10g - When is it considered overstocked?

[SportingLions]

Hey guys, nice to be apart of a community of fish lovers! I must admit, I'm VERY new to this hobby and so far im having a blast learning tons of things about keeping fish effectively.

The one thing I'm very confused about is how many fish is too many? I hear for a 10g, no more than 5 fish. Other times I hear 1 inch for every gallon. What really confused me is I heard from a very knowledgeable manager at a LFS that 10 fish in a 10g can work as long as you're hardcore with your weekly upkeep and you monitor your water carefully.

A close friend who has worked at several fish stores also relayed the same information. He said he kept a 10g for 2 years with 3 Mollies, 3 Guppys, 2 Tetras, and 3 Peppered Corydoras , no fish being more than an inch, with no deaths or hassle. He just said you have to keep on top of things.

What's your opinion?

Thanks in advance.

 

[sailedNJ]

Welcome to the forums!

Basically a tank is considered overstocked when the bio-load (produced waste) by its' inhabitants (i.e. fish, shrimp, snails etc) exceed the capacity of the filtration being used. Overstocked & overcrowded are two separate things that often get confused, they usually go together "hand in hand" but not always. You can have an "overcrowded" tank without it being "overstocked". For example you could easily house 2 or 3 dwarf cichlids in a 10g tank and not be "overstocked" (you're filtration is able to handle the bio-load they produce) however given the territorial behavior of many cichlids your 10g tank would definitely be "overcrowded". The 1 inch for every gallon rule is extremely flawed & overly simplistic.

Important factors to consider when determining if your tank will be overstocked is what species you plan on keeping, the bio-load they produce, & their behavior. Are they territorial or community fish? What "zones" in the aquarium do they inhabit? Are they benthic? mid-level swimmers? top level swimmers? Do they require shelter such as rock caves, empty pots or shells? Are they active swimmers or do they just hang around? Knowing what species you are interested in keeping will make it a lot easier to answer your question about "When is it considered overstocked?". Do your research first, doing adequate research is simple enough with forums, internet etc...

My opinion is that you should consider starting off with a 20g long if space allows you too. I personally don't like 10g tanks as community tanks, I keep various 10g tanks & they are all species specific. New hobbyists usually go with community tanks because they like the diversity & contrast that different fish kept together provide but underestimate the size of the different parts of an aquarium that different species prefer to inhabit. With a 20g long you have a longer foot print for bottom dwellers like cories & more swimming space for mid level swimmers like tetras or rasboras.

However if you can't keep anything over a 10g for whatever reason then I'd suggest keeping your tank understocked as opposed to counting on being able to do lots of water changes. That way you have a bit more flexibility regarding maintenance in case life gets in the way & throws off your maintenance schedule a bit.

 

[dudley]

Wow! This is one of the simplest and best explanations I have seen on a forum for 'what is overstocked?' suggestions. Even a new fishkeeper should be able to grasp this theory. Thanks for sharing it!

 

[excuzzzeme]

You also need to keep in mind that fish need "swimming room". A store can overstock tanks because the stock is moving out quite fast and a personal tank does not have that turnover. Just the opposite is true; you're keeping them indefinitely.

Some fish are considered to be social fish in that they need a certain quantity of to feel safe and secure. You should consider that when stocking as well.

 

[the wizard]

Research for minimum tank size requirements as well when considering stock. For many years it was always stated " fish will not grow any larger than the space they have" this line of thought leads to "stunting" your fish in that they will stop growing but their organs do not. This will shorten their life span.

 

[SportingLions]

Welcome to the forums!

Basically a tank is considered overstocked when the bio-load (produced waste) by its' inhabitants (i.e. fish, shrimp, snails etc) exceed the capacity of the filtration being used. Overstocked & overcrowded are two separate things that often get confused, they usually go together "hand in hand" but not always. You can have an "overcrowded" tank without it being "overstocked". For example you could easily house 2 or 3 dwarf cichlids in a 10g tank and not be "overstocked" (you're filtration is able to handle the bio-load they produce) however given the territorial behavior of many cichlids your 10g tank would definitely be "overcrowded". The 1 inch for every gallon rule is extremely flawed & overly simplistic.

Important factors to consider when determining if your tank will be overstocked is what species you plan on keeping, the bio-load they produce, & their behavior. Are they territorial or community fish? What "zones" in the aquarium do they inhabit? Are they benthic? mid-level swimmers? top level swimmers? Do they require shelter such as rock caves, empty pots or shells? Are they active swimmers or do they just hang around? Knowing what species you are interested in keeping will make it a lot easier to answer your question about "When is it considered overstocked?". Do your research first, doing adequate research is simple enough with forums, internet etc...

My opinion is that you should consider starting off with a 20g long if space allows you too. I personally don't like 10g tanks as community tanks, I keep various 10g tanks & they are all species specific. New hobbyists usually go with community tanks because they like the diversity & contrast that different fish kept together provide but underestimate the size of the different parts of an aquarium that different species prefer to inhabit. With a 20g long you have a longer foot print for bottom dwellers like cories & more swimming space for mid level swimmers like tetras or rasboras.

However if you can't keep anything over a 10g for whatever reason then I'd suggest keeping your tank understocked as opposed to counting on being able to do lots of water changes. That way you have a bit more flexibility regarding maintenance in case life gets in the way & throws off your maintenance schedule a bit.

:thm:

Very well written response, makes plenty of sense to me. I, unfortunately only have a 10g because of space issues. It's properly cycled and ready to accept my first fish. I have a plan of what types of fish I want to keep, but I guess I have to wait until I have more room to get a taste of what it's like down the road. I appreciate all the info you guys have given me. Thank you!

 

[allaboutfish]

a good thing to do is research minimum tank sizes and then use aquadvisor.com to help you out on stocking. most people do
1-betta or gourami
6-small schoolers around an inch or 2 like cardinal tetras
6-pygmy corys or some shrimp and snails
"A close friend who has worked at several fish stores also relayed the same information. He said he kept a 10g for 2 years with 3 Mollies, 3 Guppys, 2 Tetras, and 3 Peppered Corydoras , no fish being more than an inch, with no deaths or hassle. He just said you have to keep on top of things."
all of those fish get bigger than an inch so theyre probably stunted. especially the mollies.

 

[SportingLions]

I have an excellent book that contains 101 types of tropical fish. The types of fish I want all require atleast a 10g, the only that doesn't is the guppy as it requires 20g. I do my research!

 

[homedog98]

:thm:

Very well written response, makes plenty of sense to me. I, unfortunately only have a 10g because of space issues. It's properly cycled and ready to accept my first fish. I have a plan of what types of fish I want to keep, but I guess I have to wait until I have more room to get a taste of what it's like down the road. I appreciate all the info you guys have given me. Thank you!

welcome to AC! You mentioned you cycled the tank.. How did you cycle, what kit do you use, and what are your water parameters for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate?

 

[allaboutfish]

guppies are good in 10 gallons. what are the fish you wan and maybe we can help you out with stocking. also there isnt ever a rule for how many fish you can have in a tank. you could keep 20 misquito rasboras in a 10 gallon with no problems.