How Many Fish

[nobbyninja]

i am sure this must be 1 of the most asked questions about fish keeping, here goes, how many fish can i keep in my 170 ltr tank.

ther seems to be a few different ideas to this problem,

does anyone have a definate answer that all agree too

the fish we have at the moment are below in my sigature

i must stress that i am just the referee, as the tank is shared between my wife and son, and they seem to come back with something that caught their eye

 

[phlawed]

i am sure this must be 1 of the most asked questions about fish keeping, here goes, how many fish can i keep in my 170 ltr tank.

ther seems to be a few different ideas to this problem,

does anyone have a definate answer that all agree too

the fish we have at the moment are below in my sigature

i must stress that i am just the referee, as the tank is shared between my wife and son, and they seem to come back with something that caught their eye

to be honest it all varies a great deal. Rule of thumb is 1" of adult size fish per/gallon. But, that can be less or more depending on fish. Some fish are greater waste producers than others. Some fish need more swimming space than others. Some fish are territorial and need their space. So it all comes down to researching the fish and finding what is the best enviroment for them and working from there. There is no deffinant answer to your question to be honest, as every fish different in their needs and what not.

 

[Griz]

I agree, there is no simple answer to your question. Check out the Fish Index and see what you are interested in and then ask for advice on compatability with what you already have. For starters, you could add some bottom dwelling fish and a school of another species of tetra.

 

[dgwebster]

I ran a poll a while ago. on this question.

The winner came out (for tropical freshwater):

multiply length by width to get surface area.

Dive surface are by 10.

This is in inches.

This only give the plain simple stock level though, you do need to consider the invidual fish that you wish to purchase for other items, most important in my opinion being terratory space.

For example, you could put way more tetras in that tank than you could dwarf puffers (first one that came to my head due to my new found love for them) as the puffers need their own space, while the tetras like to share their space with their kind.

 

[wendywc]

With your tank being a community tank with community fish, the 1" of fish per gallon rule should be sufficient. Or if it's a tall tank, the 1" of fish per 10 inches of surface area rule would be better.