Too overstocked tank?

[DerekT5]

Hi all I have a 40 gallon tank and wanted to know if the following fish in the same tank would be too overstocked.

2 clowns
5 Chromis
Midas blenny
Bicolor blenny
Coral beauty
Grammistes blenny
Royal gramma
Hector’s Goby

Thanks

 

[Brew12]

Hi all I have a 40 gallon tank and wanted to know if the following fish in the same tank would be too overstocked.

2 clowns
5 Chromis
Midas blenny
Bicolor blenny
Coral beauty
Grammistes blenny
Royal gramma
Hector’s Goby

Thanks

There is a lot that goes into being overstocked. Much of it is based on your aquascape and your filtration. This would be heavily stocked but you could compensate for that with frequent water changes and a large skimmer. You would need a fair amount of rock with plenty of hiding spots so the fish could each have their own.

Unfortunately, you do have some compatibility issues. Your blenny's may not all get along for one thing. Keeping a school of chromis is also challenging. Most people who try a school end up with either 1 or a mated pair.

 

[Big G]

That's a lot of fish for a 40. Especially if the clowns are of the variety that get big and the coral beauty grows to full size. Do you have a large sump?

 

[DerekT5]

That's a lot of fish for a 40. Especially if the clowns are of the variety that get big and the coral beauty grows to full size. Do you have a large sump?

Not a big one, it has 2 filter socks. I put some ceramic media to hold some bacteria and not too big of a skimmer

 

[DerekT5]

In your opinion/experiences would you rather have a Midas blenny or a bicolor blenny?

I was thinking of getting just one of the blenny getting about 3-4 Chromis

 

[Big G]

Midas is or can be a bit more aggressive. But they are so cool looking. Kinda like an eel. Chromis usually pick each other off until one is left. If you are looking for a schooling fish, check out "Springer Damsels."

 

[Rakie]

That's a lot of fish for a 40. Especially if the clowns are of the variety that get big and the coral beauty grows to full size. Do you have a large sump?

For me, I wouldn't say so.

I run 8 fish in my 50 cube -- 3 wrasse, a Sunburst Anthias, 3 gobies, and an Assessor and have absolutely no issues. They all are very social and mingle together well, they also never fight over territory, and a few of them like to sleep together. My assessor snuggles up with my Neon Goby some nights, my Tangaroa sleeps with my FireFish, the wrasse all have their own spot but my lunate sleeps with a flame shrimp.

I think in this hobby, the more the better. Equipment is so good these days there's almost no concern for water quality to be an issue.

In the reef, a lot of fish are visually communal, meaning if they look out from the rocks and don't see a bunch of other fish going about their day, they're gonna hide. It's just how fish work, in fresh water and salt water -- When the fish aren't there, they're hiding from a predator, otherwise the reef is bustling (or the lake/river) with a TON of activity. I've found that more fish lead to a healthier and happier system.

Something huge in Fresh Water are using "Dither Fish", the term means "The term dither fish refers to an arbitrary group of aquarium fish used by cichlid-keeping aquarists to reduce innate timidity in some species". So I decided to try and slightly modify the technique in my tank by most overstocking instead of a cloud of tiny fish. And to my surprise, not only is everything more outgoing, but everything is less likely to fight -- More fish = more spread out aggression. This is also typical of fresh water setups. It's typical to use a smaller fish to keep the larger fish more active and outgoing.

A lake, river, and ocean are all vastly different places. But animals are innately similar. Dogs from all corners of the earth know what a belly rub is, I'd imagine fish have some similar traits.

 

[eatbreakfast]

The midas and bicolor blenny will fight in that small of a tank. I find that midas blennies provide more color.

Stocking capacity depends on many factors, so without seeing the chemistry of the tank and the interactions of the inhabitants, it's impossible to say its overstocked.

I haven't had the same problems that others report with chromis. If there is high flow in the top 1/3 of the tank and they get fed frequently they are much more tolerant of each other.

 

[Rakie]

The midas and bicolor blenny will fight in that small of a tank. I find that midas blennies provide more color.

Stocking capacity depends on many factors, so without seeing the chemistry of the tank and the interactions of the inhabitants, it's impossible to say its overstocked.

I haven't had the same problems that others report with chromis. If there is high flow in the top 1/3 of the tank and they get fed frequently they are much more tolerant of each other.

This is good advice, and more relative to YOUR choices -- When I suggested the number of fish in the tank isn't quite overstocked (to me), it absolutely *could* be depending on the temperament of particular fish (i had an evil bangaii cardinal) or the stocking choices. I was strictly talking numbers and fish waste -- nothing more, nothing less.

 

[Cali-Saltwater-1st-Timer]

Hi all I have a 40 gallon tank and wanted to know if the following fish in the same tank would be too overstocked.

2 clowns
5 Chromis
Midas blenny
Bicolor blenny
Coral beauty
Grammistes blenny
Royal gramma
Hector’s Goby

Thanks

Nah.

 

[nereefpat]

Nah.

Well, hopefully 20 months later the OP has the issue figured out.

 

[WMR]

Possibly, I’d omit the Chromis & the bicolor blenny, everything else is ok. Add the clowns last & put your grammistes blenny in before your Midas & gramma, good luck