My uncle is nuts.........
- Thread starter Mooch28
- Start date
Yup, a good way to spread out aggression of africans is to overstock - but this is insanely overstocked.Bosemani Fan said:
What kind of filtration is there?
The africans are very hardy fish ime - as well as the plecos. I have have them survive PH crashes as well as Ammonia spikes. The cichlids will most likely pick on each other before the other fish - so the other fish are safe from one aspect - the africans.
Poor poor poor fishes. Good luck on your quest - as it seems it will be difficult.
Eventually his tank will start to fail. Maybe not today, maybe not tommorow - butt soon.
Aries
This proves that all the phobias about tank stocking levels, gravel vacs, and a multitude of other things that everyone thinks are gospel, are, in fact, not true. I myself always have large numbers of fish in my tanks. They dont overgrow...Ive had tiger shovelnose cats for 6 years before and they never get over 8 inches. I never test my water for amonia, nitrate, etc. I dont buffer the water, accept for adding a decholorinator. And I dont cycle my tanks when I set them up. I only have to vaccum for about the first 9 months. I havent vaccumed my current set ups in about 3 years.
I also dont loose fish. My tank, though, is not covered in algae. In fact, the water is crystal clear and I have fish that routinely breed. The reason for all of this is simple: a naturally functioning ecosystem. THe better we are as aquarists, the less we should have to mess with our systems. Once biological balance is achieved, and you dont upset it, the system will keep on keepin on with a minimum of human intervention. It's really not as hard as one thinks...
I also dont loose fish. My tank, though, is not covered in algae. In fact, the water is crystal clear and I have fish that routinely breed. The reason for all of this is simple: a naturally functioning ecosystem. THe better we are as aquarists, the less we should have to mess with our systems. Once biological balance is achieved, and you dont upset it, the system will keep on keepin on with a minimum of human intervention. It's really not as hard as one thinks...
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Chris,
I can't, I just can't.....
Go do some research on fish' growth hormones, lifespan of fish vs how long yours live, stunted growth etc. and get back to us. Giving them a long, slow death is not responsible fishkeeping, it's torture.
I can't, I just can't.....
Go do some research on fish' growth hormones, lifespan of fish vs how long yours live, stunted growth etc. and get back to us. Giving them a long, slow death is not responsible fishkeeping, it's torture.
MyTankIsAnArena said:
My friend, you are absolutely wrong. First off, one example doesn't give you a proven theory.
Now, tell me this. Does a person who eats well, exercises, and takes care of them self live longer on avg then a person who does nothing for them-self?? The answer is obvious.
Do you really think your fish are healthy if they are not growing to their maximum size? Ofcourse not. Most likely you have stunted their growth, and even though in your case they may have lived 6+ years, that certainly is not the case in general for fish with stunted growth. Also the less healthy the tank, the more chances of disease.
If you ever goto a fish store, as the people who work there why most people loose their fish. I can almost guarantee that they will tell you it is a lack of knowledge, which often results in lack of maintenance or plain out doing things wrong. 90% of the time, people loose fish, because they overstock. They look at their tank, see empty spots, and think they could fill it with more fish. Imagine if you had to live in water that was polluted with waste, and getting worse by the day. It's unhealthy, and even though your fish may have lived, it it not the case more then 90% of the time.
By the way, how big is your tank, and just how overstocked is it?? Obviously the more overstocked the more trouble you will have. In your case, you may just be slightly overstocked, which in most cases makes really no difference.
All theories in my opinion have exceptions. But I think stunted growth is not good for health and that is way too overstocked imo.
My 30G cichlid tank is overstocked as well - but done properly imo. Lets see, there are 6 Yellow Labs (3.75" - 4.75" depeding on their age - several generations in there), 1 Male Zebra which is about 5.5" (the female died recently of natural causes - at least I never found anything wrong :sad: ), now two SAE (darn jumpers :sad: ) and 1 pleco which is close to 5" (I think - I hardly ever see it).
Total inches = ~43.5"+ in a 30G tank. When they get spooked, I can not find ANY fish because of all the hiding spots and tunnels. There is minimal to no aggression in the tank (Labs are generally not that aggressive ime). Plus they keep spawning -grrr. So many fish to deal with and take care of - stop the madness
IMO, overstocking is not bad for some cases like Africans but if done improperly can be fatal.
Just my $0.02
Aries
My 30G cichlid tank is overstocked as well - but done properly imo. Lets see, there are 6 Yellow Labs (3.75" - 4.75" depeding on their age - several generations in there), 1 Male Zebra which is about 5.5" (the female died recently of natural causes - at least I never found anything wrong :sad: ), now two SAE (darn jumpers :sad: ) and 1 pleco which is close to 5" (I think - I hardly ever see it).
Total inches = ~43.5"+ in a 30G tank. When they get spooked, I can not find ANY fish because of all the hiding spots and tunnels. There is minimal to no aggression in the tank (Labs are generally not that aggressive ime). Plus they keep spawning -grrr. So many fish to deal with and take care of - stop the madness
IMO, overstocking is not bad for some cases like Africans but if done improperly can be fatal.
Just my $0.02
Aries
