fish in tank

[brookie]

which rule is better to use for fish

the 1" of fish per gallon or

surface 1" of fish per 12 square inches


i have a 10 gallon and with the first on i would have 10" of fish with the second rule i can have 16.5 inches of fish

 

[Alien Anna]

Like many things in life, it isn't as simple as that. Neither rule-of-thumb applies to deep bodied fish, or very territorial fish, or bottom feeders, or air-breathers, or very polluting fish.

Why not post your suggested "recipe" and invite comments? That way we'd know what sort of fish you'd like and can suggest an appropriate number of them.

 

[Morrgan]

I agree with AA, but just wanted to add something. I think the "surface 1" of fish per 12 square inches" is a bad idea for any small tank. For anything under, say, 40 gal I would stick with the "1" of fish per gallon" rule of thumb, at least to start with. It's easier to keep the water quality good in an understocked tank, and this is especially important for small tanks, where changes happen quickly because of their small volume.

 

[BettaBoyz]

i've noticed this fish calculator here seems to double the tank size over for the fish length, but stops as the tanks get bigger.

rules of thumb are just that, and good for beginners who don't get cycling. four Neons in a cycling tank are fine; but imagine those Neons, four Cories and a Gourami. owie.

post your recipe, we don't bite!

really, i expected to be stoned before when i said i'd be adding Blood Fins to my tank.

 

[KnuckleHead]

I hate those fish rules. I think they were made up by someone trying to bring order to something that you cant. Knowledge of stocking a tank comes from experience and research.

 

[brookie]

i havent decided what fish for sure i want but i have narrowed it down to


cardinal tetra2-3
guppy pair
sunset marigold pair
1 dwarf sucker fish
balloon molly pair


mystery snails 2-3
african dwarf frogs 1-2
ghost shrimp1-2

i have an under gravel filter
power filter
heater
lights etc

 

[platypus]

Hiya brookie,

I can't comment on most of your choices I'm afraid, the only thing I can advise you on is that cardinal tetras are shoaling fish, and so ideally should be in a group of at least 6 (or preferably 10). Also, I think they like softly acidic water, so if your tap water is naturally quite alkaline it may be difficult to accomodate these.

As for gups - a pair of males would probably do fine in a 10 gallon tank provided they weren't super aggressive! If you got a male and a female you'd end up with loads of babies, not sure if that's what you want.

I think I remember reading once that some tetras, like neons, will happily nip away at a guppy's tail. Has anyone else come across this?

 

[brookie]

ok i have changed it to


2 cardinal tetras
2 guppies or 2 platy marigolds
2 balloon mollies

1-2 african dwarf frog
1-2 ghost shrimp
some snails (the ones that come with plants)

anacharis


can i put this all in a 10 us gal

 

[mollie]

Hmm Now fishy mathematics! The mists are not clearing!
My empty tank is 3 foot by 1 foot = How many gallons of water? and How many fish? ( That don't give birth every other day)
Love Mollie x x x

 

[Morrgan]

brookie, I'd say don't get the cardinal tetras. Tetras want soft, slightly acidic water, whereas guppies, platies and mollies don't. Besides, as platypus already mentioned, tetras are shoaling fish, which means you need 6 or more of them. Just 2 won't do.