Your opinion on fish stocking

I recently came across a video on youtube from an upstanding company that's pretty well known. They were showing step by step how to set up a 29 gallon reef. It was going fine until one video I see the fish and I'm like errrm what.

2 black and white clown
2 blue/green chromis
1 dartfish helfrichiI think
2 anthias

So I left a comment Isn't your tank very over stocked?

They replied with "Stocking levels you see on the net are really just guidelines. It’s really about making sure your live stock selection has the appropriate amount of habitat for its species so they are not constantly fighting over it. While there is a healthy amount of fish in this tank very few of them share the same habitat or natural food sources so they get along very well. After that is just about water quality. More fish means better filtration and maintenance habits."

Thought 7 fish in a 55 gallon would be over stocking. What is your take on it?

 

Imo theres no such thing as over stocked, as long as the fish dont fight, levels are good, and minimum tank size is met.

 

here is how i look at it, if you have good filtration and really good water flow, you can get away with having more fish then you should. also keep in mind that amount of life rock that was in the tank.


for a tank like a 29g should should have no more then 7.3inches of fish and max length.

now the fish he has in there two clowns would put you at 5 inches. chromis are going to take you to 7 inches, so yes that is a little to much fish but that tank might be able to handle that amount of fish.


I myself do not like putting in a lot of fish, and i would stay away from it.

hoped this helped.
Joe

 

disagree Dfost115 you can too much fish, you must also keep in mind about the fish you get, lets say you have 20 fish in a 20g tank, your fish would have no place to sleep or just swim by them self.

idk Dfost115 that is just want i think.

 

Yeah good point. I dont think anyone would go that overboard though

 

every true but i just need to make my point haha.

b/c i don't want him to over stock a tank, makes life really hard to maintain your tank.

 

The 2 Anthias do not belong in a 29 gallon tank.

The others I do not have a lot of problems with as long as aggression does not set in.

 

ok I have a purple firefish and hoeven's wrasse. I was wondering if it was possible to add 3 chromis and a midas blenny. I do have more than enough turnover to do 20 times an hour with just one pump. But when I use that the firefish doesn't come out. And my corals bend over.

 

The slightest thing goes wrong in an over stocked tank it crashes that much faster and harder.

Disease sets in and your fish are toast.

Myself I usually stock very lightly. I have a 28 gallon reef tank, at the most 4 fish. Two mature Clown Fish, an old YWG and a Damsel (yellow tail).

Another combo I have had is a trio of Fire fish and a Goby.

 

LOL I the only thing I can see wrong as far as the first postt goes are teh anthis, the minimum for all of them is a 70 gallon tank and teh feeding requirments are alot espically for a system that small. 1 might be alright but 2 just dosent make really good sense.

Exactly why it shouldnt be done