LittleParr
Aquarium Advice Activist
When purchasing fish for a saltwater tank, how do you know how big the fish will grow? What if they outgrow the tank?
fishfreek said:My definition of overstocked is very simple.
If all your pumps fail for a period of 12 or more hours will your fish sufficate due to lack of oxygen? If so your overstocked no mater how well your water conditions are when all your equipment is running.
With that said I also feel that 2-3 fish would be the max for a 20 gal tank. Given its a 20 long you can technicly get by with more fish than a 20 H because there is more surface area for gas exchange but you also must take into account the fish's agressivness as a factor when it comes to overcrowding.
I hold to the school of understocking. As an example I have a single yellow tail damsel in my 20H, a flame angel, bicolor damsel, yellow tang in my 75 and in my 80 a powder blue tang, coral beauty, hawk eye goby, and two yellow gobies. I have seen people have all those fish in a single 75 before. If your pumps work than they can live with out issues but if your pumps fail for a period of a few hours you will have deaths.