I guess I should read the entire post before I add my 2 dollars(What can I say my opinion is more important than any of your 2 cents 
)
)overstocking? why is it so bad?
- Thread starter gagaliya
- Start date
I think that a distinction has to be made between overstocking with too many fish and stocking fish that are or will grow too large for their environment.
Most newcomers, and some old, don't seem to be able to see the difference between the two and think they can overcome a natural "limitation" of size by simply trying to keep the tank "pristine".
A whale in a bathtub is still a whale in a bathtub, no matter how often the water is changed.
My 2 cents,
Roan
Most newcomers, and some old, don't seem to be able to see the difference between the two and think they can overcome a natural "limitation" of size by simply trying to keep the tank "pristine".
A whale in a bathtub is still a whale in a bathtub, no matter how often the water is changed.
My 2 cents,
Roan
you made me ink said:
My initial plan was to keep selling them as they grow and I didn't expect that many to survive but the adults don't eat the fry.. ever. I was selling them quite a bit about 2 months ago but its harder and harder to find people who want them so I just have a lot now.
Roan Art said:
best post so far, exactly what i am saying. Most of the replies dont seem to understand this.
Fitting 10 people into a small room is not the same as trying to overstock a large quantity of fish in a tank that's big enough for the said fish specie.
A better comparison to the 10 people 1 room analogy would be trying to fit 30 whiteclouds into a 1 gallon tank where they can barely move. And that's not the question that was asked.
I think a better example of fitting 30 whiteclouds in a 10 gallon would be instead of fitting 10 people in a football stadium, you fit 30 people in it.
Anyway i think most agree if the tank is properly taken care of it should be fine.
ashdavid, that's very interesting. Could it be a compatibility problems? how many fish exactly did you have in the 100g? and how many are left after the deaths. I wonder what will happen if you use the same specie of fish instead of a mixed bunch. I bet they wont die off then unless you really overstock to a point where they have difficulty moving without bumping into each other.
OK, I'll take the suicidal leap into this thread. "Overstocking" seems to be more a state of mind of the fishkeeper than a clinical verity. We confine the little critters in tiny glass vessels and expect them to behave as though they were "wild". I see assertions about how the fish are "happy" or "natural" and can't help wondering exactly what that means. These are aquarium fish bred for generations in unnatural conditions. They are not natural and we can only try to imagine whether or not they are happy. If they don't die they are probably doing fine. If like me, you wander into the hobby late in life, you will probably overstock. Then you have all these fish, some of which are not as appealing as you first thought. But they are active and "happy" so what do you do? You practice regular water changes and mind your filter. -Simple.-
Onikun, your tank photo is really beautiful. Thanks!
Onikun, your tank photo is really beautiful. Thanks!
hereford, I have to agree with you there. Aquarium fish are just like any other pet, they will never be "natural" in a glass box just as a house isn't a "natural" habitat for a dog or cat.
Still, there are limitations as to how many fish can comfortably be fit into a certain sized tank.
But honestly, if recreating a truly natural habitat were necessary for a fish to be happy then a 200 gallon tank wouldn't be large enough for even a single angel fish; given that its natural habitat is the amazon river.
I'm simply saying there are valid points to each side. Overstocking to an extreme kills fish but we are all overstocking compared to their natural habitat.
Still, there are limitations as to how many fish can comfortably be fit into a certain sized tank.
But honestly, if recreating a truly natural habitat were necessary for a fish to be happy then a 200 gallon tank wouldn't be large enough for even a single angel fish; given that its natural habitat is the amazon river.
I'm simply saying there are valid points to each side. Overstocking to an extreme kills fish but we are all overstocking compared to their natural habitat.
Not to beat a dead horse, but I can't stand misinformation that is costing millions of people to die.Marn said:
Listen up.
You wont get AIDS strictly by living in cramped quarters, but all of the worlds leading provinces with HIV ARE CRAMPED QUARTERS. Take India for example: Indians account for 11.4% of all global HIV infections. But the epidemic is unevenly distributed across India, with just six states accounting for 80 per cent of the estimated cases: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Manipur, Nagaland and Tamil Nadu. All overcrowded and cramped. The same problem resides in South Africa, the cramped areas are the most suffering from AIDS.
The problem is that cramped quarters represent POOR QUARTERS. Poor people have much more stress and hopelessness. Besides having their immune systems ravages by typical bacteria and diseases from living in dirty, close quarters and eating poorer quality food - sex, drugs and drinking help get through the stress (little education helps this also). These things help pass on HIV between many people quickly.
And so yes, you can say: Horrendously overcrowded = AIDS problem.
oh boy
overcrowding to an extent is fine, they even suggest it for certain african cichlids....... you have to keep up on the tank......i do agree that in cramped corners fish don't exhibit their natural behavior. I have the record for overstocking: when I was 10 I had around 70 2-3" bullheads living in a ten gallon tank outside. no filtration and i fed them cereal and doritos. The water was yellow to brown and you couldn't see through it due to all the fish. I would run a garden hose every several days to replace the water ( cold chlorinated water at that). Not a single one died, and they lived in there for about 4 weeks. I released them after my dad discovered the tank hidden in the bushes. That takes the cake, and actually that tank got me into fishkeeping!!!!
overcrowding to an extent is fine, they even suggest it for certain african cichlids....... you have to keep up on the tank......i do agree that in cramped corners fish don't exhibit their natural behavior. I have the record for overstocking: when I was 10 I had around 70 2-3" bullheads living in a ten gallon tank outside. no filtration and i fed them cereal and doritos. The water was yellow to brown and you couldn't see through it due to all the fish. I would run a garden hose every several days to replace the water ( cold chlorinated water at that). Not a single one died, and they lived in there for about 4 weeks. I released them after my dad discovered the tank hidden in the bushes. That takes the cake, and actually that tank got me into fishkeeping!!!!
reziztor said:
Agreed, you can't just look at the disease itself; you must also take into account all the factors that surround the disease.
and see thats kool you know i can understand that i just think that intentionaly overcrowding a tank is inhumane and wrong i guess that some people dont see that from the same point of view but what i really like about this threat is that we are all expressing how we feel without cursing at each other and putting other down lets keep it that way plzOnikun said:
