo]

I thought maybe I had too many fish cramped into my tank

 

[farm41]

If it is still like the pic on your website, you have plenty of hiding places and lots of cover.

 

[aspen]

adding more fish to that tank would be too much for my liking. but, you could do it. i would change more water than you presently do, more fish = more maintenance. i would be doing 2 x 30% weekly. i prefer dwarf cichlids to gourami's.

VERY nice tank.

rick

 

[Leipo]

at the moment I have more cover than the last picture on my site.
and I do not have gourami's any more.

and more waterchanges: the plants use all the nitrates so it never goes above 5mg/l, what else is there that needs to be removed from my water that comes from the fish?

I am also in the process of upgrading my light and I will add a pressurised co2 system in a few weeks which will speed up my plantgrowth which will mean that my plants will use even more NO3 (I might even have to supplement NO3).

 

[aspen]

>>'and more waterchanges: the plants use all the nitrates so it never goes above 5mg/l, what else is there that needs to be removed from my water that comes from the fish?'

that is a question i would love answered. my experience: more water changes = better fish growth and health proven over and over.

it is possible to run a tank for months and months with NO waterchanges, and no climbing nitrates if your plants keep up with food uptake of the fish. for nitrate and phosphate removal, water changes in a co2 injected, high light tank are not necessary as you know. trying to raise a spawn in such a tank is a different story.

this has been a good topic for discussion on many forums. eventually it gets circular though.

rick

 

[2la]

and more waterchanges: the plants use all the nitrates so it never goes above 5mg/l, what else is there that needs to be removed from my water that comes from the fish?

Dissolved organics. These persist for months before being broken down by bacteria if they're not removed with water changes.

 

[Leipo]

I guess you can measure that with a TDS meter? or am I completely wrong on this?

 

[2la]

I'm not sure, but I don't think so. They may be electrically neutral and/or associated with colloids. I don't think TDS meters have the ability to detect such compounds; you'd need some type of biochemical assay.