Maximum critter load for a 2 gallon tank?

[Logic316]

Hi folks,

I just set up a 2 gallon freshwater aquarium and I'm wondering how much
wildlife it can support and what other kinds of creatures I can place in
it that will get along with the existing inhabitants. I want a lot of
variety, but without running the risk of overstocking it.

It currently has:

1 male betta fish
1 adult ramshorn snail
1 tiny baby snail that just hatched
1 ghost shrimp
Watercress and other types of live plants

I am using an oversized Aquaclear 150 overhead power filter designed to
handle up to a 30 gallon aquarium, using both the activated carbon and
ammonia-absorbing Zeolite cartridges, and I change about 20% of the
water every week so keeping the water pure is certainly no problem. I
also just did an oxygen concentration test, which shows a good 8 PPM at
a temperature of 81 degrees.

Thanks for any tips! :-)

- Logic316


"A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring
one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their
own pursuits of industry and improvement."
-- Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural address - 1801

[Lilly]

You are in the goldfish area, a subgroup of rec.aquaria.freshwater. But
I can answer this for you. In the future, you'd want to head over to
rec.aquaria.freshwater

The 2G tank is currently at it's maximum with that betta and snail. If
you want a tank with lots of variety an dplants, something 29G or
larger would be required to house fish that like to school (like
tetras) along with some algae patrol critters.

Lilly

[Reel Mckoi]

"Logic316" > wrote in message
...
> I am using an oversized Aquaclear 150 overhead power filter designed to
> handle up to a 30 gallon aquarium, ........
====================
This would be excessive "current" for a 2 gallon tank.
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
My Pond Page http://tinyurl.com/cuq5b
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

[Logic316]

Reel Mckoi wrote:
> "Logic316" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>I am using an oversized Aquaclear 150 overhead power filter designed to
>>handle up to a 30 gallon aquarium, ........
>
> ====================
> This would be excessive "current" for a 2 gallon tank.


Not at all. My power filter is fully adjustable so I turned the current
down very low. And my betta and ghost shrimp love playing under the
waterfall :-)

- Logic316


"History teaches that wars begin when governments believe the price of
aggression is cheap."
-- Ronald Reagan

[NanK]

You are at capacity.

My bettas (6 individual males - 2 females, housed separately in 2 gal
aquaria) ATE my ghost shrimp when they shed their outer skins....(sigh!)

n

[Elaine T]

NanK wrote:
> You are at capacity.
>
> My bettas (6 individual males - 2 females, housed separately in 2 gal
> aquaria) ATE my ghost shrimp when they shed their outer skins....(sigh!)
>
> n

I had a similar experience. I had an Amano shrimp in with a
particularly aggressive betta, and he chased the shrimp clear out of the
tank after it moulted. Be sure your shrimp has a cave that's too small
for the betta!

--
Elaine T __
http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><
rec.aquaria.* FAQ http://faq.thekrib.com

[Logic316]

Elaine T wrote:
> NanK wrote:
>
>> You are at capacity.
>>
>> My bettas (6 individual males - 2 females, housed separately in 2 gal
>> aquaria) ATE my ghost shrimp when they shed their outer skins....(sigh!)
>>
>> n
>
>
> I had a similar experience. I had an Amano shrimp in with a
> particularly aggressive betta, and he chased the shrimp clear out of the
> tank after it moulted. Be sure your shrimp has a cave that's too small
> for the betta!


Yeah, I've been trying to make a little "safe house" for the ghost
shrimp with some rocks, but it's kind of tough because that betta's
pretty curious and even with all the space available for him in the
tank, he deliberately seeks out and enters the tiniest crevices.

- Logic316


"Conservative: a statesman who is enamoured of existing evils, as
distinguished from the Liberal, who wishes to replace them with others."