I Was Wondering...

[Kiara]

I remember reading about this site somewhere in this forum, www.thinkfisk.co.uk
I added in the dimensions of my tank (by the way how do I measure the dimensions just in case I did that wrong. From tip to tip of the tank? Or do I subtract the couple of inches of gravel I have in there and estimate how much room my ornaments and plants are taking out?) The dimensions I have as of now for my 55g tank are 32cm W 122 cm L and 42cm H. I have 6 angelfish, 2 blue paradise gourami's (paradise fish on the site) 1 Rainbow shark (Ruby Shark on the site) and 2 plec's (one of which will be rehomed really soon) according to this site, it says I have 278.7456 cm of Guide stocking lvl. After I added the fish in my "tank" it says I still have 59 cm of fish that I can add. If I go by the inch for gallon, I'm a little over stocked, so does this tank calculator work? Or is the inch per gallon better? Or am I just a hopeless cause

 

[DragonLass]

That site actually calculates stock levels based on 1cm per litre.
This is more than the 1 inch per gallon rule.
Since 1 inch = approx 2.5cm, and 1 gallon = approx 3.8 litre, judging by the cm/l rule gives a higher stocking level by about 30% more.

 

[kimbowee]

I do use the site for general guidelines such as fish compatibility but I do not follow there stocking guidelines. I did try to follow its stocking guidelines when I first set up my 20 gal (after cycling) and wound up with water quality problems. Even with doing twice weekly water changes I had very high nitrates and lost several fish to columnaris. Not saying that they were the cause of it.

Currently on my 33 gal I am overstocking by a 11" per the inch per gallon room. From thinkfish I can still add 131cm of fish or basically double my stocking of current fish. That is with oversized external filtration.

 

[benzonar]

I'm also unsure about their stocking guidelines.

I can heartily recommend their tank of the month competition which I won in September, thanks to that I now have a Sera Water Test box worth £50 at home.

 

[Luke_e]

I do use the site for general guidelines such as fish compatibility but I do not follow there stocking guidelines. I did try to follow its stocking guidelines when I first set up my 20 gal (after cycling) and wound up with water quality problems. Even with doing twice weekly water changes I had very high nitrates and lost several fish to columnaris. Not saying that they were the cause of it.

Currently on my 33 gal I am overstocking by a 11" per the inch per gallon room. From thinkfish I can still add 131cm of fish or basically double my stocking of current fish. That is with oversized external filtration.

How do you know if your filter is oversized?

 

[kimbowee]

I added a Penguin 200 which is for a 50 gal tank and filters 200 gph & I also have a Whisper 30 on the tank which I believe filters 150 gph. Not sure on the whisper as I don't have the box and can't find specs for it.

 

[Kiara]

So basically I should stick with the inch per gallon for stocking right? According to that I'm over by a couple of inches...about 3 inches to be exact. Is this ok, or should I rehome some of my fish when I rehome one of the plecs? Thanks again for all the help.

 

[kimbowee]

Are you over by adult size or what size they currently are? If going over by adult size you should be fine only being 3 inches over as long as you aren't having any water quality issues. Just make sure you are doing regular water changes and testing if there are any problems. The inch per gallon is a general guideline not a "rule." It will give you a general idea of what can go into your tank. As for thinkfish guidelines I definitely won't be doubling my stock

If your fish are small tropical species you are ok, once you get into larger fish say over 6" each they typically need more room than an inch per gallon. Also, goldfish don't fall into the inch per gallon guideline.