Who Gives A Fish Forums

I've got a 20 gallon tank with 15 Neon Tetras, 5 Corydoras, and a Betta. The water's been cloudy lately, and I'm worried about overstocking. Anyone dealt with this before?

Yo, that's a lot of fish for a 20 gallon. Betta's gonna be stressed with all those Tetras zooming around. Gonna need more filtration or cut back on the stock.

Cloudy water usually means a bacterial bloom, which happens when the bio load's too high. Test your ammonia and nitrite levels ASAP. If they're high, you'll need to do more frequent water changes.

flaxion wrote: ↑Tue Jun 24, 2025 9:32 am Yo, that's a lot of fish for a 20 gallon. Betta's gonna be stressed with all those Tetras zooming around. Gonna need more filtration or cut back on the stock.

Agreed. Bettas prefer calmer tankmates. Consider rehoming some Tetras or moving the Betta to a separate tank.

Man, I had the same issue last year. My tank was packed, and the water looked like pea soup. Ended up upgrading to a 40 gallon, and now everything's chill.

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I'll test the water and see about rehoming some Tetras. Appreciate the help.

Let us know what the test results say. If ammonia's high, you might need to add some beneficial bacteria to speed up the cycle.

Yep, and if you're gonna keep the Betta, maybe toss in some floating plants. Gives 'em a place to hide and chill.

fruitygal wrote: ↑Tue Jun 24, 2025 12:14 pm Let us know what the test results say. If ammonia's high, you might need to add some beneficial bacteria to speed up the cycle.

Seachem Stability works wonders for that. Used it in my overstocked tank and saw results in a couple days.

Dude, floating plants are a game-changer. Frogbit or Water Lettuce would be perfect for your setup.