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Is my aquarium overstocked2007-11-24 23:37:25

You can reduce the nitrite levels by adding more filtration. For example adding an undergravel filter, or adding a box/corner filter. This might allow you to safely have everything other than the Gourami, and pleco. Provided you are good about weekly water changes, gravel vacuuming, not over feeding, and monitoring your levels.

Note that changing the carbon filters of most power filters is a double edged sword. Many power filter only have a single filter media with the carbon in it. This forces you to choose between good biological filtration, or chemical filtration. Bacteria that convert ammonia, and nitrites take ~2-3 weeks to populate the filter media. By which time you're starting to use up your active carbon.

This is why a dry/wet wheel (biowheel), or multiple filter media are better. For example in one of my tanks that is in theory over stocked. I have a power filter with a biowheel, and 2 filter bags. I replace only one of the filter bags once a month. (The other I've slit open at the bottom and removed the carbon.) My only problem in this tank is nitrate build up.

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You know you are over-stocked when you do a gravel-vac and you get an ammonia spike so bad that you loose fish. I haven't lost a fish to ammo since I first started this hobby, so this is my first time loosing fish to a gravel vac. Twenty gallon with half a dozen black skirt tetras and (was) five Buenos Aires tetras. Already lost two of them. Careful with those gravel vacs, they can be a wake-up call!

If I can give anyone advice here, I'd say to use an ammo-lock product to change the water after a gravel vac.

Take back about 6 of them or risk killing them from ammonia.

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yah its overstock keep only 8 to 10 fish if its over then lots of chance of infaction any they die faster