Is This Fomula Right?

[TheMerovingian]

I was told that is you times the length by the height of your tank and divide it by 30.
This gives to the number of inches of fish you can get into your tank.
So...
Mines is 100 X 55 = 5500
5500 divided by 30 = 183.33

Is that right?

 

[Miss Wiggle]

ummmm doesn't sound right to me on the basis that your rule only takes two dimensions..... if you imagine a tank the same length and height as yours but 1 foot wide, then imagine the same again but 2 foot wide... well clearly one can fit more fish in than the other but by your rule they can only have the same amount........

doesn't sound like a sensible way of calculating it to me!!!!!

usual guideline is 1" of fish per us gallon of water,...... sometimes people push this to 1.5" or 2" per gallon but only assuming filtration is good enough

 

[TheMerovingian]

ok thanks.

 

[Corleone]

This rule's based on gas exchange and oxygen saturation, which isn't usually a limiting factor - add some surface movement and you'll have good oxygenation. Also, a 20 gallon long, 29 gallon standard, and 40 gallon tall all have the same length and width, but a 20 long certainly can't be stocked as much as a 40 gallon tank. Water volume to dilute waste is a factor, too, and IME usually the bigger one.

Either way, there's more art than science in stocking. The best rules, IMO, are the ones that are almost always under estimates, like the inch-per-gallon rule. Stay at that point until you trust yourself with regular water testing and water changing, then start stepping it up and watching how your water chemistry changes over a couple weeks.

Edit: I should have mentioned that this formula gives stocking levels in centimeters, not inches, so it's actually about 72 inches for your tank, which isn't unreasonable in 200 liters.

 

[TheMerovingian]

This rule's based on gas exchange and oxygen saturation, which isn't usually a limiting factor - add some surface movement and you'll have good oxygenation. Also, a 20 gallon long, 29 gallon standard, and 40 gallon tall all have the same length and width, but a 20 long certainly can't be stocked as much as a 40 gallon tank. Water volume to dilute waste is a factor, too, and IME usually the bigger one.

Either way, there's more art than science in stocking. The best rules, IMO, are the ones that are almost always under estimates, like the inch-per-gallon rule. Stay at that point until you trust yourself with regular water testing and water changing, then start stepping it up and watching how your water chemistry changes over a couple weeks.

Edit: I should have mentioned that this formula gives stocking levels in centimeters, not inches, so it's actually about 72 inches for your tank, which isn't unreasonable in 200 liters.

So your saying i can get 72 inches of fish in my tank?

 

[ox5477]

remember that this rule only applies to smaller fish. For example, you can't put 7 10" fish in roughly a 45G tank as these fish usually create a good amount of waste and fish of that size can be territorial... this rule applies to smaller schooling fish in the tetra, danio, and livebearer families (to name a few).

Ox

 

[TheMerovingian]

ok....

 

[backtotropical]

This rule's based on gas exchange and oxygen saturation, which isn't usually a limiting factor - add some surface movement and you'll have good oxygenation. Also, a 20 gallon long, 29 gallon standard, and 40 gallon tall all have the same length and width, but a 20 long certainly can't be stocked as much as a 40 gallon tank. Water volume to dilute waste is a factor, too, and IME usually the bigger one.

Either way, there's more art than science in stocking. The best rules, IMO, are the ones that are almost always under estimates, like the inch-per-gallon rule. Stay at that point until you trust yourself with regular water testing and water changing, then start stepping it up and watching how your water chemistry changes over a couple weeks.

Edit: I should have mentioned that this formula gives stocking levels in centimeters, not inches, so it's actually about 72 inches for your tank, which isn't unreasonable in 200 liters.

So your saying i can get 72 inches of fish in my tank?

The best way to approach this, from experience, is if you post on here a list of what you would like to stock the tank with, and then we can advise from there.

There is no real hard and fast rules when it comes to stocking, as Corleone says, its more of an art than a science.

Post your wanted list up, and we can take it from there.

 

[TheMerovingian]

This rule's based on gas exchange and oxygen saturation, which isn't usually a limiting factor - add some surface movement and you'll have good oxygenation. Also, a 20 gallon long, 29 gallon standard, and 40 gallon tall all have the same length and width, but a 20 long certainly can't be stocked as much as a 40 gallon tank. Water volume to dilute waste is a factor, too, and IME usually the bigger one.

Either way, there's more art than science in stocking. The best rules, IMO, are the ones that are almost always under estimates, like the inch-per-gallon rule. Stay at that point until you trust yourself with regular water testing and water changing, then start stepping it up and watching how your water chemistry changes over a couple weeks.

Edit: I should have mentioned that this formula gives stocking levels in centimeters, not inches, so it's actually about 72 inches for your tank, which isn't unreasonable in 200 liters.

So your saying i can get 72 inches of fish in my tank?

The best way to approach this, from experience, is if you post on here a list of what you would like to stock the tank with, and then we can advise from there.

There is no real hard and fast rules when it comes to stocking, as Corleone says, its more of an art than a science.

Post your wanted list up, and we can take it from there.

ok. thanks you helping me out guys

Steel Blue Killifish
Lamp Eye Killifish
4 Mollies
7 Platies
5 Neon Tetra
5 Purple Emperor Tetra
3 Swordtails
2 Glass Catfish


thats my birthday list

 

[backtotropical]

Ok. Killifish, i know nothing about, so i will leave someone else to advise on those.

I would score off the Glass Catfish (Kryptopterus bicirrhis) if i were you. They grow to around 5 - 6 inches, and really need to be in groups of at least 6 fish, so that would be your tank already over-stocked with only the Glass Cats.

The Neons (Paracheirodon innesi) and the Purple Emperors (Impaichthys kerri) are both quite sensitive species, so i would recommend having the tank up and running for at least 3 months before adding these.

Mollies, Platies and Swordtails are all good fish to start with, but beware that all these are livebearers and are notorious for having lots of babies which will soon over-run the tank, and they can be difficult to re-home as supply usually outweighs demand. I would advise that you should only buy males if you want to avoid this difficulty. Even lone females without a male presence can produce fry unexpectedly as they store sperm to use at a later date.

I would start with a couple of male livebearers and go from there, maybe adding females later along with the tetras.

Is the tank set up yet? Have you cycled the filter (this is very important)?

Cheers

BTT

 

[Ian H]

i got some lampeyes

Dont need anything special as far as i know, just a normal fish

 

[TheMerovingian]

no i haven't got the tank yet, i'm getting it for xmas, but i thought it best to come on here and read up on the cycle, what the fish need, what fish can go with other fish etc....

so if i cycle the tank untill feb ( if i get the tank at xmas) , then add the mollies, platies and swortails, one at a time. ( 1 - 2 a week )
Then do the same with the Killifish.
Wait a week after they have all settled, then add the tetras?

 

[backtotropical]

Almost. Cycle the filter first. I highly recommend a fishless cycle, as cycling with fish in the tank will damage their health, and can kill them. There are links about fishless and fish-in cycling in my signature below, which i recommend you read.

These will give you an insight into the Nitrogen Cycle which it is essential you understand if you are to keep fish successfully.

Once the tank is fishless cycled, add the Mollies, Platies and Swordtails all at once, and maybe the Killis. i would maybe advise you to choose just 1 or 2 types of livebearer, otherwise the tank may end up over-stocked.

Leave the tank running for at least 3 months from the date of adding the first fish before adding the Tetras.

Hope this helps.

BTT

 

[OldMan47]

A key point that we almost let Corleone get away with is that gas exchange is often a limiting factor in safe stocking levels. The 20 long and 40 tall do hold about the same number of fish safely. By safely I mean that if you have a power failure for a few hours, the fish will come through with no ill effects. For a fully filtered tank where you never have a power loss, volume may enter into the stocking level, but for a safe stocking level, you need to have the fish survive under less than ideal filtration conditions. To do that you need to respect the natural gas exchange capabilities of the tank and its shape. People often accuse me of being understocked but when there is a power outage I don't need to panic. The fish are going to be alright.
Most tanks are a compromise between what I would call a safe stocking level and what you might call a possible stocking level. They are somewhat overstocked for natural processes to take care of the fish but are well within the ability of the filtration system to care for the fish.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

A key point that we almost let Corleone get away with is that gas exchange is often a limiting factor in safe stocking levels. The 20 long and 40 tall do hold about the same number of fish safely. By safely I mean that if you have a power failure for a few hours, the fish will come through with no ill effects. For a fully filtered tank where you never have a power loss, volume may enter into the stocking level, but for a safe stocking level, you need to have the fish survive under less than ideal filtration conditions. To do that you need to respect the natural gas exchange capabilities of the tank and its shape. People often accuse me of being understocked but when there is a power outage I don't need to panic. The fish are going to be alright.
Most tanks are a compromise between what I would call a safe stocking level and what you might call a possible stocking level. They are somewhat overstocked for natural processes to take care of the fish but are well within the ability of the filtration system to care for the fish.

it's something most of the UK fishkeepers don't really need to worry about as much as those in the USA and other parts of the world. We rarely get power outages and when we do it's generally cos of planned works and just for a couple of hours. Some remote parts of the UK may have more problems but certainly in most cities you rarely have it.

I think it's probably something we are a little too complacant about, but it is definatley more of a concern for those in the USA.