I generally am a little understocked... easier to clean, and to keep track of everyone =) .. but I DO keep looking at my 20G and thinking it looks a little empty..
Understock or overstock
- Thread starter stevent
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I totally disagree. I keep mbuna and they pretty much need to be in a crowded set up. No matter the tank size, if you understock with mbuna you usually end up with deaths. My mbuna tank is very clean and the fish are very healthy. I just over filter and keep up on water changes. It is my most challenging tank and is also my largest
--And I still disagree. I once did a 630-gallon (45" x 45" x 72") system for a mbuna owner. It was heavily decorated with rockwork and only had about 10 to 20 fish (depending on the breeding cycle) and there were no aggression-related deaths. No less, I do admit that very few aquarists would want to stock such a large tank so lightly or have enough money to fund such a custom endeavor. It all depends on just how large of a tank you can afford. :jaw:
MOA
Understock and overfilter - that is my motto.
Actually I like the look of an understocked tank. Just my personal preference. However I have a tendency to over plant.
Actually I like the look of an understocked tank. Just my personal preference. However I have a tendency to over plant.
Well of course if you put 10 fish in a 600+ gallon you'll have no issues. But that's not a common size AT ALL. Putting 5 fish in a 55 gallon will result in deaths in most cases. Mbuna live in highly dense populations in the wild. Overstocking within reason is not a bad thing for them.
How many cichlid keepers have a 600+ g tank? In a regular size tank (40g-100g) it is a general rule of thumb that one has to overstock cichlids to reduce their aggression. We need to discuss based on the general tank setup, not on an outlier.
wow i wish i has access to a 600+ gallon tank. im sure that with that much space mbuna would have a hard time finding each other let alone fighting. but in a 55, they need to be overstocked to keep them from killing eachother. i had that issue in my tank ntill i overstocked it. but i tend to overstock most of my tanks and do the added maintainance
If a fish requires crowding to fit within normal boundaries, then I usually just opt out of keeping it. If I am not convinced that I can keep the fish without overcrowding, then I simply do not keep it. I know that most aquarists do not like to be told that they can't keep something that they really want, but I'm an idealist. The real question is not overstocked or understocked?--it's how do you address the thrive or just survive? question.
Idealist, I Know,
MOA
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that mbuna had extremely high population densities in the wild? That's why they're so territorial, because they're always fighting over their little patches of aufwuchs to eat.
So, wouldn't that mean that from a behavioural perspective it's not overstocking? It simply means your setup needs lots of filtration and maintenance etc.
