AboutRon Coleman Expertise I am an expert on cichlid fishes, particularly New World cichlids. My broader expertise includes the behavior, ecology and reproduction of fishes in general. (I am NOT an expert on Goldfish). Please do not use abbreviations, such as "my GT has a swollen eye" because I don't know what a "GT" is. The more clearly you can explain your question, the better chance I have of understanding what it is that you seek. I keep fishes both as a scientist and as a hobbyist and I currently maintain about 140 aquariums.
Experience I am an Assistant Professor at the California State University, Sacramento in the Department of Biological Sciences, and I run a website, called the Cichlid Research Home Page . I also write for many popular aquarist magazines, and I am editor of Cichlid News magazine. I am a scientist and I spend my time teaching fish biology, ecology, behavior and evolution and doing research on the reproductive biology of fishes, particularly cichlids. I do research in the laboratory and in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Mexico. My main interest is understanding the evolution of parental care in fishes. I am interested in encouraging greater public awareness, understanding and participation in science.
Publications Cichlid News, Tropical Fish Hobbyist, Freshwater and Marine Aquarium, Science, Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology, Copeia, Canadian Journal of Zoology, Trends in Ecology and Evolution, AUK, Environmental Biology of Fishes
Question I have a 400 L tank ( 105 US G or 87 UK G ) stocked with assorted mbuna . currently I have 10 of them average 10 cm long ( mouth to tail end ).
I read a lot about controlling aggression by overstocking but I don’t have a clue on how much is normal stocking or overstocking limits ?
The tank has a lot of hiding places and two filters: gutter filter with 1500 L/hr pump and another 1200 L/hr canister.
Answer Hi Ahmed,
There is no hard and fast rule. It depends on the individual fish, how much cover there is in the tank, whether they are male/female/both etc. You are not going to stop aggression completely.
The way that overstocking is used in the industry is to put a lot of fish, e.g., 30 mbuna in a 55 gallon tank with NO cover at all. Therefore there is nothing for them to fight over and no place for a fish to try to establish a territory. This is how many wholesalers deal with fish. This is NOT how you want your home aquarium to be because the fish under such circumstances will generally survive but will be extremely stressed. Plus, when one dies, they can all die in rapid succession.
-- Ron
rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>
