Stocking Aquariums: Tips

Many aquariums fail due to over stocking or mixing the wrong species together. People who are new to the world of fish keeping will understandably want to put as many fish in their aquarium as possible, but without the correct planning or knowledge this can quite quickly go wrong. As with all areas of fish keeping, try to conduct some research before you go jumping in. Look into the needs of the fish you are wanting to stock, and try and adapt your plans accordingly. Having lots of fish in your aquarium may look great, but it's not so good when they don't last. This article goes through a few pointers as to why you need to be careful when stocking your aquarium, and what you can do to avoid potential issues.

Oxygen Levels

This is probably the most important barrier that limits the amount of fish you can stock. Obviously, fish rely on dissolved oxygen in the water and they need to have a sufficient amount of it if they are to survive. Overstocking a tank can greatly reduce the amount of oxygen available. To get the most amount of oxygen, ensure that your aquarium is well filtrated and that you have a good level of plant life.

Bacteria Levels

Aquariums rely on having bacteria to produce fish waste. Having too many fish means that there will simply be not enough bacteria to processed the waste from the fish. This will result in the whole natural balance in the tank being upset and you will start to run into issues. Test the water regularly for ammonia and nitrites to check on how much fish waste is being processed. Again, having a good filter system in place will aid the process and help keep fish waste to a minimum.

Filtration

The capacity of your fish tank will depend quite greatly on the type of filtration you are using. The purpose of filtration is to remove waste and keep the water healthy for fish to live in. Using a variation on filtration methods aimed at removing different types of waste will help increase the amount of fish you can keep. However be aware that power cuts do happen, and the more fish you have in the tank, the more harmful a power cut will be.

Hiding Places

A big killer of fish is stress. Having plenty of little hiding holes and furniture in your aquarium will go a long way to reducing harmful stress levels in your fish. If your aquarium is a bare open space, your fish are more likely to fight and stress each other out. Try to provide a variation of hiding spaces using both decor and plant life.

Behaviour

If you are looking to stock your aquarium with an ambitious mix of species, it is vital that you do a little bit of research to ensure that your desired fish are all compatible. Different types of fish will display different levels of aggression, and if you are going for slightly more aggressive species you have to be careful to match them up correctly.

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