Overstocking

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New-World-cichlids

New-World-cichlids

Exodon
MFK Member
Nov 14, 2017
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Hi guys, i wanted to ask is it ok to overstock a tank as long as you can keep up with the amount of waste produced through water changes? Right now i have a 125 gallon with x1 oscar, x1 JD, x1 GT, x1 RD, x1 convict and a upside down catfish. Ingore the red devil because he id going to get put into my other 125 in about a month.
 
It can work but personally I wouldn't recommend it. Pecking order would be constantly shifting and over all it would be a higher stress environment than if they had their comfortable space. So you might always have a few fish with scratched or nipped fins. This is just my experience. Excuse my English
 
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New-World-cichlids said:
Ok thanks. Do you think the tank is fine now space wise once my red devil gets moved to the other tank?
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I think it would be fine, just keep an eye on the jack they can be nasty at times
 
Without the RD you will be a little overstocked still, those fish can be mean but are not the most aggressive normally. You may be fine aggression-wise (though I would have another tank running on hand in case things go south), the issue will be keeping water clean. Especially as some of these fish are very susceptible to HLLE/HITH disease if kept in high-nitrate and urine content water. If you are prepared to do a large WC every week, maybe even two when the fish are all full grown, you should be OK. But slacking on maintenance in a heavily stocked tank will not be good for the fish's health. So keep that in mind and test your nitrates often as the fish grow to keep an eye on it, and it could work out.
 
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I usually do 35-55% water changes weekly and have some java moss and moss balls in the tank as well. Ammonia is 0 nitrite is zero and my nitrate was about 20 last week when i tested. All the fish are doing great as of right now
 
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20 is about the upper range of what I usually allow my tanks to have in terms of nitrate. Getting rid of the RD will help, but as the fish grow I think you will need to up the water change schedule, if you are already reaching 20ppm before a WC. 2 a week may be necessary, or you can try a larger percentage. Nothing wrong with doing big changes as long as your source water is good. If you are still having trouble keeping nitrate low, test your levels from the tap, sometimes they are higher than you'd expect.
 
Ok thanks. The nitrates were pretty high because i kind of neglected the tank for about a month because i had alot going on with school ?. Now im back to normal water changes and they have been going back down to lower levels.
 
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