Too many fish in my 80 gal tank?

Question

My friend came to visit me today & he also own a tank this size but he told me that I have too many fish.

Here's the fish I have in my 80 gal tank...

20: glowlight tetras

20: hatchet fish

15: Cory catfish

1: Rubberlip pleco

Do I have too many fish in my tank?

Answer 1

Your friend is absolutely correct.  Cut your numbers in half for reasonable stocking levels.

UPDATE: You are clearly already doing a better job than your average aquarist.  However, you will probably have some stunted growth and health problems (especially the hatchets).  Keep up with the water checks as your levels may become more unstable as the fish grow.  I would still reduce the amount of fish you have personally.  I never let an aquarium of mine get above 5g/L for nitrates and only accept untestable levels in some of my aquariums.  The hatchet fish are a nitrate sensitive species and are an example of a fish I have only kept with undetectable nitrate levels.  Remember at 40 g/L fish will start dying off.

Don't listen to many of the answers you will get here.  Most of the posters here think fish live for a few months and are having constant problems with ick, infections, and general poor fish health.  I would ask your pet store about local aquarist groups.  There you will find people that have done more than put a betta in a bowl or bred a guppy.

UPDATE: What I am suggesting is not the extreme measures I usually take to ensure excellent fish health.  I'm setting up the same size aquarium myself for six fish that will never grow more than three inches in length.  Not to mention the over 100 gallons that will be in the sump, refugium, and algae/plant filter (and no, this is not a marine setup).  The levels I have recommended are the levels for your fish to grow to full size, exhibit great coloration, and encourage activity.

EDIT: Sorry, g/L (grams per Litre) is equal to ppm (parts per million).  I don't use test kits as I have a wetlab at my disposal.

Answer 2

It is a little over stocked,take out 10 glow tetras,and take out  10 hatchet fish,and a few cory cat fish.then you should be OK.But it all depends on the size of the fish.

                                        hope this helps,

                                           -jacob   :))

Answer 3

no unless they are saltwater fish

Answer 4

I don't think it's overstocked at all. All of these fist stay pretty small and also stay on different levels of the tank.

Have you done any test on your tank lately? Also how long has this tank been set up?

Answer 5

I dont think its overstocked...these are small fish and dont grow big...they stay small...and these numbers are not bad...at least I dont think so...and the test results sound good...considering you have plants and decor...dont add any more fish though..but this sounds good...