1 inch of fish per gallon

[rosierabbit]

i've never thought the rule of 1 inch of fish per gallon was very fair , and now i've found an alternative . here is the link - http/www.geocities.com/scalehead/stocking.html

read it through and tell me what you think of it. i think it sounds much better - a 20 inch fish in a 20 gallon isn't fair on the fish, and 20 one inch neon tetras make a 20 gallon tank look bare.

 

[Braddah]

ill have to do this formula when i get home but it sounds very scientific...i read about the same formula once for goldfish and koi...and was suprised to find that they need like 2-3 gal per inch of fish.....

 

[revengeishere]

Oh my god, this thing is more accurate than the 1 inch per gallon thing.
My stocking levels are
12 tiger barbs
3 siamese algae eater
1 bala shark
1 pictus cat
1 red tailed shark
20 danios.
Im over stocked, but will be moving the danios anyway, and probably, the bala shark.

but one thing thats kinda inaccurate is the volume of the tnk. I mean it didnt ask for depth.

 

[gi4get]

Your reasoning "a twenty inch fish wouldn't be happy in a twenty gal. tank" makes sense. I'm excited about this..uh ..meathod simply because I want to get a school of tiger barbs and a school of cardinal tetras for a 20 gal but hesitate because of space limitations. Using this meathod I could fit large schools of each and have space left over. What else do you know? What kind of credentials (sp?) did the author have? Couldn't this process lead to overstocking? How does one know when a tank is overstocked? *ack* sorry....*question, question* I'm all ears

 

[aernympha]

ok i went to this iste and well my tank is 36 cm x 81 cm which is 14.4 x 32.4= 466.56 sq.in.
guppy 1.25in. (x3)> 1.25 x 6 sq.in. = 7.5sq.in x 3 = 22.5sq.in.
sailfin molly 4in. (x1)> 4 x 9 sq.in. = 36 x 1 = 36sq.in.
swordtail 4in. (1)> 4 x 9 sq.in. = 36 sq.in. x 1 = 36sq.in.
platy 1.5in. (x4)> 1.5sq.in. x 6 = 9sq.in. x 4 = 36sq.in.
otos 3in. (x2)> 3sq.in. x 9 = 27sq.in. x 2 = 54sq.in.
molly 1.5in. (x3)> 1.5sq.in. x 6 = 9sq.in. x 3 = 27sq.in.
ballon molly 4in. (x1)> 4sq.in. x 9 = 36sq.in. x 1 = 36sq.in.

TOTAL=247.5sq.in.

466.56 sq.in. - 247.5 = 219.06sq.in.

ok well as u can see i have done this thing of yours!!!!! which is saying i could fit in about another load of fish!!!! like nearly waht i have twice over!!!! but when i do the one inch of fish for gallon i think my tank is over stocked!!!!!!! so u have confused me!!!!!! what do others think of this!!!?!?!?!?!???!?!?!??!? is this some thing scientific??? so is my tank over stocked?!?!?!??!? i think its is if u use the onch of fish to every gallon ....... i am now beging to doubt this!!!! ..... MRV u sseem to know alot about this we need ur help!!!!

 

[Fishy_Fish74]

I think that's about right! My 10 gallon tank is to empty!

 

[Alien Anna]

Good method, but how on earth did he get his black neon tetras to 1.5"???

Admittedly, mine are probably stunted because I got them from a guy who didn't believe in doing water-changes ever, but even my biggest is barely an inch long (not that the blighter would stay still long enough to get measured!).

I have a 12 gal tank with 8 black neons (half of whom I'd say are very small), two cherry barbs (the male is just under an inch long - he's probably also stunted. The female is just over an inch long, which balances out as 2" of fish), plus a male betta (probably just under 2"). It probably could do without the cherries, but they're refugees from an even more over-stocked tank.

I'm going to have to check my main tank again, because I know it's over-stocked even using the old method - but you should have seen it when I first got it! 6 cardinal tetras, 5 black neon tetras, 7 cherry barbs, 4 pencilfish, two CAEs, a Red-tailed Black Shark, a female betta and two gold barbs. I then made matters worse by getting 4 pearl gouramis (what can I say - I believed the LFS guy! ) This was all crammed in a 25 US gal tank!

Which is why I keep encouraging newbies that small is beautiful.

 

[rosierabbit]

To be honest, I'm not sure just how reliable this method of measuring is, and I agree that it doesn't mention depth anywhere, but then again, neither does the one inch per gallon method!!

I have almost 2 inches of fish per gallon, and intend to get more, although that would supposedly be overstocking according to the 1 inch per gallon thing. However, according to this, I could put all the one I want in plus more!!! I won't fill my tank up, but I'm definately following this principle.

Hope other people find it useful.

 

[revengeishere]

But i think this is more accurate as it takes the fishes size in cosideration realtive to how big it is, like the Bigger fish=more waste thing.

Is somebody a math wiz here? what if we used cubic inches rather than square inches? do you think it will be more accurate?

 

[rosierabbit]

Is somebody a math wiz here? what if we used cubic inches rather than square inches? Youldnt it be more accurate?

Yes, that might be better, i'm not sure. i guess it would work.



just thought i'd also add that i expect most people's tanks are 'overstocked' , but if the fish are happy enough, then it doesnt really matter.

 

[MAM]

this sounds great, it would mean i could add more mollys to my family , but i think you also have to take into account all your decorations. plants and rocks and castle ruins do take up a lot of swimming space. that, and with all the food and waste buildup, you can only have so many fish.

 

[AquaNut]

I'll put my unorthodox two cents worth in on this one.

EVERY book I've ever read about aquaria states that 1" of fish per gallon of water is a good guide for NEW hobbyists. There are countless variables that will determine how many fish can live comfortably in your tank, and as you become more experienced with keeping fish, you will learn to easily identify these variables. I think the inch per gallon rule is designed to help new aquarists avoid grossly overstocking their tanks.

For example, two same sex angelfish will likely be far more willing to share territory with other fish than two mated angels who spawn. Therefore, you could have two identically sized tanks, each with a pair of angels in it, and one could easily house many more fish, while the other might only be able to take on a small shoal of cories without overstocking it.

Also, in a tank that already holds a number of larger fish, the addition of another large territorial fish, such as a gourami, could lead to overstocked conditions, where one or more fish end up bullied into perpetual hiding. However, instead of one 4" gourami, you may easily be able to add 8" of cardinal tetras (random example) without overstocking.

To me, overstocking your tank doesn't just mean that you've exceeded the maximum bio load for your filters; it also means you don't have sufficient territory for each and every fish in your tank. Experience will tell you whether that fish is hiding because there's insufficient territory in your tank, or perhaps it's a schooling fish who needs more companions.

I don't see how any mathematical formula can say how many fish any given tank can hold. (Although I DO think the 1" rule is great for beginners)

 

[rosierabbit]

i see wot u mean, but i disagree. the i inch rule isnt very good for beginners IMHO. a beginner wants a variety in their tank, an if they want schooling fish, that takes up alot of their inches!!! so long as they dont hav mean fish, or fish that grow a hell of a lot bigger, or an unbalanced tank, i think they're fine with more.

i agree with what u say about teritory fish tho, and ppl shud consider that when using any kind of stocking rule.

thank u for ur opinions everyone, they're appreciated

 

[revengeishere]

The depth of a tank has little effect on the amount of fish you can keep, within reason of course, but the surface area is the thing that matters mostly. With the addition of aeration and filtration your fish levels may be increased, but still we will reach a level where the waste products produced by the fish will outrun the capabilities of the filter

http/www.aquarticles.com/articles/manage..._Many_Fish.html

I found an even better article on the subject!

 

[Kissifish]

I'd like to hear from the MODS on this one.

IME, too many fish, too much NH3 = big health problems. Not to mention, no enough private space for each species of fish.