Fish Rules

[kribensis12]

It is a good basic guide line, but no something that should be ignored. When they say 1 inch per gallon, they mean 1 inch of ADULT fish, not the size when you get it. I have seen many people buy 4 little pleco's, and put them in a 5g tank. When i question them, they say that petsmart said 1 inch per gallon. And each pleco is a inch. When i tried to explain them they will die, she looked at me like i was out to get her fishies and stomped off. A week or so later i came to check oin them and she was crying that they died. IMAO, they also died from lack of care, and no nitrification cycle. So, maybe not the best example! But as posted earlier, cichlid's need thier own space. You cna put 4 2 inch cichlids in a 10g tank. They will fight nutil they pair off, then they will kill the others. Or several male melanochromis Auratus in a 30g. Just because they are small. They are the MOST aggressive Mbuna out there( some will argue with this), so that wouldnt be a good idea. Or else, you will only have 1 male in a short period of time. Plus, you can make more space in a tank by adding decor with nook's and crannies( i heard this, not an actual fact!). Just my 2 cents!

Krib

 

[wolfwolf]

Having an aquarium is an engineer's nightmare. Nothing is black and white. Depends on who you talk to and what book or website you read.

 

[darkwolf29a]

I use the "rule" as a guideline. But....if you use it as a rule...you'd be putting your fish in a bad situation. Consider this example:

Fish A is 3inches long, but will grow to be 12in. What size tank do you use? By the rule, you'd be fine, in fact...understocked with a 15 gallon tank.

Now consider that Fish A is, in fact, an Oscar. Would a 15 gallon tank be good for an Oscar? If you answered yes to the last question, then why is the minimum tank size for an Oscar 55 gallons, with a suggestion for a minimum of 75 gallons?

The "rule" is a guideline ONLY. I wouldn't think anything of putting 15 neons in 10 gallon tank. Overstocked?? Technically, according to the "rule." But, neons are schooling fish and you find a bunch of them together at any one time. In fact, you'll be more likely to find them all together instead.

So, my answer....it all depends on the species of fish you are getting.

 

[LetsBeFriends]

thanks for the replies, ill take that stuff into consideration, i do regular water changes about every week and a half so i guess i have room for to more barbs, which was the ultimate decision i was gonna make on what you guys had to say, thanks for your help

 

[cheesy feet]

I never even think of the 1' per gallon rule anymore.

 

[Matt_northants]

The 6 2 rule is better for determining if a fish is suitable for a tank. The tank must be 6 times as long and 2 times as wide as the adult length of the fish. Of course for very active fish even this rule I think is unfair. IMO all these rules are only apply to small slim bodied fish, of an average dispostion. The best way to stock is to do plenty of research on the species your interested in.

 

[crazie.eddie]

Could you overstock say if all the fish were happy and the water parameters were fine, obviously with a good filter and maintenance(sp?)?

Depends on what type of fish you have? If you have a balance of top/mid and bottom dwelling fish, even if you are slightly overstocked, then you should be fine. If you have all top dwelling fish, then the fish may get stressed out. Also, some fish do not mind to be in groups, such as tetras, rasboras, etc. While other fish, will get aggressive, no matter how much room you have.