[Nanook]

Originally posted by leebca
The 'why' has always been an easy question for me. . .We measure the fish to get a handle on the bio-load. Then we see if we have enough bio-filtration to handle the bio-load. About the only terms commonly used are: inches of fish/some number of gallons; or more technically, mass of fish/bio-filtration capacity.

For me, the concept of the limit to the number of fish falls into a few categories[list=1][*]territory/aggression[*]swim space[*]level of shyness; and[*]biological/chemical support[/list=1]

I have overstocked my aquariums in the past. I learned that:
1. when overstocked, most fish give up their territorial nature and their too confused as to who to be aggressive with, because another fish will be coming by in another second anyway;
2. we can't provide enough swim space anyway---our tanks are smaller than a whole reef;
3. shy fishes need hiding places and need to be out of the direct sight of assertive or aggressive fishes at least part of the time and when they want to; and
4. I have to provide too much biological/chemical support. There must an abundance of waste-handling bacteria as well as means to maintain the optimum oxygen content in the water. Gas exchange at the water's surface must be facilitated. Water chemistry needs close attention and maintained. This last category is the time consumer. The system has to be maintained. There's no, 'I'll get to it next month' kind of maintenance.

Are we being cruel to our fish pets? Sure. We've taken them out of their normal environment and to get them to our tanks, we've killed more than 60% of those captured.

Regarding inches to gallons for SW fishes: I've read everything from 1" to 2 gallons; on up to 1" to 10 gallons. Seems like a real science to me!

What's important are, I think, and what I watch out for, are listed above.

For those new to the hobby, I would recommend standing by the conservative guidance. When you have a thorough knowledge, understanding, and control over your system then I recommend you follow your conscious and the amount of time you want to put into the hobby.

Well said!!!

Dave