Stocking plan

Plan a freshwater tank stocking

Set volume, add species with the numbers you actually plan to keep, and get a conservative verdict for the whole stocking — bioload, group size, zone crowding, and multi-species conflicts, not a single pair in isolation. Use the editor first; the planning notes below explain why a pairwise match still needs a tank-level check.

Shared plan · RISKY

Tank volume is below published minima for at least one species — shop size is not adult swimming space. Review supporting points next, then re-run the check.

Primary issue: Tank volume is below published minima for at least one species — shop size is not adult swimming space. Hard conflicts on file (water, pairing, size, or bettas) — resolve red items before fine-tuning decor or food. 8 fish across 3 species in 250L. Shared temperature 22–25°C. Stocking: balanced (load index 147 vs ref 250). 2 high-severity pairing flag(s).

Denison's / red-line torpedo barbBala / silver sharkBristlenose Pleco

Tank preview250L · 8 fish

6× Denison's / red-line torpedo barb1× Bala / silver shark1× Bristlenose Pleco

Your stock

Denison's / red-line torpedo barb

12cm · peaceful · 250L min

Bala / silver shark

35cm · peaceful · 500L min

Bristlenose Pleco

15cm · peaceful · 80L min

VerdictRISKY

Tank volume is below published minima for at least one species — shop size is not adult swimming space. Review supporting points next, then re-run the check.

Score 7/100·Confidence low·Hard conflicts (size, water, pairing)

One or more species profiles are only partially verified or need verification — treat numbers as planning guidance, not guarantees. At least one species has ID or trade-name ambiguity on file — plan for a typical trade example, not every shop label. Elevated risk verdict — we bias toward safety; your reading of specialist sources still matters.

Pair compatibility for any two species · Fish library

Critical problems

Bala / silver shark needs about 500L minimum for adult size (~35cm) and normal swimming space — your 250L tank is below that. Shop size is not adult size.
Denison's / red-line torpedo barb + Bala / silver shark: Denison's / red-line torpedo barb + Bala / silver shark: Tank may be too small. Denison's / red-line torpedo barb and Bala / silver shark together need at least 500 litres. Your tank is 250 litres. Real tanks add variables Fishori cannot model; treat this as a high-risk read, not certainty.
Bala / silver shark + Bristlenose Pleco: Bala / silver shark + Bristlenose Pleco: Tank may be too small. Bala / silver shark and Bristlenose Pleco together need at least 500 litres. Your tank is 250 litres. Real tanks add variables Fishori cannot model; treat this as a high-risk read, not certainty.

Warnings

Bala / silver shark does best in groups of 5+; you have 1.

Water overlap

What every fish can share at the same time

Shared temperature: 22–25°C

Shared pH: 6.5–7.5

Shared temperature range for all species: 22–25°C.

Shared pH window: 6.5–7.5.

Stocking pressure

balanced

Load index 147 vs conservative reference 250 for 250L (adult cm × quantity × bioload weight × territory factor).

Swim-zone distribution

Fish-weighted zone use — top 3.5, middle 3.5, bottom 1.0 (relative biomass per level).

top 4

middle 4

bottom 1

Fish are spread across top, middle, and bottom zones reasonably for a community layout.

Compatibility summary

Species pairing: avoid

critical· other

Denison's / red-line torpedo barb + Bala / silver shark: Denison's / red-line torpedo barb + Bala / silver shark: Tank may be too small. Denison's / red-line torpedo barb and Bala / silver shark together need at least 500 litres. Your tank is 250 litres. Real tanks add variables Fishori cannot model; treat this as a high-risk read, not certainty.
Bala / silver shark + Bristlenose Pleco: Bala / silver shark + Bristlenose Pleco: Tank may be too small. Bala / silver shark and Bristlenose Pleco together need at least 500 litres. Your tank is 250 litres. Real tanks add variables Fishori cannot model; treat this as a high-risk read, not certainty.

Pairs checked: 3 · RISKY pair flags: 2 · CAUTION: 0

Fix this setup

Grouped by scenario — work through each block in order

Volume & minimum tank

1.Increase tank size to at least 500L, or remove Bala / silver shark from this stocking plan.

Schooling & group sizes

1.Add more Bala / silver shark to reach at least 5 individuals, or remove the species.

Species pairing & temperament

1.Clear each unsafe species pair by removing or replacing one side — do not stock while red compatibility flags remain.

Suggested swaps

Single-biome community: e.g. soft-water South Americans together (tetras + corydoras + small gourami) — run the pair tool for every add-on.
Species or centrepiece tank: one main species (or one compatible pair group) in a right-sized aquarium with dither fish from the same water profile — not random continent mixing.
Where a pleco is the volume problem, consider bristlenose pleco instead of common pleco for sub-200L plans.

Beginner difficulty

advanced

Includes intermediate species — stable parameters matter.
Serious compatibility or tank-size issues — not a beginner layout until resolved.

Schooling / group size

Bala / silver shark does best in groups of 5+; you have 1.

Fish behaviour varies. Fishori gives conservative planning guidance based on adult size, temperament, tank size and common aquarium care sources.

Loading tank editor…