Am I overstocked???

[jimmak85]

Hi everyone I am still quite a newbie here and i am trying to figure out if i am overstocked. I have.....

3 long fin zebra danios
1 gold zebra danio
3 cherry shrimp
9 ghost shrimp
4 Cory cats
1 honey sunset gourami

I do 25% water changes once a week
and my readings have been

ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 10 ppm

and its been that way for a month with no changes
so, am I overstocked or should i be OK?

[GEV83]

Water parameters seem good what size tank you got? I would imagine your ok.

[infinity+1]

u left out tank size

edit: beat me to it

[jimmak85]

sorry 10 gallon

[infinity+1]

I wouldnt say you are, your fish are all pretty small but im no expert on the subject thats just my opinion

[captaincaveman9]

For a 10 gallon I would definitely say overstocked, I would say they would be better in a 20gallon. Just my opinion

[Rbishop]

Overstocked could be an issue..but i bet the long finned danios would greatly appreciate the free swimming space of a 20 long tank....

[jimmak85]

what about my water parameters? are they OK or are my nitrates too high. I read somewhere as long as nitrates are under 40 ppm your OK, not sure if thats true. are my fish in any danger if i am overstocked?

thanks

[Rbishop]

Your nitrates are fine.

[jenazen69]

Overstocking a tank can cause water quality issues. It can also cause aggression problems. Just imagine a bunch of people stuck in an elevator for several hours. At first they all get to know each other, and by the end they are snapping at each other wishing everyone else didn't breath soo much. Something else you may find is that the horemones fish put out into the water can cause stunting in younger fish. So if you have a tank full of adults, and add a bunch of babies the babies may be stunted due to adult horemone overload. It would be better for your fish if you could either put them all in a bigger tank, or get another tank cycled and split the fish into two tanks.

[jimmak85]

OK well what if i don't have any of those problems? i have a bubble wand in there so i don't think there suffocating, and my water is very clear and always has been. i just don't see ho LFS can put as many fish as they do in there tanks and not have any problems. i have had this tank for almost 6 months now with this amount IDK maybe I'm just an idiot and don't want to get rid of any of my fish. and here are a few pics for enjoyment......

1 honey sunset gourami
2 danios
3 lol saddled ghost shrimp
4 male cherry shrimp
5 whole tank shot

i apologize for the quality they were taken on my I Phone.....

thanks

[jenazen69]

The reason the fish stores can keep so many fish is that they have powerful filters, and top off systems that add fresh water all day long. The fish they have are also being sold and replaced on a regular basis, so no fish is exposed to the overcrowding for long periods of time. You really should consider a larger tank in the future. Your fish may be doing fine, but they would do even better in a bigger setup. Most fish that are bought in stores are juvenile fish that are not full grown. This means that you need to plan on their adult size not the sale size.

[jimmak85]

yea I definitely planned on getting a bigger tank i just cant fit one right now in the house. but in the future i just wont put that many fish in a ten gallon.....

thanks

[lateinningmagic]

This would be perfect in a 20 gallon tank. For a 10 gallon it seems overstocked.

[Lexi_D]

If you want to keep with the 10g, this sounds good:

4 gold zebra danio
3 cherry shrimp
9 ghost shrimp
4 Cory cats
1 honey sunset gourami


That's still pushing it a bit, depending on what kind of cories you have.

[jpappy789]

Upgrade to a 20 Long soon and you should be fine.

[bluekrissyspike]

a 20g won't take up much more space than a ten. also, fish stores are ALWAYS picking dead fish out of their tanks and don't care all that much if some die, or if their is aggression and stress.

[iamgroovy]

Your cories would definitely appreciate a larger footprint and the danios are super active and would benefit greatly with more space. A 20 long would be perfect.