So i just wanted to start a discussion on a topic that is a bit murky for me.
When thinking about the limitations on fish/animals in a tank there have been a number of "rules of thumb" type of advice. FOr instance from freshwater consideration the idea of "fish inches"/ gallon of water, which is where i have heard 1"/5 gallons for saltwater. But i know these are not terribly accurate and don't take into account many different factors.
I am going to list out my understanding as the limitations on stocking.
1) Oxygenation- literally not enough oxygen in the water for all the living creatures. I think this limit is rarely reached in most tanks right? Especially since oxygenation is more dependent on surface area then total volume, it would depend strongly on that- but even then i haven't heard much from people seeing fish die because they couldn't breathe...
2) living space for species needs/movement. This is the "tang" rule- some fish just need more space to maneuver, and this is very much dependent on species. This can exhibit itself by overall health of the fish- if it is not getting enough space it's health declines generally.
3) Filtration needs- this is the one that i am always unsure of. The idea being that the more bio load the more taxing it is for the bacteria to filter and also for other nutrient exports to keep up. This to me is also a bit deceiving as it would be dependent on aerobic bacteria space- amount of feeding- and whether other filtering needs are met. I imagine that when filteration loads get challenged this is when we see a spike in nitrates? I don't think overtaxing in terms of ammonia would happen very often outside of properly cycled tanks right? But is this wrong?
Am i missing anything?
When thinking about the limitations on fish/animals in a tank there have been a number of "rules of thumb" type of advice. FOr instance from freshwater consideration the idea of "fish inches"/ gallon of water, which is where i have heard 1"/5 gallons for saltwater. But i know these are not terribly accurate and don't take into account many different factors.
I am going to list out my understanding as the limitations on stocking.
1) Oxygenation- literally not enough oxygen in the water for all the living creatures. I think this limit is rarely reached in most tanks right? Especially since oxygenation is more dependent on surface area then total volume, it would depend strongly on that- but even then i haven't heard much from people seeing fish die because they couldn't breathe...
2) living space for species needs/movement. This is the "tang" rule- some fish just need more space to maneuver, and this is very much dependent on species. This can exhibit itself by overall health of the fish- if it is not getting enough space it's health declines generally.
3) Filtration needs- this is the one that i am always unsure of. The idea being that the more bio load the more taxing it is for the bacteria to filter and also for other nutrient exports to keep up. This to me is also a bit deceiving as it would be dependent on aerobic bacteria space- amount of feeding- and whether other filtering needs are met. I imagine that when filteration loads get challenged this is when we see a spike in nitrates? I don't think overtaxing in terms of ammonia would happen very often outside of properly cycled tanks right? But is this wrong?
Am i missing anything?
