How To Decide Appropriate Tank Size For Any Fish !

[crunch7]

First Parameter : Take the Maximum size which will be attained by the fish and multiply it into 4 times to get the minimum length. Example if a fish is going to be 6 inches as max then you need a tank with moving area of 6X4=24 inches or two feet length wise . Now DO your remaining math to convert it into Gallon form.
Now for the width fish require adequate turning space, hence for the width you should make it 2.5 times their maximum size. As for the height make it minimum 3 times their maximum size.

Second Parameter : Territorial Issues. Certain Fish are really aggressive and can claim territory in your tank. they will Kill any other fish which does not submit to their kingship. Eg. Most of African Cichlids are like that. So for that you should keep the number in such a way that the fish gets undisturbed influence in their territory from other of same species who need their own territory . In short try to make sure that these fish get ample territory space and also make sure their territories don't collide.

Third parameter: Please check the fish type, if your fish is a community fish that requires to be kept in minimum 6's or 7n's then give adequate room for all and add an additional foot area to your calculated tank length.

Fourth Parameter : Fish activity level , In case of fast and very active fish like danios,white cloud minnows you cannot reliably apply the above parameters. For danios you should give them four feet as a minimum. ( courtesy- CezzaXV)

Fifth Parameter: The area calculations you have just made are to be freely available for the fish to turn and move respectively, thus you have to make appropriate additions to accommodate substrate, rocks, plants, structures etc.
Substrate: Normally. Minimum of 2-3 inches of substrate layer is required for planted and non planted tanks. Add these 3 inches to your earlier assessed height requirements.
Area should be allocated for rocks,plants and structures. On an average adding an extra foot to your width and height requirements will help.

Now this thread is useful for those who want to choose fish first and then get their apt tanks which is against the normal method where people buy the tank and then fill it with suitable fish.

You are free to share your thoughts and differences as you may feel like.

 

[nurglespuss]

Hi there,

Its not particularly bad advice, but its not worded in the best way!

Perhaps a bit of an edit if you want to give a clear message to everybody?

Cheers.

 

[Fishy friend2]

don't think it is fair for a 6 inch fan to be in a 2 foot tank it is only 4 times its size for examPle a 1 inch fish should NOT be kept in a 4 inch tank, and you should also think about how active a fish is like a danio is only 1.5 inches at max but should be kept in nothing smaller than a 3 and a Half foot tank

 

[The Taffy Apple]

Sorry, i struggle to make any sense of that, and without wanting to sound rude, it maybe your grasp of English in type form.

Terry.

PS... wasn't it you that put a fighting fish in a bowl?

 

[Fishy friend2]

Sorry, i struggle to make any sense of that, and without wanting to sound rude, it maybe your grasp of English in type form.

Terry.

PS... wasn't it you that put a fighting fish in a bowl?

Yes that was him, But his Betta is now in an appropriate sized tank

 

[dh058977]

Im sorry but I agree with Taffy, I can barely make any sense of that. When you say 'multiply by 4' what are you multiplying? Length of the tank? Width? Height?
There are far too many variables that you havent taken into consideration. Also as mentioned, zebra danios are not that big but should be in a tank of at least 4ft.

 

[The Taffy Apple]

Sorry, i struggle to make any sense of that, and without wanting to sound rude, it maybe your grasp of English in type form.

Terry.

PS... wasn't it you that put a fighting fish in a bowl?

Yes that was him, But his Betta is now in an appropriate sized tank

Ah, ok, thanks for clearing that up, i honestly didn't mean to come across as rude, so apologies if it came across in that way.

Terry.

 

[crunch7]

Oh pardon my english !! too much of daily legal work has screwed my way of writing.
However I have tried to explain that multiply the maximum size of the fish or in better words the size it will attain when it becomes an adult fish into 4 to get the required space.

YEs indeed my parameters are not conclusive and they are just the beginning, all of your experiences are also welcome.

Without doubt I had one of the worst start to fish keeping, but this forum has played a big role in teaching me lots of fundamentals in fishkeeping. Also I am spreading what I have learnt to those who are ignorant here ( most people here are quite wrong about upkeep and care these fish need ). Also I am sharing my experiences so that I can rectify and check the validity of my contentions.

 

[CezzaXV]

There are other issues to take into consideration. For example, fish which naturally live in fast moving waters and are quick swimmers (white cloud mountain minnows for example) will generally need a lot more space for swimming than say a betta that lives in almost still water and doesn't have much swimming power, even though a betta is usually bigger than a WCMM.

 

[Fishy friend2]

There are other issues to take into consideration. For example, fish which naturally live in fast moving waters and are quick swimmers (white cloud mountain minnows for example) will generally need a lot more space for swimming than say a betta that lives in almost still water and doesn't have much swimming power, even though a betta is usually bigger than a WCMM.

+1

 

[CezzaXV]

In regards to territorial issues, some fish are worse than others. Some combinations of fish should be avoided (bettas and guppies for example, even though these species aren't considered overly aggressive). They WILL fight no matter how much space you give them.

 

[Fishy friend2]

In regards to territorial issues, some fish are worse than others. Some combinations of fish should be avoided (bettas and guppies for example, even though these species aren't considered overly aggressive). They WILL fight no matter how much space you give them.

Bettafish will only fight if their is another Betta in the fish's territory someone on here has 2 in a heavily planted 60 gallon tank and they never fight but have seen each other

 

[CezzaXV]

I can only assume that one is a female then or not betta splendens. It's generally a very bad idea to have more than one male betta in a tank as they do fight (and will fight anything that looks similar like a guppy). It's not so much the territory they fight for, they just see other males as competition.

There may be occasions where two or more have been kept together successfully, but I wouldn't recommend anyone put two together and expect anything good to happen. Any occasions where it's been successful will be the exception, not the rule.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Activity levels are very important. For example, hyperactive ~5cm Leopard/Zebra Danios do far better in a 4-foot tank they can zoom around in a strong current, my recently acquired Ilyodon xantusi (Limones Goodeids) have demonstrated their approval of an upgrade to a 4-footer this week. Conversely, African Butterfly Fish are very sedatory and despite reaching ~10cm, a tank with 30x30cm water surface per fish is adequate.

 

[Fishy friend2]

Activity levels are very important. For example, hyperactive ~5cm Leopard/Zebra Danios do far better in a 4-foot tank they can zoom around in a strong current, my recently acquired Ilyodon xantusi (Limones Goodeids) have demonstrated their approval of an upgrade to a 4-footer this week. Conversely, African Butterfly Fish are very sedatory and despite reaching ~10cm, a tank with 30x30cm water surface per fish is adequate.

+1 activity contributes to the size a fish should be kept in

And wether or not if they are shoaling fish