# Planted Tanks > Beginners' Corner >  Online stocking calculator accuracy, is my tank really seriously overstocked?

## hencpu

The stocking calculator http://www.aqadvisor.com/ says my tank is grossly overstocked!  :Shocked: 








But most of the time my tank looks like this, what do you guys think?  :Opps: 

http://www.aquaticquotient.com/galle...ge.php?i=13450



Apart from the Otos, all the fish you see here are already at, or near, their max size.

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## ciaossu

general rule of thumb is 1gallon per fish. your tank is 7.4gallon so if you do the math, you can only keep 7 fishes in the tank. but most of the hobbyist ignore this rule of thumb including me haha. so invest in more media, filter etc to keep good water quality.

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## hencpu

> general rule of thumb is 1gallon per fish. your tank is 7.4gallon so if you do the math, you can only keep 7 fishes in the tank. but most of the hobbyist ignore this rule of thumb including me haha. so invest in more media, filter etc to keep good water quality.


I know, Western vs Asian stocking standard. which is why most hobbyist ignores the rule right? Especially for planted tanks? Many aquascaped tanks have tons of schooling fish. Amano himself frequently puts tons of them in his tanks.  :Grin: 

Anyway, I do use overpowered filter, weekly water change & moderately planted.

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## greenie

I think it's just a guide and not a rule. More importantly, if your filtration can cope and water quality remains healthy, your tank should be fine.

Furthermore, if you do weekly water changes, no reason to be alarmed. Monitoring NH4,N02 and N03 and livestock behaviour regularly is important.

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## hardric

Its not only that. Must also use common sense. A standard 2 feet tank is 15 gallons. Doesn't mean you put a 15 inch fish inside. You also need to factor in swimming space.

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## hencpu

Ok, lets forget about bioload, since the combination of my overfiltration, weekly water change & heavily planted can easily take care of that. 

But visually, does this tank look overcrowded or seriously overstocked? Can I still add 4-5 Cardinal Tetra?

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## stormhawk

Tank looks fine. The crucial thing here is that your filtration is up to capacity. Given that your tank has nice plant growth, the bioload is acceptable. Just don't add anymore fish. Swimming space seems sufficient anyway, since you picked mostly small fishes.

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## hencpu

> Tank looks fine. The crucial thing here is that your filtration is up to capacity. Given that your tank has nice plant growth, the bioload is acceptable. Just don't add anymore fish. Swimming space seems sufficient anyway, since you picked mostly small fishes.


Alright, stormhawk. Thanks for the advice  :Smile:

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