I have a 15 gallon tank and I'm wondering how many fish I can get away with. They say an inch of fish per gallon at every pet store. The thing is, one 15 long inch fish is a lot more than 15 1 inch long fish. Does anyone have a better system for determining how many fish a tank can handle?
How Many Fish Per Gallon, Really?
- Thread starter blfoster
- Start date
Use the 1" per gallon (using ADULT sizes) as a guideline - the rest is simply down to common sense. You can't expect a 'rule' that describes every possibility - you'd need thousands of them 
- one for every species we keep - maybe one per sex for that matter!
If you ask about each species and research it carefuly on the net, you'll be able to work out for yourself what size tank you need - I mean what fish aer you itnerested in? Perhaps I could help...?
- one for every species we keep - maybe one per sex for that matter!If you ask about each species and research it carefuly on the net, you'll be able to work out for yourself what size tank you need - I mean what fish aer you itnerested in? Perhaps I could help...?
Use the 1" per gallon (using ADULT sizes) as a guideline - the rest is simply down to common sense. You can't expect a 'rule' that describes every possibility - you'd need thousands of them
If you ask about each species and research it carefuly on the net, you'll be able to work out for yourself what size tank you need - I mean what fish aer you itnerested in? Perhaps I could help...?
I have a few tetras, a blue ram, a gourami, and a pleco. They're all fully grown. The pleco is about 4" long, the gourami is ~3" long, and the tetras are 1-2 inches long.
I have several live plants too.
Thanks.
Scott MacAdam
Fish Addict
depending on what kind of pleco it could range from 6 inches to 2 ft.....
a rubber nose maxes out at 6inches hopefully you have one of those.
as for a rule.... Always go but the max lenght that a fish could be
and as you said 15 i inch would be ok but one 15 inch, nope
umm just mix and match it would be hard to say but just add up the total current inches of your fish assuming they are fully grown and this will give you a ballpark of where you are. other then that you are fine.....just watch that pleco. my uncle has one 2 ft long and about 15 years old, it's freaking amasing! but even if he does get BIG try to rehome him of trade for a smaller at the lfs or something
a rubber nose maxes out at 6inches hopefully you have one of those.
as for a rule.... Always go but the max lenght that a fish could be
and as you said 15 i inch would be ok but one 15 inch, nope
umm just mix and match it would be hard to say but just add up the total current inches of your fish assuming they are fully grown and this will give you a ballpark of where you are. other then that you are fine.....just watch that pleco. my uncle has one 2 ft long and about 15 years old, it's freaking amasing! but even if he does get BIG try to rehome him of trade for a smaller at the lfs or something
How many of each do you have and what is it you're consdiering adding? What size is your current tank?
The existing fish - the rams need to be in pairs - so give about 5 gallons in terms of the inch guideline but a minnimum of 15 gallons in terms of space. Then you have tetras - what kind (you know, pacus and piranhas could be considered tetras - but so are neons). Assuming they grow to about 2", they need to be in a minnimum of 6 (group size) so you need about 12 gallons for them. The pleco is 4" but may be one that grows to 18" - be specific about the species. Also, plecs produce a lot more waste than comparable fish so spare a few extra gallons. The gourami - what species? (again, Osphronemus grows to 30" whereas something like a sparkler barely exceeds 1"!). most are territorial and usualy require 10 gallons minnimum but if yours is currently 3",c hances are it's a three-spot (in which case minnimum for a single one is 20 gallons due to aggression but they only grow to around 5-6".
Basicaly, assuming you have your fish in 'standard' size groups for their species, you need a 5+12+4+6= 27 gallons - so make it 30. That's also alrger than the largest minnimum tank size mentioned (20 gallons for a three-spot gourami) so a 30 gallon would be fine and *might* have room for a couple mroe fish.
The existing fish - the rams need to be in pairs - so give about 5 gallons in terms of the inch guideline but a minnimum of 15 gallons in terms of space. Then you have tetras - what kind (you know, pacus and piranhas could be considered tetras - but so are neons
). Assuming they grow to about 2", they need to be in a minnimum of 6 (group size) so you need about 12 gallons for them. The pleco is 4" but may be one that grows to 18" - be specific about the species. Also, plecs produce a lot more waste than comparable fish so spare a few extra gallons. The gourami - what species? (again, Osphronemus grows to 30" whereas something like a sparkler barely exceeds 1"!). most are territorial and usualy require 10 gallons minnimum but if yours is currently 3",c hances are it's a three-spot (in which case minnimum for a single one is 20 gallons due to aggression but they only grow to around 5-6".Basicaly, assuming you have your fish in 'standard' size groups for their species, you need a 5+12+4+6= 27 gallons - so make it 30. That's also alrger than the largest minnimum tank size mentioned (20 gallons for a three-spot gourami) so a 30 gallon would be fine and *might* have room for a couple mroe fish.
I'm not sure what species the pleco is, but it has stopped growing. It's about 5 inches long.
The gourami is a pearl gourami, about 3 inches long, and also fully grown.
As far as tetras go I have:
1 diamond tetra (~ 2 inches)
1 black widow tetra (~1.5 inches)
1 x-ray tetra (~1.5 inces)
Then there's the blue ram, which is about 2 inches long.
Finally, there's another wierd fish I forgot about. I'm not sure about the species, but it's fully grown at about 2 inches.
I've had all these fish for awhile, so I can be reasonably certain that they are all fully grown.
They are all peacefull. If a fish becomes aggressive, I take it back to the pet store, so all the current fish have passed the test, so to speak.
As it is, the tank is very stable. I test the water often.
The gourami is a pearl gourami, about 3 inches long, and also fully grown.
As far as tetras go I have:
1 diamond tetra (~ 2 inches)
1 black widow tetra (~1.5 inches)
1 x-ray tetra (~1.5 inces)
Then there's the blue ram, which is about 2 inches long.
Finally, there's another wierd fish I forgot about. I'm not sure about the species, but it's fully grown at about 2 inches.
I've had all these fish for awhile, so I can be reasonably certain that they are all fully grown.
They are all peacefull. If a fish becomes aggressive, I take it back to the pet store, so all the current fish have passed the test, so to speak.
As it is, the tank is very stable. I test the water often.
Actualy, just ebcasue your plec appears to have 'stopped' growing, doesn't mean it has. Get a picture and ask in teh catfish forum for identification.
Pearls are fully grown at 4" for females, 5" for males. 3" is not fully grown.
All those tetras need to be in groups of 6 (of their own species) but they'll be ok for the time being.
With your current fish, a 20 gallon minnimum is called for. Any new fish need to be of the tetra species - I'd suggest, actualy, that you return the widow (which can get nippy) and either of the others and then build up on teh remaining species until you have 6 of them.
6 etras, 1 pearls, 1 ram and the plec will be ok in a 20 gallon as long as the plec is a small-growing species.
Try to identify the unknown fish - what color is it? Can you get a pic? Does it look like a tetra? Does it have an adipose fin? In future, research any fish befroe you buy them so you know what you are getting and what their requirements are.
Pearls are fully grown at 4" for females, 5" for males. 3" is not fully grown.
All those tetras need to be in groups of 6 (of their own species) but they'll be ok for the time being.
With your current fish, a 20 gallon minnimum is called for. Any new fish need to be of the tetra species - I'd suggest, actualy, that you return the widow (which can get nippy) and either of the others and then build up on teh remaining species until you have 6 of them.
6 etras, 1 pearls, 1 ram and the plec will be ok in a 20 gallon as long as the plec is a small-growing species.
Try to identify the unknown fish - what color is it? Can you get a pic? Does it look like a tetra? Does it have an adipose fin? In future, research any fish befroe you buy them so you know what you are getting and what their requirements are.
I can see I still have a thing or two to learn about the aquarium business B) At any rate, my current setup is stable for now. I can always take a fish or two back to the pet store if I need to. I'll try to get some pics. I actually have a shot of the pleco. I'll take your advice and post it in the catfish forum. Thanks for the help.
Scott MacAdam
Fish Addict
yeah good idea about the pic. and as stated... you can alwasy return a few if things get out of control..... so watch close and have fun with it. but up grading tanks is not a bad idea..... look for a used one or something. i saw a 75gallon go for 75 dollars..... the right sopt at the right time!
It looks like the species is hypostomus plecostomus. I know those guys can get huge, but according to the pet store this one was a small variety that isn't supposed to grow over 6 inches. I suppose it could still be growing slowly, but it hasn't gotten noticably larger at all in 6 months or so. It grew fast it first, which leads me to believe that it is fully grown.
vancouver
- l l a m a s -
I wasn't sure from the pic.. looked like a regular pleco to me.. but I really don't know for sure..
Your tank is definitely not an ideal setup... but you could always get rid of the gourami and pleco and get 2-3 more of each tetra... that's probably the best thing to do.. but yea it can be hard to do.
Your tank is definitely not an ideal setup... but you could always get rid of the gourami and pleco and get 2-3 more of each tetra... that's probably the best thing to do.. but yea it can be hard to do.
I'm pretty much playing it by ear. I watch the fish closely, and if any become aggressive, I take them back to the pet store right away. Right now they all seem happy enough, but if that changes, I will do something about it right away.
The Gourami is one of the most peacefull fish i have, despite its size. It's a female if that explains anything.
SamUK
Fish Aficionado
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2005
- Messages
- 3,136
- Reaction score
- 0
its not aggression thats the problem, you have a couple of fish that grow to big for your tank.
does your plec look like this?
the people at your LFS will tell you anything so you buy there fish and make money so its best to do research yourself.
those fish grow up to 2 feet and theres no dwarf or mini version. theres a plec called a bulldog/rubbernose plec that is alot smaller but without a pic we cant tell.
with the pearl gourami.
mines ATLEAST 5" head to tip so yours should have atleast some growing left to do.
does your plec look like this?
the people at your LFS will tell you anything so you buy there fish and make money so its best to do research yourself.
those fish grow up to 2 feet and theres no dwarf or mini version. theres a plec called a bulldog/rubbernose plec that is alot smaller but without a pic we cant tell.
with the pearl gourami.
mines ATLEAST 5" head to tip so yours should have atleast some growing left to do.
Here's the pleco (I posted pics in the catfish section).
It's either no longer growing, or growing very, vey slowly. If it's just growing slowly, by the time it outgrows my current tank I'll certainly have a bigger one.
The pearl gourami is a female, so it shouldn't get that much bigger. This one is also growing very slowly if it is still growing at all, so I'm not worried.
Thanks for the help.
Can someone tell from this shot what species of pleco this is? I know it's not the best picture, but my camera is broken:
Here's another shot I took when it was injured awhile back. It looks healthy now.
It's either no longer growing, or growing very, vey slowly. If it's just growing slowly, by the time it outgrows my current tank I'll certainly have a bigger one.
The pearl gourami is a female, so it shouldn't get that much bigger. This one is also growing very slowly if it is still growing at all, so I'm not worried.
Thanks for the help.
SamUK
Fish Aficionado
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2005
- Messages
- 3,136
- Reaction score
- 0
looks like a common 2 me but im no plec expert.
the growing has probably slowed because of your tank size tho thats the thing
the growing has probably slowed because of your tank size tho thats the thing
Similar threads
Most reactions
-
295 -
194 -
182
-
173 -
157 -
138 -
118 -
113
-
112 -
86 -
79 -
75 -
74 -
F
68
-
65