Temperature dependent aquarium stocking limits?

[lujor]

When it comes to the temperature affecting the fish, one thing comes in mind->BREEDEING........I found that raising the temperature with some of my fish will influence them to breed.........

That makes me wonder if some fish try to reproduce when their environmental conditions tell them hot dry weather is coming- to preserve their genetics for next generation. Or could it be just how they mark time? U imgaine if human sexuality was temp dependent? Might be interesting.

 

[12 Volt Man]

when my temperature goes up it influences me to breed also.

then I take a cold shower and all is well

as far as temp. having an effect on eventual stocking levels, its neglible.

yes, colder water holds more dissolved oxygen than warmer water.

but dissolved oxygen is never the limiting factor in stocking levels. its always in excess.

its your bacterial population that determines this.

dissolved oxygen is only one small part of the factors that determine how your bacterial levels do.

the others being:

food (ammonia, nitrite)
absence of toxic byproducts of metabolism

when you have a tank that is overstocked and you have ammonia/nitrite readings, the bacteria are consuming some of the ammnonia/nitrite, but they can't process it all.

what is limiting them to grow more is generally the buildup of toxic byproducts of metabolism

 

[lujor]

So, the most exact way to determine stocking limits would be to find the threshold where nitrite & ammonia readings start & stock just below. Not very practical, but makes lots of sense. Thanks.

 

[MonsterMinis]

actually technically it would be your Nitrate build-up.. as you can always add more filtration to a system.. but the over-all amount of nitrate build-up as a byproduct of the nitrites and ammonia. take a 125 as before.. you can put X amount of filtration on it and have "to much filtration" by ways of haveing plenty of mechanical, chem, and biological capacity. But your nitrifying bacteria can only produce to the limits of your tank inhabitants waste. Thus leaving Nitrates over-flooding your system to a toxic level which most would agree is somewhere between 20-40 ppm. Even doing water changes indeffinately.. if you can't maintain the Nitrate levels at a low level will cause health issues to your stock. This is all theoretical as so many other factors are needed when keeping fish, Something else will break in the chain for most Aquariasts before they could possibly get to such a stocking level. O2 levels in temp differences will be far past the nitrate cycle when talking a few deg difference. water aggitation is far more important in determaning O2 levels in a system then temp generally.. but since the nitrate cycle also uses O2 from the bacteria.. You'de have to find out the nitrate levels of acceptability before even looking at the O2 being an issue. At least thats how I see it.