Is 10 Neons The Most You Can Stock In 10 Gallon?

[HYJ]

Hi, I currently have 5 gallon and I am thinking of upgrading the tank to either 10 gallon or 12 gallon eclipse aquarium.

First I would have to find a stand that support the new thank though.

Anyway, I am wondering about the stocking rule.. I know generally it's 1" of fish per 1 gallon.

But then..I imagined only 10 small fish such as neons in 10 gallon...and that would look too few fish in a large tank.

10 gallon may not seem large for those of you who have larger tanks, but if you just imagine 10 tiny fish such as neons in 10 gallon tank, wouldn't there be too much empty space?

But I assume it is overcrowded if there's more than 10 neons in 10 gallons?

Is it because of bioload, not the actual space?

 

[fifefish]

Im sure that if you plant it quite heavily is shouldn't look to empty.

 

[OldMan47]

The basic answer is that you could easily stock 15 neons in a tank that size. The biological load is a lot more than just inches of length. We are usually caught in the need to advise people that a 4 inch long fish produces a lot mo0re waster than 4 individual inch long fish. In your case you have gone in the other direction and are looking at fish that will produce less waste than fish that add up to the same number of inches.

 

[K-Holed]

I'd have to agree with the above. The 'inch per gallon' rule has been around for as long as I can remember and is a somewhat rough guide to stocking levels. What you have to remember is, not all fish produce the same amount of waste, regardless of size. If you have a 12" oscar, it's going to produce far more waste (in one was or another) than 12 neon tetras, who's waste levels are rather low, even when compared to their small size. I suppose you might get a better estimate if you looked at fish mass, rather than fish length. Even then there's going to be variations. It's all about being sensible, if a tank looks overstocked it probably is.

 

[rdd1952]

I also agree with OM47. With proper filtration and good weekly maintenance, you could easily keep 15 or 20. Most of the more expereinced members here have 2" per gallon in their tanks. One inch per gallon is mainly just to help beginners keep things running smoothly until they get the hang of everything.

 

[cowboy507]

id also agree, i have found that neons are relatively clean fish and if it is a well matured tank then 15-20 will be good. you could go with 10 neons and maybe a school of other small fish if youd like some variety, maybe some pygmy corys.

 

[meguro]

Get 6-10 neons, that way you will have room for other fish such as livebearers and corydoras.

 

[Ally555]

Agree with rdd1952 and many other posts above.
Neons have a fairly small bioload, so as long as proper maintenance is given you should be okay with more than 1 inch per gallon. If I were you I would have some pygmy cories as well as the neons that you already have.