If you've gone to the trouble of buying all the right equipment and setting up your very own saltwater aquarium, you're probably keen to adopt lots and lots of fish. Most marine aquatics enthusiasts want their tanks to be as lively and as colourful as possible!
However, it's important not too put too many fish in one tank. An overcrowded aquarium is likely to have a lot of problems, including:
- Dangerously high ammonia and nitrate levels
- Insufficient oxygen
- Stunted fish growth
- High risk of stress and disease
- Fish behaving aggressively towards one another
So whatever you do, you need to make sure you don't overstock your tank. But that begs the question...
How Many Fish Is Too Many Fish?
Obviously, the answer to that question varies a lot depending on the size of your tank and what type(s) of fish you plan to put in it.
Different species grow to different sizes and have different requirements, so as ever, you will need to do your research before jumping in. Decide which fish you wish to keep in your marine aquarium, and read up on each species before purchasing - in particular, try to find out:
- How big each fish will be once fully grown
- How much space each fish needs
- How quickly you can add new species to your tank, and in what order
If you can get the answers to these questions, this should help you to calculate the maximum number of fish you can safely keep in your saltwater tank.
Rule of Thumb: How Many Fish Per Litre?
We can't tell you exactly how many fish to put in your tank, but if you're looking for a ballpark estimate, you will generally need to allow at least 1 litre of water per 1cm of fully-grown fish.
For example, if your tank's capacity is 100 litres, you probably shouldn't put more than 100cm of fish in there (e.g. you can have up to ten 10cm long fish, or up to five 20cm long fish).
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