Approx how many in 48 gallon tank

Hi I'm from Sydney Australia. I have a standard 4 feet fish tank which currently hold approx 48 gallons' or 220 litres of water. I have got 6 common bristlenose atm which are approx 5 cm in size. I was wondering how many little ones I could get to exist comfortably in that size tank. I'm thinking about to say get 30 then sell of as they pair of and maybe get 8 pairs. Will that be to much. Also what other fish would you recommend to exist with them. Finally should the tank be densily planted. Cheers Guys Hus

I think that is too many (30) the bio-load would be huge! these guys are pigs LOL

I would sit at maybe 10-15?

I have the same tank (220l) and have 5 adults and 4 juvies in mine & clean it out 2x weekly or it is overloaded by the weekend....

Good luck

When I say 30 I mean in little ones approx size is 5cm. Then when they reach adult size start to reduce till I can get say 8 pairs which will be 16 total. Hope that makes sense. Also would you recommend it to be fully planted and what else could exist with Bristlenose. I was thinking guppies and cheery shrimps.

30 juvies would be fine with regular waterchanges, 30 adults would overload... this is just my opinion

Ok so when you say regular water change how much should I change and how often. I'm thinking of getting 30 as dont no the sexes of them and then to go down to 8 breeding pairs or maybe 8 females and 4 males.

I make sure to do 2 25% water changes per week on my somewhat overstocked tanks, but I have noticed that their growth rate is slowed.
I have not been breeding Bn for long though. Have grown them to saleable size (3 month) at 1 fish/gallon. Am in a panic to sell them by that time however.

This is probably the most asked, best question in fishkeeping with the most answers... how many, how much, and how often. There are as many answers as people on this forum. Many people would be loathe to answer as every person will have a different opinion. My advice would be to find the answer that is somewhere in the middle, perhaps on the more cautious end and start from there.

What works for one person will not necessarily work for another. There is an import ban in Australia which makes finding the best fish stock very difficult, mortality rates vary as some people think the average is likely 20-25% in Australia. Here in Canada the laws are much more lax on imports therefore we get wild stock more readily and personally I have a 1% mortality rate... it;s not because I am better at keeping fish... I've been at it less than a year. I believe the water quality may play a factor as well, here in Canada we have some of the best in the world. Please don't take offence to my previous statement, as it is merely my opinion. My fish are at breeding age at aproximately 5-5.2cm.

Bn are likely the biggest waste producers per inch, probably double the average of most species.

So, make your own decision based on the varying answers you get here is my best advice, likely go with what works in your country. Doug is probably the best person to get your advice from, as he literally wrote the book on this subject.

Jeff is right. There is no set rule on this.

The first thing that makes a big difference to this is your filter setup. If you had a simple cansiter on a 4ft then 30 5cm bristlenose will need water changes every other day. If you have a bigger filter or multiple filters then you need less changes. For example my main tank has, in terms of bottom dwellers, 6 various longfin bristlenose, trio of peppermints, whiptail cat and a goldspot pleco. On that tank i have 2x eheim 2217 canisters which is double what is needed for a tank that size. This keeps the water sweeter for longer so i can get away with one change a week. My grow out tank has a giant canister on it as well as multiple sponge filters. Again, well over filtered which means it is very stable.

So, the first question is what filter setup do you have?

The second thing I want to ask is where are you going to get the stock from? if you get them from a single shop of single breeder then the chances are you are going to have all brothers and sisters. I'm sure you dont want to breed them, but its something that a lot of people dont think about. Selling breeding pairs raised from a single spawn is not a good idea, you will end up with some seriously annoyed buyers. I know i have returned fish to private sellers and got my money back cos they were siblings.

The final thing is that you are aiming to get 8 breeding pairs in the one tank? in a standard 4ft tank i recommend at most 3 mature males. this is to stop the fights between them. the males will fight if there is too many of them and only a few hiding places.

I have quite a few breeding pairs and they have all been found by buying individuals from different places, often interstate.

Ok well atm I have an Orca 4 stage canister filter which cycles 1500 litres and I'm thinking or running 2 of theses same filters. I am also thinking of running a couple of sponge filters as well. So you recommend to start of with an unrelated pair.

So then would you say possibly 2 males to 4 females would be ok for me atm and all unrelated it that what you are suggesting. Or what's the maximum females you would put to 1 male.

I think a 2:4 is fine, you want the boys to be able to rest sometime

i would suggest unrelated yes, you get a better success rate with the fry and a small chance of any defects

Would the dominant male serve all 4 or would they maybe pair up with 2 females each or could 1 male take 3 females. So what should I do just get 2 males 4 females and let them all go in the tank and hope for the best lol.

I have 2 males & 3 females at the moment in a 4fter and am just letting them go for it. ( and some juvies)

I have had them maybe 4 weeks now & the females are starting to plump up and the males are starting to "claim" territory (mostly over the food LOL)

I currently have a 1000lph external filter & a 1400lph internal in my tank (just added the 1400) they are all loving the new current & extra bubble & are swimming around & chasing eachother madly

Could you explain to me your internal filter what that is. So would my 2 x 1400 litres sorry not 1500 litres Orca 4 stage external filter as well as a couple of air filters be ok for my tank. Also if I get say 6 fresh water oysters to keep tank cleaner and fresher would I still need to do 2 x 25% water change a week.

mine is a ninestar NSF 802 - 1400lph internal sponge/canister filter

the 2 filters & few air filters will be fine, i would maybe skip on the oysters though. the BNs will do a good job of keeping the tank clean, you will just have to siphon the bottom every few days to scoop the poop

I am anal about my parameters in my tank so you may be able to escape with 1 25% change. But the more fish you have the more you have to attend to them

What's the thank you points . How do I give them out or can I give them out.

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