4 Reasons Not To Overstock Your Fish Tank

Many new aquarists make a common mistake of overstocking a fish tank with too many fish. Once a domestic aquarium is overstocked, not only its maintenance gets difficult, but it also lowers the fish’s quality of life. In serious cases, you may also experience a high rate of fish loss due to overstocking. Experts at AquaticWarehouse share a few reasons you should not overstock the fish tank.

1. High Consumption of Dissolved Oxygen in Water

Fish live on dissolved oxygen in the water. A fish tank has a fixed amount of water, so the amount of dissolved oxygen is also limited. If you put too many fish in a tank, there may not be enough oxygen for all of them to survive. Though an air pump may increase the amount of oxygen in fish tank water, it is also limited to what it can do.

2. Excess Production of Ammonia

Fish produce ammonia which is toxic to them. While the fish tank filter takes care of ammonia by the nitrogen cycle, an overstocked tank can face excess ammonia and every filter has its limit. When there is a high population of fish, the filter may not be able to turn ammonia into nitrate on time. Consequently, there will be ammonia and nitrite spike in the tank, which is toxic to the fish. Even short-term exposure to this spike can be permanently damaging to the fish.

3. Too Much Nitrite

Even if you have a powerful aquarium filtration system that can take care of all the nitrite and ammonia, the final product of the nitrogen the cycle will still increase faster than usual. Due to high nitrate concentration, the immune system of your fish will suffer and make it easier for them to catch diseases.

4. Algae Bloom from Excess Nutrients

Algae grow on nitrogen compounds like ammonia and nitrite. When the water has too much nitrogen, algae infestation gets difficult to prevent. Keeping a limited number of fish in your tank will cause low nitrogen concentration in the tanks water and it will also take the necessary nutrients away from algae. This is the reason lightly stocked aquariums have fewer algae issues. It also lowers the maintenance hassle and makes it easier for fish to survive and stay happy and healthy.

When planning to set up an aquarium in your home, keep these reasons in your mind before you plan on overstocking your fish tank. Make sure to have high-quality fish tank supplies to keep your fish healthy and happy.