FishProfiles.com Message Forums

just wondering if i could ever over plant my tank, or is there a risk in having alot of plants?

what about when i add fish? would too many plants stress them out?

Last edited by BeastKeeper at 24-Dec-2004 23:54

The only risks I can think of would be...

1. You don't have enough nutrients for the plants.
2. You get BGA which can happen when you have no nitrates.

Hi,
As John said it is possible to have so few fish, and
so many plants, that the nutrients become used up. At
that point the plants will tell you by becomming stunted,
stop growing, or start showing symptoms of nutrient
defficiency.

Check out this site for those symptoms:
http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_nutrient.htm

At that point you begin dosing the tank with fertilizers.
The type, and quantity will be determined by the type of
plants you have, and what they are telling you by their
symptoms.

When you add fish you need to think about the environment
that the fish feel most comfortable in and how that
works with the plant arrangement.

Some fish are solitary and like to hide shaded by plants.

Some fish are schooling and very active, they will need
open areas to dash back and forth in. To accomodate them,
you might plant stem plants or plants like Val or Sag
across the back, and larger plants like swords or clumps
of stem plants on either the sides or on one side leaving
a large swimming area for the fish.

Some are Shoaling fish and don't need the large open area,
but rather some open areas for them to congregate in and
establish the pecking order.

You should decide...Do you like a lush green jungle, with
a few flashes of color, or do you like lots of activity
and just a few plants, then stock the tank accordingly.
Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

depends on what you like...

dutch aquariums and amano style aquariums have the plants as the main focus of the tank, rather than the fish as the main focus.

you could in theory have too many plants, but its all a matter of personal preference.

But, you may run into the lack of nutrients, so fertilize to keep nutrients up in the water to promote plant growth.