Overstocked?

[nik_n]

Currently in my 180l planted tank I have 2 angels (had 4 but 2 of them died when I was away) 2 blue gouramis, 3 panda garras and 3 bristelnose plecos. I was thinking about adding 2 more angelfish. Would the 9 months old angelfish attack the smaller ones? I also thought about adding a pair of apistogramma or kribensis.

Would it be ok to add 4 fish (2 angels and a pair of dwarf ciclids)?

I have a second tank in case of any breeding where I could permanently move the pair.

 

[GuppyBreeder180604]

well for all that I know 4 angels need 200 litters so no, don't add 2 more, panda garras like a different type of setup than a planted tank, do not add the Apistogramma or kribensis as they could bully the garras or be stressed out, especially if they don't have a cave.
About it being overstocked I would say that in its current configuration it isn't but it all would depend on your filtration, so, what are the specs of your filter?

 

[AbbeysDad]

About it being overstocked I would say that in its current configuration it isn't but it all would depend on your filtration, so, what are the specs of your filter?

Many hobbyists have become convinced that with a bigger, better filter, they can have more stock. But filters merely make water more clear, but not more pure. See The Dirty Truth About Filters.
You can overstock if you step up the volume/frequency of partial water changes to keep the water quality high...but it's a slippery slope and in time, many fail in the attempt. It's generally best to have plants, stay on top of maintenance, and keep stock levels on the low side to have the healthiest, happiest, aquarium.

 

[GuppyBreeder180604]

Many hobbyists have become convinced that with a bigger, better filter, they can have more stock. But filters merely make water more clear, but not more pure. See The Dirty Truth About Filters.
You can overstock if you step up the volume/frequency of partial water changes to keep the water quality high...but it's a slippery slope and in time, many fail in the attempt. It's generally best to have plants, stay on top of maintenance, and keep stock levels on the low side to have the healthiest, happiest, aquarium.

Yes, I didn't get my point across as I wanted to, thanks for making me see that, what I wanted to say is that as long as you have enough BIOLOGICAL and ACTIVE filtration (surface area for beneficial bacteria and stem/floating plants) then you can keep a larger stock since the chemicals will be processed and consumed by the bacteria and plants, thus removing it from the water column so it can not affect your fish, that was the point I was trying to make. And yes, what you say is right even with all the plants and bacteria in the world you are gonna need to do a water change eventually so in the end as long as the fish have enough space to swim and limit their territories and you have enough biological and active filtration AND you keep up with your water change schedule then you should not have problems and it can not be considered overstocked.

 

[GuppyBreeder180604]

To resume this as long as your fish have enough space as they need, you make sure that there aren't any dangerous chemicals (ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, and chlorine) and you make sure that your water parameters are not wrong then your tank isn't overstocked.

 

[nik_n]

Thank you for your feedback. The tank is heavily planted with anubias, sword tails, floating plants and a few more. I have some driftwood as well as 2 rocks and so far only one cave. The nitrates, nitrites and ammonia are all 0 or close to zero. I do regular water changes every two weeks and I use dechlorinated water to refill the tank. I do not remove or clean the decoration. The tank looks a little bit empty and when I kept more angels the nitrogen cycle worked just as well.
I won't add any fish for the time being but I have kept more fish before without any difficulties.

 

[GuppyBreeder180604]

Thank you for your feedback. The tank is heavily planted with anubias, sword tails, floating plants and a few more. I have some driftwood as well as 2 rocks and so far only one cave. The nitrates, nitrites and ammonia are all 0 or close to zero. I do regular water changes every two weeks and I use dechlorinated water to refill the tank. I do not remove or clean the decoration. The tank looks a little bit empty and when I kept more angels the nitrogen cycle worked just as well.
I won't add any fish for the time being but I have kept more fish before without any difficulties.

If that is the case, then buy 2 more angelfish but don't buy Apistogramma or kribensis since there is only 1 cave and it is probably already owned by the bristlenose plecos, as for the chemicals, ammonia and nitrites should be always 0, not close to 0, nitrates can get a bit higher without being dangerous, so I would say that you should do water changes every week, not every 2 weeks, and if you want 2 more angelfish then you should probably make a 50% WEEKLY water change.

 

[GuppyBreeder180604]

Also, haven't you thought about the possibility that your other 2 angels died so young because the nitrogen cycle didn't work that well? maybe you doing those biweekly water changes allowed the chemicals to build up faster than what the plants and bacteria could process, and as a result 2 of your angelfish died.

 

[GuppyBreeder180604]

I have a second tank in case of any breeding where I could permanently move the pair.

about this, I suggest that you can make yourself a different tank where you can breed the Apistogramma, but, how large is that tank?