Let me ask you something have you ever over stocked a tank with fish?

Does overstock mean 1" fish per gallon was exceeded, or the inhabitants are suffering?

I once had minnows which had babies, and not another housing solution. As they grew, the tank didn't suffer any toxicity levels since I'd change the filter cartridge or water often. They had no problems, as far as disease or illness.

Maybe like 20 neon tetras in a 10g?

Of course and most of the time it was from the sme reason given above.
But I don't pretend to be "enlightened" on just what the percent of stocking is in most freshwater systems...but I'd be willing to bet it's like 1/1000 % when compared to a fish tank. Put in another way, I think that what the AqAdvisor suggest as 100 % is
somewhere over 1000% of what any normal stream has for a stocking level.
All I know for sure about it is that when I keep my stocking below 85%...I have no
problems in my tank that are water quality related.

I'm pretty over stocked until I can get a bigger tank. I have 20 neon tetras and 1 blue ram and 3 emerald eye rasboras in one tank. Got sent extra neons I even had to stock some in a different tank there is probably like 10 in that tank with a betta.

I'm sure that I have on many occasions broken over the line many would call overstocked. But then my definition of overstocked depends on the results more than any magic number. If I am willing and able to provide the care needed to maintain the fish for the amount of time they are in the particular situation, I don't call it overstocked. At times, I have had as many as 30 fish at 2-3" in a ten gallon tank. Most would call that totally overstocked. But is it overstocked if they are bagged and sold the next morning?
Overstocked is a state of mind more than an actual measure of how many fish are in a given amount of water.
A single guppy in 55 gallons may be overstocked if the tank is not maintained.

80 Cardinal Tetras in a 17 gallon.









and yes it looks so damn cool and they lived for 3 years with only 2-3 deaths.

Pics or it didn't happen

Say bye bye to the bettas fins.

This isn't the first time I've kept neons with a betta. I haven't saw any nipping yet. 80 cardinal tetras in a 17 g??? I don't believe

Had to put the pond Goldfish into tanks when the pond leaked.
Over a dozen fish, some as large as 5" not including the tail in tanks ranging from 10-20 gallons, about 3 fish per tank.
The water in those tanks was black by the end of the first day. I was doing constant water changes in between fixing the pond.

Sadly, yes--though always as temporary measure rather than a long term plan and it's why I no longer allow myself to buy stock on a "but I plan to xyz" basis. If I don't have adequate tank space for the current levels AND the mature size of the stock--I don't buy.

For example, I got a great deal on some sterbai cories and was planning to set up a 125g tank soon. Ended up with 14 sterbai in a 10g tank, woefully underfiltered. All it took was the big tank plan falling thru and one hectic week and I was left battling a horrific case of fin rot and ended up euthanizing over half of them before it was done.

Add in years of taking in and rehabilitating (when possible) rescue fish from abandoned, poorly planned or just plain mishandled tanks has made me all the more an advocate of *under* stocking.

It depends on the definition of overstocked. My 55G is probably overstocked, but I still have to dose it with KNO3 a few times a week, so the bioload seems lower than what the tank can handle. Also I run 2x HOB and one canister so filtration is pretty good. Last, i have a good mix of top, middle and bottom dwellers so the fish are not all competing for the same space.

My buddy has a 55 Malawi tank which is definitely overstocked for not being planted. He does water changes every other day to keep the organics and nitrates low.

In my opinion you have to take into consideration filtration, plants and the 'normal' amount of maintenance you are planning for the tank. This is dependent on stocking the tank with the appropriate size and temperament of fish. I feel you have more wiggle room with larger tanks regarding overstocking. Overstocking small 3G or 5G tanks seems cruel.

Unfortunately yes, but its because of just one fish, this guy

Leopard sailfin pleco, currently 13.5".. maxes out at 18" long. Tank recommendation ...150g+ when full grown.. currently in a 55g... I can't give him a tank upgrade so I'm trying to re-home him to someone with a bigger tank.
To compensate for the tank size I do several water changes a week. I also have an aquaponic system over head to consume nitrates (makes delicious lettuce). But he needs more swim room now so got a raok thread up for 'em.

He started life with me as a 2" cutie

then turned into this (over 2 years)

There is also this:
The guy doing daily water changes on his rift lake tank cannot go away, or has to hire a water change person when he goes on vacation.

Next:
What happens when the power fails?
Filters and pumps do not run. CO2 accumulates. O2 levels drop. Beneficial bacteria dies. Anaerobic bacteria starts to grow in the filter.
Heater fails. This may not be as much of a problem if the power failure is in the summer, but what about the winter? As the house cools off we can put on a sweater, but it is hard to keep the water in the tank warm!
Lights fail. So any benefits from the plants are not going to happen if they are dependent on the lighting. Not many tanks are so close to a window that the window light is enough to grow the plants, and besides, many power failures happen during storms that are dark, cloudy weather.
In the summer, AC fails. If you are in a very warm place you are probably depending on the AC to keep the tank at least somewhat cool.

An overstocked tank will have almost immediate problems when the power fails.
An understocked tank will take a lot longer for some of these problems to surface.

In this case, the 1" of fish per gallon of water guide is pretty useful for small fish. It is a pretty decent guide for the CO2 and ammonia production and O2 needs of community fish. Go over that limit and the tank can crash a lot faster.

Beautiful Plec! Awesome sail, and nice color pattern!