The 1" Per Gallon Rule

[scubadoo]

Now I know that it's only a rule of thumb, and can vary dramatically based on the type of fish, filtration etc.

but

does anyone know if the 1" of fish per gallon rule relates to UK or US gallons ?

It can make quite a difference, since my tank is about 50 US gallons or about 42UK gallons which could equate to an extra 4 corys

thanks

scuba

 

[insanityseeker]

i've always assumed us gal...

 

[Miss Wiggle]

yeah i think it's US

 

[scubadoo]

Thanks

I always thought that it was US too - good job if you want more fish!

 

[andywg]

Not that important, it's only a guide... I doubt if any of my FW tanks are much under 2" per gallon.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

this is the full guideline:
"absent territorial needs, one can stock approximately 1" of fish per US gallon of slim-bodied fish under 5" in length without requiring extra filtration or cleaning beyond the minimum."

if you skimp on volume, then you need to enhance your filtration and maintenance. its not always to your advantage to cram in the absolute maximum number of fish you possibly can -- especially if you don't have the money for a bigger/better filter or the time to perform larger/more frequent water changes.

 

[T1KARMANN]

this is a great rule if only it was true i would have 10adult rays in my tank

 

[vancouver]

The rule really only applies to small tetras and platys/guppies..

Shouldn't be applied to any tank over about 15g.