I see more and more people stocking much heavier then we use to. Some even say, " The more fish poo, the better for the corals !!! " I believe that statement came from one of the TOTM nominees ??? I saw a video on You Tube with Mike Paletta , I don't know that he is a firm believer in the practice , but he even admits to almost always overstocking. He's one of our hobby's saints / founding fathers. I know that I have read his books and articles for years and I have always followed him, and listen to what he and a few others have to say. I also follow these guys as well , like Anthony Calfo , Bob Fenner , Julian Sprung and Dr. Josay. So I am guessing that the 1" of fish per 5 gal of SW is outdated ??? I never really thought much of it in the first place. I think it's kinda silly to have that much money invested in a 75 to 120 gal tank, and only have 4-5 fish in it !!! I'll admit, I too, like to stock heavy. My fish are all small though. I just like the smaller fish in a reef tank. My largest is a 3" Yellow Tang. I also feed my fish a lot !!! All the time, everything !!! Walk past the tank,,, a pinch of Cyclop-eeze. If I am home when the tank lights come on, I give them a nice meaty breakfast of frozen. Who doesn't like breakfast ? I have two Auto-Feeders that dole out two different kinds of flake around noon, and an hour later, for when I am gone. I try to feed them at least twice in the evening. Nothing like going to bed on a full belly ! I feed them 5 kinds of frozen, I freeze and chop up clams for them. I feed them two different types pellets. I feed two different types Nori on clip. I feed them Phytoplankton, Reef Chili. Plus I have an awesome pod population. I have even seen my Wrasse swim with mouths open, feeding from the water column. I also have watched my Cardinals hunt at night when the lights are off. All of my fish are FAT, healthy, fins complete and full and extremely colorful. All of them !!! I have no algae issues. I feed slowly with all my pumps on. Try to make sure that all of the food is gone within 3 mins or less before adding more. I also take the utmost care of my tank. Every day I devote 30mins to an hour on my tank. I just wonder what every one else thinks or believes nowadays ??? I hope I didn't open another can of worms here,,, :reading:
So what is "Overstocked" these days ???
- Thread starter Curtis1
- Start date
eatbreakfast
New member
This is a topic I find very interesting as well. I find it funny when someone will post their fish list, their parameters are good yet people still will say the tank is overstocked and fish need to be removed.
I, too, am one that believes that "overstocking" a tank is fine, as long as fish arent overly aggressive to one another and parameters are appropriate. In some cases this may take more maintanance to achieve, but can definitely be done.
I, too, am one that believes that "overstocking" a tank is fine, as long as fish arent overly aggressive to one another and parameters are appropriate. In some cases this may take more maintanance to achieve, but can definitely be done.
jadette
Member
Stocking recommendations are always on the conservative side, and are recommendations for new hobbyists as a starting point.
What you can get away with is dependent on:
1) how often you do water changes
2) your aquascape (fish need a secure place to retire for the night. If you have a plethora of fish in a 500 gallon tank, but only one large tonga branch arch to create that 'modern look', the fish will not be happy even with the large volume)
3) how often you feed
4) your stock list (aggressive fish? large group of one type of fish?)
5) your husbandry skills
6) what day of the month you were born on
All that said, I am a big advocate of having a lot of fish in my tank. I don't want to say that it is overstocked, b/c that implies that I have too many fish in my tank! But at it's peak, I had over 40 fish in my 140g tank (mostly cardinals and anthias). I have since settled to the mid 30s. My tank has been stable for over a year.
But I always start with a small group of fish, wait for my tank to settle, and then add in very small groups later (usually several months later) so that I can carefully observe the impacts before making any more changes.
Just make sure you always have a plan of removal if adding more fish does not work out.
Nothing sucks more than putting in fish that you can not take out.
If you take it slow, and observe, no one should know more about how to stock your tank than yourself.
What you can get away with is dependent on:
1) how often you do water changes
2) your aquascape (fish need a secure place to retire for the night. If you have a plethora of fish in a 500 gallon tank, but only one large tonga branch arch to create that 'modern look', the fish will not be happy even with the large volume)
3) how often you feed
4) your stock list (aggressive fish? large group of one type of fish?)
5) your husbandry skills
6) what day of the month you were born on
All that said, I am a big advocate of having a lot of fish in my tank. I don't want to say that it is overstocked, b/c that implies that I have too many fish in my tank! But at it's peak, I had over 40 fish in my 140g tank (mostly cardinals and anthias). I have since settled to the mid 30s. My tank has been stable for over a year.
But I always start with a small group of fish, wait for my tank to settle, and then add in very small groups later (usually several months later) so that I can carefully observe the impacts before making any more changes.
Just make sure you always have a plan of removal if adding more fish does not work out.
Nothing sucks more than putting in fish that you can not take out.
If you take it slow, and observe, no one should know more about how to stock your tank than yourself.
I totally agree with all of the above statements. I really had not thought of the initial stocking levels for new hobbiests. That was a good point and totally on. Jadette, your 40 in a 140 must look awesome. I agree totally with your statement above. I have awesome aqua-scaping , but I planned it out ahead. I actually cut out a pc of cardboard as a pattern of the tanks dimensions + allowance around the edges for an algae magnet and laid it on a table. I took my time with dry rock, trying different arrangements till I had it the way I wanted it. Then I took pictures, took it down, and re-assembled it in the tank. The rock is sitting on 10 pier/base rocks. There's about 125 lbs of it in a 75gal. The fish can dart under it at about any place they want to. The current runs well under there too. You can look from one end to the other under the rock. Plus I did not stack it against the back wall. I centered it right down the middle. No the fish have three different areas to swim. The whole 4' length down the front / back / and under the stone. I have 12 fish in my tank and 1 in the sump area. They all get along, no bickering. They all have there own little place to go when it's time for lights out. Well that makes 3 of us for overstocking,,, is there an overstocking police,,, like the Tang police ?????
TylerHaworth
New member
If the fish aren't stressed and the nutrients are exported efficiently I don't consider it overstocked.
ShallowPlanet
In Memoriam
This question will get so many different responses. The most important thing is to make sure you system can handle the bio load.
leveldrummer
New member
The key is balance between adding food for the fish, and exporting wastes and excess nutrients, you can fit a ton of fish in a tank as long as you supply enough food, and export the wastes effectively. Of course you stock will depend on tank size, type of fish, and enough rock work for any territorial fish to feel comfortable with their little niche of the rock.
My perspective also! I keep 30 or so fish in my 265, feed probably 5-7 cube-equivalents of food per day, and my corals are thriving. I do run a big skimmer (and considering an even bigger one) and a properly sized ATS, so nutrient export is in good hands.
TylerHaworth
New member
Id like to add… I'm glad I stuck pretty closely to the inch/gallon "rule" six years ago when I jumped headfirst into the hobby… If I had the bioload then as I have now, I would have a sewage holding tank in my living room.
RDtrack
New member
My feeling is that it is easier on a newbie to not have the biology. I've found the majority of people like a saltwater tank but when it comes to the routine maintenence they don't do it. That's why if you read most authors say the bioload depends the the hobbyist. If you take care of your tank on a daily bases and keep up with water changes, maintenance, etc. I think then it depends on the aggression issues you may or may not have with the fish. I have a overstocked tank and aggression is at a minimum. Occasional brief get out of my way but other then that nothing. I know within the first five minutes of adding a fish if I'm going to have problems. Another thing that I think helps a overstocked tank is QT. Granted some diseases are spread out over a larger population but some spread faster.
I agree. Lots of things you can do with some experience that you probably should do without it!
Carl Page
New member
Funny.... Over stocking the topic after I was fussed at for too many.. Of course I was new and agreed with most comments. Most of my fish are small except the yellow tang and blue hippo...but I've accepted my hippo become an expensive meal.. Parameters remain in check but even as a rookie I recognized the need for regular water changes and clean filters to push the limits... I know, I know, I have a long way to go.....
MIKE NY
Two Decade club
x2..Im an example right here...my SPS didn't really start to take off until I started practicing heavy in and heavy out...as mentioned carefull choosing of fish and more maintainance...
r-balljunkie
Registered Reefer
5 Rhomboid Wrasse
1 Girdled Fairy Wrasse
4 Midget Chromis
1 Coris Wrasse
2 Leopard Wrasse
1 Sailfin Tang
1 Orange Shoulder Tang
1 Cleaner Wrasse
2 unknown fairy wrasse
2 Clownfish
20 fish in a 58G
I think my situation is unique, and im able to catch very small juevenille fish. If someone gets too rowdy, removed and returned to the seas.
1 Girdled Fairy Wrasse
4 Midget Chromis
1 Coris Wrasse
2 Leopard Wrasse
1 Sailfin Tang
1 Orange Shoulder Tang
1 Cleaner Wrasse
2 unknown fairy wrasse
2 Clownfish
20 fish in a 58G
I think my situation is unique, and im able to catch very small juevenille fish. If someone gets too rowdy, removed and returned to the seas.
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Sorry I'm confused...can you break down #6? I was born on the 19th. That means I can add more fish right?
I agree with this theory
Well, all I'm really glad that ALL of you agree with me. That takes a load off my mind. If I haven't stopped to take a look at my tank on a given day, then I feel that I have neglected all of my little friends. My fish know me. My Tang is on the Nori with 3 seconds , I can hold a can of food up to the tank and they act like African Cichlids !!! I even have a McCosker's Flasher Wrasse that swims up and bumps my finger if I hold it in the water. I have a 75 gal. w/ 125lbs LR and 5"DSB , a 25 gal sump, a large skimmer RO NWB-150 w/NC & WC. I also use small MJ's in each sump chamber to keep them stirred-up. I have both GFO and Carbon Reactors. Haven't been using the GFO. Haven't needed it. I dose Randy's 2 part system and Vinegar. I have a mixed reef with around 60 species of corals. My fish are,
- Yellow Tang
- Green Mandarin
- Bi-Color Chromis
- Green Chromis
- Royal Gramma
- Pajama Cardinal
- Bangaii Cardinal
- Percula Clown
- Flame Hawkfish
- Pyle's Fairy Wrasse
- McCosker's Flasher Wrasse
- Lubbock's Fairy Wrasse
- Yellow Watchman Goby ( In my sump )
5 Rhomboid Wrasse
1 Girdled Fairy Wrasse
4 Midget Chromis
1 Coris Wrasse
2 Leopard Wrasse
1 Sailfin Tang
1 Orange Shoulder Tang
1 Cleaner Wrasse
2 unknown fairy wrasse
2 Clownfish
20 fish in a 58G
Not to rain on the parade but you should never return a fish that has been in your tank back to the ocean unless you are collecting everything from rock to corals from the same location...
eatbreakfast
New member
If you check out his location, I think thats exactly what he does.
