Why do you think some members overstock American cichlids ?

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Stocking levels are a matter of opinion.
 
I am on the heavy side with stocking in most of my tanks... I think it is fine with

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I am always over stocked. I couldnt keep half the fish i do if i didnt. It makes a big difference in aggression. For example if i were to remove all my fish and just leave two male midas two females and a the 5"jag half those fish would be dead or injured by next morning. I do weekly sometimes twice a week wcs and heavy filtration. Anyone who has seen my tank can vouche theyre healthy fish. Although i would see how someone can not like the "look" of a bunch of floating steaks.


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Bderick67 said:
Stocking levels are a matter of opinion.
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Yup! Most of my tanks are overstocked, overfed a varied diet, overfiltered, overmaintained, overcleaned, overdecorated and my fish spawn like crazy and 99.9% of them don't have a scratch or split fin, hmmmmm....

Somebody will inevitably find a way to knock something online for some reason.

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I used to overstock all of my tanks until a pair of red isletas spawned when I was away for a weekend and came back with the rest of my 180 gallon wiped out. Interesting thing is that I have found them to be much more peaceful then the other amphilophus I have kept (except when protecting fry). It typically works as a way to spread aggression, but be weary, some fish become killers when they have fry in the tank. On the other hand, I've also had pairs kill each other when left alone together without dithers or other cichlids to take out their aggression on. I think for the most part its trial and error. However, some fish are hardier and better at getting along with others. Vieja and Amphilophus species seem to be strong willed and can take a beating, the festae I've kept have been very susceptible to disease when bullied or stressed. This may not be the case for everyone, simply my experience.

Ultimately, I like to be entertained when I walk by my tanks. That doesn't necessarily mean I need to overstock, but I'd rather see an overstocked tank then a tank where the fish hide all the time.
 
I 'overstock' my tanks, there's a lot more interaction going on there, plus it really does spread the aggression out. My fish chase each other all the time, but only in very few instances are there split fins or the likes, but that's only a few instances. Let alone bruises or the likes.

It's actually not hard at all to do so, keep up the filtration and oxygen levels, do water changes, and tada!

Also as Fish on Fire mentioned, it is actually more natural for there to be so many fish interacting with each other. Obviously not all of the fish we keep together are found in the wild together anyways (so it can't be totally 'natural' regardless), but yeah.
 
Azedenkae said:
I 'overstock' my tanks, there's a lot more interaction going on there, plus it really does spread the aggression out.
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This doesn't work so well w/ CA/SA cichlids IME. If it were then I would have never had to get rid of some of my cichlids. My 150g is over stocked, but I can't keep my h. Deppi in there because he has tried to kill everything in the tank. I keep him solo because of this.

OP-I think people over stock because they just love the fish. Plain and simple as that. I like the idea of under stocking though. It would make life so much easier not having to do so many water changes.




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tjrcf25 said:
I used to overstock all of my tanks until a pair of red isletas spawned when I was away for a weekend and came back with the rest of my 180 gallon wiped out. Interesting thing is that I have found them to be much more peaceful then the other amphilophus I have kept (except when protecting fry). It typically works as a way to spread aggression, but be weary, some fish become killers when they have fry in the tank. On the other hand, I've also had pairs kill each other when left alone together without dithers or other cichlids to take out their aggression on. I think for the most part its trial and error. However, some fish are hardier and better at getting along with others. Vieja and Amphilophus species seem to be strong willed and can take a beating, the festae I've kept have been very susceptible to disease when bullied or stressed. This may not be the case for everyone, simply my experience.

Ultimately, I like to be entertained when I walk by my tanks. That doesn't necessarily mean I need to overstock, but I'd rather see an overstocked tank then a tank where the fish hide all the time.
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Well put and right.

I never mix sexes in my "overstocked" tanks, exactly because of those perils and becayse males would fight for females.
 
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