Overstocked?

[benny25]

I have a 10 gallon aquarium with 5 neons, 5 guppies(fry not a problem as i have a grow out tank for them), a male platy and a peppered cory. Would I have have room for another cory or perhaps 2-3 more tetras?
Thanx in advance!

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

No i'd say its pretty much stocked to its limits, you could rehome/exchange some of your fish though at your lfs or in an add if you want new types though

 

[smithrc]

It all depends...
following the 1" to a gallon rule - your way over the top...
following the 2" to a gallon rule - your on the limit...

If you increased the filtration on the tank and increased your water changes you would be able to have more...

 

[freddyk]

How long have you kept them as they are? Is the water clean? Is the gravel not collecting too much waste? What shape is the filter in (clogged or clean) by the time maintenance time comes around? Is algae out of control? Take the water in for testing right before a water change. Tolerable?

All of these things can help you decide for yourself whether your tank is overstocked. When the tank gets dirtier then you can keep up with, the tank is overstocked, and that's the only true answer.

 

[henry2703]

I have a 10 gallon aquarium with 5 neons, 5 guppies(fry not a problem as i have a grow out tank for them), a male platy and a peppered cory. Would I have have room for another cory or perhaps 2-3 more tetras?
Thanx in advance!

No offense to anyone, but i beg to differ....

IMHO the 1 inch per gallon is a guide, but not bilble truth.

i cannot imagine the bioload of an one inch neon be greater than a one cm puffer.

i have a 11 gallon tank, slightly bigger then yours.... my stock consist of

15 cardinals
6 zebra Danios
3 platies
2 bronze corydoras
2 panda corydoras

my water is fine, 0 on every count.

I have a friend who has a 4 feet tank, with 300 cardinals..... nothing wrong as well....

BTW i've been running at my current stock more more than 6 months....

i would exercise the 1 inch one gallon rule interactively....

my 2 cents worth

 

[netobeto]

yea its true about the one inch rule. because i have 28 gallon tank with 5 cories,6 tiger barbs, 3 blue and gold gouramis,1 rainbow shark,1 pleco,1 swordtail,2 upside down catfish its been up for a year and the water its clear and clean.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

er, you have a point except that a 1-inch neon isn't even 1/6 the volume of a 1-cm puffer. the inch per gallon rule mostly applies to slim fish.

as for 300 cardinals in a 4ft, there was another thread today about tank sizes that mentioned a 4x2x2 or 120 USG tank. just remember, length is not the ultimate descriptor of volume.

someone else on the forum once mentioned this explanition for recommending the "1 inch per gallon" rule: if you have to ask, then you don't know. meaning that a person asking am i overstocked probably doesn't have the knowledge base to "maximize" their aquarium. and its a lot easier to just add up the inches than start analyzing filtration, substrate, volumetric bio-loads, heavy vs moderate planting, territories, and so on... and the strict maximum number of fish that can live in a tank is not the same as the number of fish that can thrive in a tank. why overcrowd if you don't have to?

....contrary to popular opinion, clean and clear water is NOT the best way to tell if your fish are overcrowded. no fighting, characteristic behavior, good colors, tyoical growth rate, common sense--those are a few other things that should drive stocking.

benny, the only thing i'd add is another cory or two. throw in a couple of plants to offset things, and it should be managable.