# 30 gallon tank stocking question



## ckmclements (Jan 12, 2007)

I have a 30 gallon hex tank (2 ft. tall.) In the tank I currently have 10 neon tetras, 5 glo fish, 5 black skirt tetras, 2 swordtails, 2 yo yo loaches, and an african butterfly. 

We would like to have a bigger school of neons and maybe a few more glo fish, but don't want to risk overstocking the tank.

My question: can we get more neons and glo fish, and if so, how many?


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## petabread (Jun 6, 2009)

hey
yeah you can get some more neon tetras for sure! In my 29 gallon tank i have 28 fish ... dont even count the loaches as stock since their more of a bottom feeder ... and neon tetras are generally small... but the cichlid will get pretty big...yo id say maybe get some serpae tetras.. i have 6 and their orange colour really brightens up the aquarium... your choice though... good luck!


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## Fishin Pole (Feb 17, 2009)

Well the first thing i noticed about your setup is the african butterflyfish.......This is not a cichlid as stated by an earlier post, but this fish can reach 5 inches and will eat your smaller fish when it gets that large...........With the fish you have now in the tank, adding more fish will all depend on your filtration setup and your regular tank maintainance......Your really close to being stocked to capacity for your tank...........When figuring for stock, you must take all the fish into consideration, even bottom dwellers............They create waste like any other fish and some bottom dwellers are excessive in the amount of waste they produce............Adding serpae tetras could create a problem with the black skirts and their longer fins.............Serpaes are known for being fin nippers and the black skirts would be thier first target...............IMO, if your filtration is really good, i would add a few more (3 or 4) black skirts and then sit back and enjoy your tank!


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## petabread (Jun 6, 2009)

the african butterfly isnt a cichlid? really??
For 2 years now ive had 6 serpea tetras and 6 blackskirts ..with many other species of fish asweell... i never had a problemm... actually its funny i noticed at wal-mart if you check the 29 gallon tank box cover... the picture shows a tank mixed with serpea tetras and blackskirts ...


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## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

The ABF is not a cichlid. It is the only species in the family Pantodontidae within the order of Osteoglossiformes. (The internet is such a great reference tool!)


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

I concur with FishinPole's post all the way through. Would also add that the surface area has an impact on stocking; a 30g hex is tall which means a smaller surface area for the gaseous exchange. I wouldn't add more other than what FP suggests.

A note on the African Butterfly: how large is it now? I've had a pair of these previously, and they were in a tank of their own. When they get mature (at 4 inches), they will usually eat/catch any smallish fish (like neons) that get near the surface. If your neons start disappearing, suspect the Butterfly. And as others have correctly noted, it is not a cichlid. Pantodon buchholzi is the only species in the genus, and the only genus in the family, and is something of a post-prehistoric fish (which is my way of saying its quite unusual, and unique from most other aquarium fish).

A note on the serpae, if they are the true serpae, they can be very troublesome. Some authors say they calm down a bit if kept in very large groups, but not always. If they kept to their own species with their nipping, wouldn't be quite so bad, but they do tend to nip at anything around them. And before someone jumps in to say they have them and they don't, one must remember than a natural instinct in any fish can sometimes be dormant and suddenly come to life for whatever reason. Knowing what they are capable of, I would not mix them in a small group in a (relatively) small tank, with other fish. A group of 25 in a 100g tank probably wouldn't cause much trouble--but again they might.

[I see Kymmie beat me on the butterfly bit before i finished this, so no intention of upstaging. B.]


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## master robbo (Aug 3, 2009)

get more neons but try different types if you get any room


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