My 29 Gallon Community

[bomb1977]

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[Geoff-]

I guess I'm just writing this as kind of a blog to show that if you put the right fish in a tank, the one inch of fish per one gallon rule is a complete crock of you know what.

It is and it isn't. It's a useful guide for people starting out in the hobby so they don't get themselves in a mess. Once you're more experienced you can start breaking rules.

Overstocking a tank is fine for the fish themselves IF you provide enough vegetation and other hidey holes (eg caves) for fish to have their own space without constant territorial battles with other fish. There have been studies done in rivers where there are huge numbers of fish in a small area all living in the leaf litter so on a behavioural level this is OK as long as the environment suits the fish.

One thing to bear in mind is the end product of your nitrogen cycle. You can have a small tank with loads of fish and filter it well BUT the end result of all the food you put in is nitrates. The filter can be as efficient as you like but you'll always end up with nitrates and I daresay that only 15% per week water change in an 'overstocked' tank your nitrates are quite high. Some fish are very sensitive to nitrates and develop hole in the head so might not tolerate your stocking strategy. Again, this is where an experienced aquarist can choose tolerant fish to suit. Plants and fancy biomedia (eg Seachem Matrix) may help reduce the rate of nitrate rise but that will be your primary battle and I notice you haven't said what your nitrates are. Long term this can affect fish health.

 

[soybean]

I guess I'm just writing this as kind of a blog to show that if you put the right fish in a tank, the one inch of fish per one gallon rule is a complete crock of you know what.

I think that's pretty well established anyway.

And if you're not after opinion on your stocking, why post on a public forum - a platform for discussion - about your stocking?

There is a dedicated marine section, you might find more useful information on a clown setup there.