Overstocking: Bad?

[superpeytonm]

I'm just curious about overstocking. Is it super bad or is it not that bad? I know some species need to be overstocked to keep aggression down. So overstocking: bad or not so bad?


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

 

[mikem691]

Really depends on the species. Adult or fry. And tank maintaince.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[gilpi]

Again, depends on species. Example, I have an overstocked tank with African cichlids (mbuna) it works for these type of fish, not sure this can be done with most fish but you might be able to get away slightly overstocking more peaceful types of fish.
Be aware that with overstocking comes higher maintenance.


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

 

[Chuk]

Good answers. All the best tanks are over stalked and every amateur aquarists wants to have an overstocked tank. Most aquarists will always advise against it because they are judging your ability to deal with the problems that come with overstocking your tank. My filtration for my 60/55 gallon is over 700 gph. Overkill for a reason, its just way easier to maintenance and I can totally deal with over stocking by increasing water changes depending on how many fish I have. All it does is complicate the cycle of cleaning the tank out so actually you can overstock to a pretty ridiculous level if your fish get along and you can solve the waste problem.

 

[Mebbid]

Keep in mind that many people use extra filtration as a reason to be able to overstock their tanks. For all intents and purposes extra filtration means absolutely nothing. Whether you have a filter thats sized for your tank or 100 of those same filters on your tank the end result comes out the exact same.

There are 2 main problems with overstocking:
1. Nitrogen in the water. The more fish, the more you have to ceed, and the more nitrate is going to be pumped into the water. No amount of filtration is going to change that fact.

2. Overstocking means a higher chance of disease outbreak , especially gill flukes. This is particularly worrisome because nitrate has a direct impact on fish immune systems which tends to run higher in overstocked tanks.

So really this falls on you. In a heavily overstocked tank it might require 2 50% water changes a week with an accompanying high number of nitrate tests to keep an eye on levels. If you feel that youre up to it, then give it a try. Thats exactly what i did when i entered the hobby and it was a nightmare keeping the fish happy and levels down.

 

[Terrance]

Overstocking will equate to more polluted water. Ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are 3 of hundreds of pollutants in tank water. These other hundreds of pollutants are not easy to measure, so there are no hobby test kits for them. I treat my pets as if they are my kid. I wouldn't want my kid to live in a polluted area (air, land, water) because its bad for their growth, development, and lead to disease.

The best indicator of the total amount of pollution in tank water is by looking at nitrate. The higher the nitrate, the higher amount of total pollution. If you end up using any products or plants to decrease nitrate, then you are masking the actual amount of nitrate (total amount of pollution) in your water.

Overstocked tanks needs more maintenance and at least 50% water changes 1+ times weekly depending on nitrate levels. This is easy to do in the short-term, but is not something most hobbyist would want to do long-term.