Stocking Levels

[mr oscar]

i have only just joined this website, 1 thing i have noticed today is everyones questions about stocking levels, questions like how many more can i have or will these fish be ok with my stock i already own. look i like to help and will tell you a few things about this hobby, i have been keeping fish for 25 years plus now and have kept all types, one thing i have learnt is beautiful aquarium is not crammed wall to wall with fish, some plants and rocks plus a pleasent substrate as well as a few fish of your choice is far better than 40 - 50 fish crammed into a 20 gallon tank, the questions about why did my fish die or why is my fish gasping for air at the top of the tank are because many new aquarists get excited and over kill with quantity and types of fish, i basically will say now that i believe the 1" per gallon of water is total garbage, for example 1 12" oscar produces probable 20 times the waste of 12 1" tetras and therefore i suggest all you new aquarists out there stock slowly and carefully, start with a small community of slow safe fish and as your experience grows and your knowledge gets better you will see the benifits of not overdoing it, yes weve all done it but weve all realised its wrong, in my opinion chemicals are ok sometimes but should be avoided if at all possible and compatable fish is also important, happy fishkeeping everyone good luck to you all

 

[rdd1952]

i suggest all you new aquarists out there stock slowly and carefully, start with a small community of slow safe fish and as your experience grows and your knowledge gets better you will see the benifits of not overdoing it, yes weve all done it but weve all realised its wrong, in my opinion chemicals are ok sometimes but should be avoided if at all possible and compatable fish is also important, happy fishkeeping everyone good luck to you all

Hello and welcome to the forum.

Very good advice. We have questions all the time about stocking levels and the 1" per gallon guide comes up. While it isn't perfect, it is a good guide for smaller community fish like tetras, rasboras, corys, etc. but useless for goldies, plecos, oscars or other messy fish. But starting slowly is the way to go for beginners. It makes life so much easier.

 

[murphyk32]

Yea agreeing with this, i guess the point is when new fishkeepers, or when u give advice to new fishkeepers, make sure to mention to them this rule is more for the 1" sized fish, and if they are wondering, they may need more experience b4 tackeling big fish. With experience you naturally know if its too much or not.

Murph

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome Mr Oscar.
I am going to agree with the principles you are expressing but many here are asking because they have not yet learned to judge how full the tank can be without inviting troubles. When they do ask, and they always do, my first inclination to the question "is this too much" is to say yes. In general, by the time they ask they have overdone it. I am also experienced at this fish keeping but new to forums. I have been at it since about 1955. My preferrence has always run to livebearers and easy to keep egg layers so I have no clue when people start asking about oscars, severums, convicts, etc.
I have recently obtained a few rainbow cichlids "the smallest true cichlids" according to some. They are correctly herotilapia multispinosa and I am starting now to learn about "easy" cichlids but I am a novice with cichlids so rarely have an opinion about them. Mine are about 4 to 5 inches long and one male has started establishing a breeding territory so I expect to start learning a lot about them soon by observation.

 

[Tolak]

“i suggest all you new aquarists out there stock slowly and carefully, start with a small community of slow safe fish and as your experience grows and your knowledge gets better you will see the benifits of not overdoing it, yes weve all done it but weve all realised its wrong, in my opinion chemicals are ok sometimes but should be avoided if at all possible and compatable fish is also important, happy fishkeeping everyone good luck to you all”

I agree with this as well, for the new aquarist.

“one thing i have learnt is beautiful aquarium is not crammed wall to wall with fish, some plants and rocks plus a pleasant substrate as well as a few fish of your choice is far better than 40 - 50 fish crammed into a 20 gallon tank”

You also have to understand that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I do see beauty in a well thought out, well decorated tank, where the fish and the decorations complement each other, coming together as one whole, pleasant viewing experience.

Personally I see more beauty in that 20 gallon tank with no decorations whatsoever, with the 40 some fish that an aquarist has spent many months if not years to breed to the quality they have obtained.

I think the 1”/gal guideline is the most misquoted phrase in aquatics. The entire guideline is “One inch of slim bodied fish that grows to no larger than 3 inches per gallon of water”. While it does not take into consideration compatibility, it does give the new aquarist a good starting point, who probably shouldn’t be starting with fish much larger than 3 inches anyway.

Stocking is just as much art as science, the same goes for planted tanks, breeding, or many other facets of aquatics. The new aquarist has to realize that they are at the crayon stage when they start, it will be quite some time before they get anywhere the Sistine Chapel stage. They also have to realize that everyone started at the crayon stage.

BTW, welcome to TFF! It’s good to see experienced aquarists joining, and thank you for sharing your knowledge.

 

[mr oscar]

yes tolak you are quite right, very good points, i will in future be careful how i express my opinion about stocking levels, as you say some aquarists probably prefer tanks with just fish and not scenes, as for the 1" per gallon rule, again for tiny tetras etc probably more realistic but still also probably over the top, i also understand there are probably children using this forum and so i will try to give constructive advice considering their excitment with this sensational hobby, again tolak many thanks