Read this!

[Pleco-Heaven]

I Beileive this rule and I don't believe the rules of thumb.

http/www.aquahobby.com/tips/howmany.html

 

[wetwetwet]

A point well made P H

.....but as a starting point for most beginners I think 'rules of thumb' are good.

Once some experience has been gained then rules can be 'adjusted'

I'd say stock slowly carefully monitor water parameters and keep up a good maintenance schedule...



www

 

[Adrinal]

First of all all that crap he said is true... and has always been part of the rule of thumb. How he thinks he is special and more aggressive fish = more inch/volume or certian fish need a minimum range, i don't know. We have always put that with the rule of thumb thing.
Seccond by semantics alone rules of thumb are a general starting point.
Third the rule of thumb is a damn good thing for folks who are starting out and dont know why the rule is the rule... of course like anything in life... once you know why the rule is there you can better decide when to break it. There is a whole lot of factors that go into a tank and NO ONE knows them all at this point. Rules of thumb are a great starting point for some one who cant wait 2-3 years of research before setting up their first tank.

This guy has a big head. Period.

worse his artical gives the noob the impression they can easly overstock. And like wetwetwet says STOCKING SLOWLY...

 

[Opcn]

That is total BS 1CM/2Leters Is no where near 1 inch per gallon and the average aquarist will not stop at the point of overcrowding Even we have trouble doing that (I desperatly want to fill ANYTHING THAT HOLDS WATER with fish) and he says nothing of slowly adding the fish and he doesnt even think about pheramones you cannot keep 40 guppies in a 10 gallon tank even thought they are not fin nipers.

pcn

 

[rsz]

I see where that article is coming from, and I see the guy's point. Any sensible fish owner will not want to overstock their tanks because they'll want life to be good for their fish. As for newbies, well, I don't think alot of them follow the 1" per gallon rule (although I do think it is a good idea to tell them about, for the sake of their fish!).

When you get told about the inch per gallon rule, you don't get told to be sensible about things like a 20" fish in a 20 gallon. That's why people end up with common plecos in their 10 gallon tanks and things like that. There are lots of different ideas and rules for stocking a tank, each one has its good and bad points. I think the best idea is to use your common sense...