How can you guage how many fish is too many ???

Research on your stock will tell you what the needs are far better than any opinion offered. It is incumbent upon you to learn based from said research. Never take a single source as gospel fact. I have one tank that there isn't a single member would approve of the stocking. I don't even approve of it but I do whatever I can to maintain it in a healthy state until I can make some major changes. Because it works for me doesn't mean it will work for you.

1 inch of fish per gallon of water is a very poor tool and whoever came up with it did the hobby an injustice. I have one fish that will grow to 20" (+/-) and there is no way you could fit it in a 20gallon tank. Not even a 20 Long.

We do strange things with our tanks at some point and some people won't chance it. What we have learned we got from others and from research. One day it will be you advising people and answering questions. No one is an expert, some just have more experience or knowledge than others.

Your eyes are one of the best tools to tell if you have too many fish. Do they have room to swim and chase? Do they have enough room to turn easily? Is there enough water to handle the bio-load? Does everyone get a fair chance at the food? If they are territorial, is there enough room for them to create their respective territory? There all kinds of things to learn and it takes time. At least we only have to learn according to what we keep or want to keep. If you like learning, there is a whole new world of things to learn in this hobby. Your eyes and nose will play a part in it.
 
doing more water changes does not necessarily gauge stocking. by that ideal, you could have 100 neons in a 20 gallon, as long as you do enough water changes weekly to keep nitrate under 20.

while this seems like a great idea and a nice way to have as many neons as you want, in reality it does not take into account all of the other factors that stocking encompasses. the fish need room to swim around freely without the threat of running into another. even though the fish may be schooling, they still need their own space to feel comfortable. in fact, fish in general will become more aggressive if they are overcrowded, with the aggression becoming worse in direct correlation with the crowding.
 
As far as how to know when you are "stocked". I have several things that I do and it seems to work for me.

1. Research the type of fish you would like to have and ask yourself: Does it like to have friends of it's own kind or is it a loner; Does it play nice with others or is it aggressive or will it kill everything else in the tank; Is it long and thin or is it short and thick; will my tank allow it to turn around. These questions will make a difference in the ability to house them.

2. 1" of fish per gallon guideline. I do use this to a certain degree, but I use it for the volume of the fish, not just the length. For example: a 10" Oscar, if the guideline were used just for length a 10 gal tank is what you would come up with. But if you use the same 10" Oscar and use it's volume Length 10" X Width 1 1/2" X Height 7" you would come up with a tank of 105 gallons. Which is more than sufficient for said Oscar. It doesn't work for all fish, but it is a beginning guideline (not rule).

3. Lastly I use water changes and nitrates to help guide me. On average we like to try to keep nitrates at 20 or below. And on average, we do weekly water changes. So if you add fish slowly to your tank, a few at a time, and check your nitrates and they are constantly below 20 in a week, just before your water change, then you are able to add more stock to that tank. Once you get to the point that your nitrates register 20 weekly just before your water change, the tank is stocked.

None of these will stand alone and all of them are guidelines. Just like everything else in life there are exceptions and in researching the fish you want will help you find those exceptions.
 
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