Too Many Fish?

I have a 29 gallon with 3 platys, 4 guppies, 7 neon tetras, and a pair of common Kribensis. I want to add a pair of Apistogramma Cacatuoides. I have many hiding places, and 60 gallons exactly of filtration. I was wondering if I could because of aggression problems, overstocking, etc. I would be willing to give up my neons to get them. What do you guys think?

The schooling fish will not be an issue. I'd be more concerned over the two pairs of cichlids having words, but in a 29, it may work. Just have to give it a shot.

Krib >> Apisto.

In my opinion, you can't put two territorial-if-breeding pairs of cichlids in a 29. it's not a matter of hiding places or overstocking or filter capacity. It's a matter of footprint. Kribs can get very nasty if they have babies to protect, as can apistos.

Cool. What about overstocking?

My female patrols a small territory, and is not aggressive much. Only to the male the last breeding session.

I wouldn't do it. You'll end up with one of the pairs getting bullied, more likely the apistos.

If I were you, I'd be on the look out for a double stand with the 30"x12" footprint. You can then stack the 29 on top of a 20long, which would be perfect for a pair of apistos. You can sell it to your folks that you aren't taking up any more room in the house with the fish tanks.

As far as your current stocking, you are probably okay. The schooling fish don't put that big of a bio load into the system. If you are using the "rating" of a filter as published by the manufacturer, those are usually rated without any media in them. Chances are that you are turning over a lot less water than you think. For me, I always tend to over filter. I run an AC70 and a medium sized sponge filter on my 29.

My mom still wouldn't let me. It's literally NO MORE TANKS. She is just too controlling.

Anybody want to trade my kribs for their apistos?

You should definitely overfilter. My 29g has an AC 110 and a sponge filter. My 75g has a fluval FX5 and a large sponge filter. It is just better for everyone to overfilter.

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