Am I over stocked

[T1KARMANN]

I have seen so many am I over stock threads lately

I don't mean to sound harsh but let's be fair the owner\keeper of the tank is the only person who can say for sure if it's over stocked or not

You should be able to stand back and look at the tank and see if it's over stocked or not or even pull out your test kit to see if your water is suffering

Some types of fish even need to be over stocked like some cichlids

I don't think anyone should take someone else opinion on stock levels

 

[josh7]

I disagree with you. Some people don't know because you can't tell me a brand new fish owner goes out and buys a 55 gallon. Then adds 2 oscars and 6 yellow labs all at 1 inch it's not looking overstocked is it? That's why they ask though for long run purposes because sometimes people have all those 1 inch fish and want to know about their tank stocking levels when they grow.

 

[Cynic]

I have seen so many am I over stock threads lately

I don't mean to sound harsh but let's be fair the owner\keeper of the tank is the only person who can say for sure if it's over stocked or not

You should be able to stand back and look at the tank and see if it's over stocked or not or even pull out your test kit to see if your water is suffering

Some types of fish even need to be over stocked like some cichlids

I don't think anyone should take someone else opinion on stock levels

That's just wrong. If you're unaware of how big fish grow or how territorial they are then that's not going to inherently show up on a test kit.

 

[Candi1990]

I disagree with you. Some people don't know because you can't tell me a brand new fish owner goes out and buys a 55 gallon. Then adds 2 oscars and 6 yellow labs all at 1 inch it's not looking overstocked is it? That's why they ask though for long run purposes because sometimes people have all those 1 inch fish and want to know about their tank stocking levels when they grow.

What if the owner knows he will expand one day.... It's not over stocked "at the moment" until they outgrow the tank right?

 

[josh7]

That's what I'm saying what if they don't know and they are just asking about their tank. The OP is stating you should just know if its overstocked that's why I threw out that example saying people do this then ask if their tank will be overstocked in the future.

 

[josh7]

Simple as that its just beginners looking for advice no reason to make a thread bashing newbies.

 

[twiddlemuffin]

I disagree with having to look back and know if your tank is overstocked. I believe if your levels stay good and you're very up on your water changes and everybody gets along, overstocking is okay. My tank is like 165% overstocked but I follow all of those and everything is great and thriving.

 

[Wy Renegade]

Some types of fish even need to be over stocked like some cichlids

Yeah, sorry but no. There is a big difference between can be and need to be, and cichlids do not need to be overstocked. They can be, but they don't need to be.

 

[Khuligirl93]

People who are new to the hobby or who are not familiar with a fish species they just bought are probably not the best judge of their tank stocking because they may not know the bioload or potential adult size of their fish.
I also disagree that standing back and looking at a tank is a good way to tell stocking. If a person has fish with a very high bioload, an overstocked tank for example a 20g with 4 goldfish could look pretty empty. And if a tank has a lot of bottom feeders such as plecos, it would appear to be more empty (which could be interpreted as under stocked) when in fact plecos have an enormous bioload.

 

[twiddlemuffin]

^agreed. Having like 60 neon tetras alone in a 55 may look over stocked, but it probably isn't considering their bioload is so small. Having 5 goldfish in a 60 will look understocked but is infant way overstocked.

 

[T1KARMANN]

What if the owner knows he will expand one day.... It's not over stocked "at the moment" until they outgrow the tank right?

Your right with upgrading

Say a red tail catfish needs a 2000 gal tank at full size

No one is going to buy a 3" red tail and put it in the 2000 on its own

 

[T1KARMANN]

That's what I'm saying what if they don't know and they are just asking about their tank. The OP is stating you should just know if its overstocked that's why I threw out that example saying people do this then ask if their tank will be overstocked in the future.

Yes you should know

Anyone who goes out and buys a fish without finding out its adult size shouldn't be keeping fish

The same with the id my fish please threads if you don't know what a fish is you shouldn't be buying it
Also the shop you got it from should have told you what it is before you purchased it

 

[Cynic]

Yes you should know

Anyone who goes out and buys a fish without finding out its adult size shouldn't be keeping fish

The same with the id my fish please threads if you don't know what a fish is you shouldn't be buying it
Also the shop you got it from should have told you what it is before you purchased it

Agreed but it's the normal timeline of fish keeping.

Decide you want a tank
Stock it with all the fish in the world
Your fish die or look sick so you come here looking for help
You get informed/berated for your ridiculous stocking
You either stubbornly scream your fish are happy or you take the advice on the chin and begin to treat the hobby with the respect it deserves

That's not going to change no matter how much we wish it would

 

[Jmunroe]

I have seen so many am I over stock threads lately

I don't mean to sound harsh but let's be fair the owner\keeper of the tank is the only person who can say for sure if it's over stocked or not

You should be able to stand back and look at the tank and see if it's over stocked or not or even pull out your test kit to see if your water is suffering

Some types of fish even need to be over stocked like some cichlids

I don't think anyone should take someone else opinion on stock levels

This is just an incorrect statement. Anybody that's been in this hobby as long as some of us have can tell you whether your tank is overstocked or not by giving your tank size and stocking. It's not about "looking at the tank to see if it looks that way". Wow I hope new members continue to listen to correct advice and not something like this. A lot of new members to the hobby look at a tank and if they see swimming space they think they're fine simply because they are ignorant to what is required and simply don't understand yet things like keeping different fish together or the nitrogen cycle. And yes they should do research before they buy bit that's not the reality we live in and we all know LFS's do not give good advice at all.

 

[plecostomuch]

@t1k. Let's talk. You mention that you should be able to see if the tank is overstock by observation and of course your eyes are invaluable for gathering information but sometimes when you stand so close to something you are unable to see. ponder this scenario imagine you lived in a dump your entire life and you never left it you would think it's pretty great but as soon as you left your house and you looked over at your neighbors you would see that people can live much differently. Without comparing yourself to the rest you will never know that there is a better way.

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[enrgizerbunny]

This is like complaining about to many "am I cycled?" threads in the getting started section. One person posts a stocking thread, then another reads, thinks of their own tank, posts a thread, etc

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[TXaggie]

I think whoever mentioned that the usual method of getting into fish keeping is to get a tank first then put a bunch of inappropriate fish in it hit the nail on the head.

I've worked vet clinics most of my life, and sadly poor education before acquiring a pet is the norm. Doesn't matter whether it's a dog, cat, horse, or an aquarium by and large people will go out and get started without understanding what they're getting into. People will buy a purebred chihuahua and be abhorred that they have to have dental cleanings done every 6 months. People will get 3 cats and then not understand why they have inappropriate elimination issues when they have 1 litter box between the 3 cats that they clean every 3 or 4 days. People by a 10 gallon aquarium and put a comet and a betta in it and find out the hard way it won't work.

Honestly, the overstocking thread and threads like it about cycling are very similar to questions that I spent most of my time answering as a vet technician about nutrition, proper care, and health of pets. For fish keepers, they don't have a vet and many stores that sell aquariums and equipment are equally uneducated or sadly in it just to make a buck. Where do they turn? To sources like this forum where people really care about their aquariums and are willing to take the time to help them get started the right way or to fix the myriad of issues that have come up from starting the wrong way.

On a side note, I ask stocking questions as a fairly new aquarist because to me it is one of the hardest questions to answer. For someone like yourself, T1, who has been keeping fish for many years with great success it is a easy question. For many of is its hard. Honestly just trying to answer your question, as I feel that it's an important one. Although as an experienced horse keeper I can tell you all the signs of founder to look for and a battery of first steps to treat it, I wouldn't expect someone new to the game to know. And everyone on here is volunteer, not getting compensated for the time they spend working with fish newbies. I personally am grateful for all the help and advice I've received as people have saved my butt from a lot of beginner mistakes.

So I agree for an experienced aquarist you may not need stocking advice, but for all us who are not as experienced it's truly helpful!

 

[josh7]

Exactly and if you are brand new and no nothing to fish then how would you know their mad size? How would you know their requirements people just beginning this hobby usually buy a tank add water add fish. @t1karmann

 

[Candi1990]

Exactly and if you are brand new and no nothing to fish then how would you know their mad size? How would you know their requirements people just beginning this hobby usually buy a tank add water add fish. @t1karmann

Agree. It's what I did. But this is the place to learn better!!!!

 

[T1KARMANN]

This is like complaining about to many "am I cycled?" threads in the getting started section. One person posts a stocking thread, then another reads, thinks of their own tank, posts a thread, etc

Sent from my SCH-I435 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

Exactly why do we see so many problems with cycle

It take 10 mins to read all the other cycle threads to get the info you need but much longer to post a new thread asking the same stuff that has already been asked over and over again