How much fish is too much?

Question

I have a 10 gallon tank and have 11 fish. I have 9 guppies, and 2 female bettas. Do I have too much fish in one tank. I also want to add to the collection but don't want to over do it. If it's ok for me to add some more, what would you suggest? thanks

Answer 1

just make sure they have a lot of room so if it looks pretty crowded then get a bigger tank

Answer 2

I would wait to add anything else. I think your tank is about at the capacity.

Answer 3

best bet is to have your water tested if you show any ammonia or nitrite then your over stocked,  

Answer 4

Listen,

Because of outdated anecdotal information it seems you've been confused or mislead.  It's really not so much about how many you can have but more about your tank footprint, your O2 input and output, the levels your fish dwell in and their tempers.  Now there seems to be a small conflict with this group because both the guppies and the female Betta's would occupy the upper levels of your tank.  However, the temperments on these fish are relatively low.  There are occasions where some female Betta's become aggressive, but on average they are rather peaceful.  None of these fish are going to grow to excessive sizes, and none of them output massive amounts of waste.  There should be no problems with this other then the guppies are liable to breed.  So long as you don't take actions to try to secure the fry for survival and allow nature to take it's course in this tank, you should be just fine.

I would not add more though unless you increase your tank footprint.  While this stocking levels should work out under current conditions, addition of more is only going to put more pressure on your biological filtration and food needs.  If you want to increase the population, increase your tank size.

Answer 5

your tank is currently overstocked.  I would not add any more fish.  The good news is (depending how you look at it) that if your guppies have fry (baby fish) your bettas will certainly eat them, so you don't have to worry about becomming overstocked with guppies.

Each guppy should have 1.5 gallons of water.  Each betta about 2-3 gallons of water.  Too add beauty to your tank and make all your fish happy, you could consider adding some small stem plants or some low level plants.  This will give your fish something soft to hide it, help control algae, aide in filtration, add disolved oxygen to the water, and give you something to watch grow and "fill up" your tank.

resist the urge to add more fish to your tank should some perish.  A healthy number of fish for a ten gallon tank is about 5-7, depending on the size of the adult fish.  Remember, baby fish grow, and as they grow, they will take up more space and water quality.  Always stock a tank based on the adult size of your fish, even if the intention of getting a bigger tank is there.  You never know when economin hardships will happen making it impossible to get a bigger set up.

When you get down to about three or four fish, then you can consider restocking with other species.  As it stands right now, adding more fish could send you tank's water into a downward spiral that no amount of filtration can fix, which could kill your fish. While there are people who have more fish in these tanks and do so succesfully, they are not the norm, and it is better to err on the side of caution then risk your pets lives and happiness.

Answer 6

That does seem like a bit much. In your situation, with your size fish,  I'd go with about 6 max per 10 gal tank. Good News! 10 gallon tanks are usually the least expensive tank dollars/gallon at any pet store. Just run over and pick yourself up a 2nd one. Or if you're a big spender, a 30 gallon would be nice and give them plenty of room. Keep the 10 gallon, they come in handy in an emergency as a hospital/treatment tank.