edisme said:
Thanks for all the replies...most informative and helpful.
Am starting small with a 2.6 gal Fluval SPEC III Aquarium with 3-stage filter,
Current guests include two very small Armored Corys, and two small fancy guppies.
Bored already and would like to add at least one or two Zebras or Neons, hence my preoccupation with the 1" per gallon rule
Blessings,
Edisme
There are two very important points about the 'inch per gallon rule' that are usually forgotten about.
The first is, that this rule applies
only to fish slim bodied tropical fish, of less than three inches, adult size
The second is, that you must use the
eventual adult size of the fish for your calculations,
not the size it is now
Your cories, for instance, unless they're one of the three pygmy species, will reach two or three inches, so just one would be fully stocking your tank
Cories are also social fish, and shouldn't be kept in groups of less than six.
If you rehome/return the cories, you'll be fully stocked just with the guppies.
I'm also worried your tank isn't 'cycled'. That means it doesn't have a colony of good bacteria living in the filter. The bacteria eat the ammonia produced by the fish and turn it into less toxic substances; first nitrite, which is also toxic, and then nitrate, which is only toxic at very high levels, and which we keep low with water changes, in a cycled tank.
You're going to need to get some test kits, so you can make sure no ammonia or nitrite is building up in the water; until then, change at least half the water, every day, making sure the new water is warmed and dechlorinated.
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