how many fish

Question
How many fish will I be able to keep in my 14 (I think) gallon tank. I get conflictin advice some say 2 inches of fish per gallon and some say one.

I have 4 guppies at the moment. The tank has been set up for one month. I have 8 plants in it. I would like to get some neon tetra.

I have done 2 water changes. About 20% once a week for the last 2 weeks.

Also I am not sure how efficient my filter is it is an old fashioned type with a small waterfall. It has to be manually syphoned to make it go. The filter medium in it is a sort of small tray about 4 inches x 2 1/2inches it has carbon pieces in it and a thin piece of filter matierial  which is glued on so it looks like it will probably need replacing soon. I think it is an aqua one but i'm not sure.


Answer
Hi Sandra;

You are doing great with water changes and maintenance. Keep doing the weekly water changes from now on. That's what all tanks need - about a 25% water change once a week every week. Your tank may still need some time to fully break-in though before you can add more fish. Here is my web page about the break-in to help you know more about it;

http://www.xanga.com/Expert_Fish_Help

If you have a heater in the tank, you can have neons in there. They are tropical fish that need a consistent temperature of about 76f to 78f. If not, stick with cold water fish such as guppies, danios and white clouds. The problem is, your guppies will be having babies and will overstock the tank all by themselves very soon. Here are some web pages that reflect my opinions about stocking limits that will give you plenty of information to help you more;

http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/beginnerinfo/a/fishcalc.htm

http://www.firsttankguide.net/capacity.php

Good luck!

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins