Better method than the "1 inch per gallon" rule?

[grimlock3000]

http://www.geocities.com/scalehead/stocking.html

I came across this link in another thread and it seems very interesting. It yields much different results than trying to adhere to the standard rule of how many gallons of water you have and the lengh of the fish. It takes into account the size range of the fish, and detemines how much surface area is needed to support a fish in that size range. For example, I am overstocked on the 1 inch per fish rule (and wanting another tank), but I still have room for another few fish following these guildlines (not like I want any more fish for now)...

10 gallon tank: 20 length x 10 width = 200 square inches to work with

Guppy:
2 max length x 6 x 1 fish = 12

Tetras:
2 max length x 6 x 4 fish = 48

Dwarf Gouramis:
2 max length x 6 x 2 fish = 24

Peppered cats:
2.5 max length x 9 x 2 fish = 45

Oto cats:
2 max length x 6 x 2 fish = 24

Only 153 square inches of usage

 

[1veedo]

In this book I read it said the number of fish is dependnt on the serface area where oxegin exchange occours.. Figure the lenghth and width then divide by 10 for tropical and 30 for goldfish.

So...
10*20/10=20" to work with.

I like that better then 1" per gallon not onely because I can occomodate more fish. But if your aquarium is tall and slinder, your fish will sufficate form the gallon rule because there won't be enough serface area.

 

[justDIY]

over crowding is over crowding.

fish are not mechanical toys or lego blocks ... they have territories, instincts and tempers ... even though they are immeasurably unintelligent compared to even the youngest human, some fish establish themselves as the king of their castles. too many fish in the tank can cause a bad reaction, leading to more stress for everyone.

the one inch per gallon is a guideline on keeping fish, it is not some sort of scientific "law" that is upheld by some mysterious government agency.

in my humble opinion trying to re-work or fudge the numbers in order to justify keeping more fish in a certain sized tank is irresponsible.

If you want more fish - re-evalutate the number and size of your current fish - perhaps you can trade with another hobbiest or the pet store fish you do not 'like' in order to make room for the fish you most desire.

 

[Allivymar]

*agrees with glmclell*

For example, you can have 10 inches of neon in a 10g tank and thats fine. A 10 inch oscar is another story entirely. The stocking guidelines tend to work better for small thin fish, but when you get into bulky or messy or territorial fish they don't hold up well.

 

[talenzmeier]

Me Too

The guys/gals at my lfs have said the same thing. Intuitively, it makes more sense than simply using the one dimensional inch per gallon rule.

 

[jasonit]

I have read similar things about the number of fish being dependent upon the surface area of the water. However, I think that is an outdated method. A tall selnder tank will follow the inch per gallon rule without problem in regards to O2 in the water, provided you have an air pump and a filter moving the surface water. The inch per rule is not just for amount of O2 in the water, like glmclell stated, fish have territories and peaceful fish can become aggressive if crowded.

 

[Cherry Barb]

Grimlock, what fish and how many do you "actually have" in your 10g tank?

 

[bada]

That is an intresting idea. I never would have thought about surface area of the water. But I have an air pump and filters, so I figured my fish must be getting air. I can see how that if you didn't have an air pump or filters, it would be important. I guess... I never really thought about having a tank with out them. I do think that overcrowding is overcrowding no matter how you slice it. I do think you could have more small non agressive fish in on tank the lets say cichlid.

 

[grimlock3000]

in my humble opinion trying to re-work or fudge the numbers in order to justify keeping more fish in a certain sized tank is irresponsible.

If you want more fish - re-evalutate the number and size of your current fish - perhaps you can trade with another hobbiest or the pet store fish you do not 'like' in order to make room for the fish you most desire.

no one is trying to fudge numbers or be irresponsible. i was just wondering if the 1 inch per gallon rule was just for simplicity, or if there were better methods out there.

Grimlock, what fish and how many do you "actually have" in your 10g tank?

I listed my fish earlier, here is an easier to read look at it...

2 Dwarf Gouramis
4 Head and Tail Light Tetra
1 Guppy (male)
2 Peppered Catfish
2 Oto Catfish

11 fish total. Going by the inch rule, I am blatantly overcrowding my tank I can reach 23 inches of fish and would need a tank larger than 20g. In the 10g, my fish all get along very well from what I can tell. The catfish stay on the bottom and usually swim together, the Otos hang out on the driftwood or clean the glass, the Dwarf Gouramis stay around the Java Moss or in the plants, and the Tetras swim around the top of the tank. The Guppy swims around the whole tank and tries playing with all the fish.

I purchased the Otos about 10 days ago after travelling to a fish store. I was assured that this ammount of fish was perfectly fine by a fish shop and the biggest thing I had to look out for was the Gouramis getting agressive and needing to go into another tank. This owner at the fish shop makes it known that no customers will be sold fish unless their environment can support it. She said the Otos would be fine and help out by keeping the algae levels low, but that she would not reccomend I buy any more fish that swim near the top except for another Guppy maybe.

I have had female Guppies die on me. One was the result of some advice I was given on this messageboard, and another died as the result of bad advice given by a pet store.

I have an Aquaclear Mini, air bubbler, 50 watt heater, natural aggregate for the bottom, some Java Moss, driftwood, and a few plastic plants. I have done everything possible to try and make my tank a good place for all the fish in it. I want a 20 or 30 gallon tank, but do not have the room for it. I really have no way to get rid of any fish either.

 

[cJw]

It's not that there isn't room RIGHT NOW for those fish; it's that there won't be room in another 6 months, when they start to grow into their adult sizes...

I feel your pain, though, as I'd love to exceed the recommended and get just a couple more fish, but then all my fish wouldn't be happy, and that, imo, isn't worth the minimal enjoyment.

Do you have room for another 10gal? What about a dual stand that allows for two 10gals to stack one over the other?

 

[QTOFFER]

FYI, this thread is 2 1/2 years old.

For some reason, the new related topics feature is flagging really old threads.

Always check the date of the last post before replying to one of these. No sense digging up something that was probably resolved 24 months ago. wink:

 

[crazyred]

Well, it does help some of us who have not been here very long as I have not seen this thread and am very intrigued by the mathmatics used in the link provided. I don't really agree with it though. I'm overtocked, I admit I'm overstocked. My nitrates show that I'm overstocked and that I over feed too, but it says that our of 360 sq in of surface in my tank....I should have 83 sq inches left to work with.....I don't think so.

Here's my conclusion:

my tank is 29 gallons, 30" L and 12" W 30 x 12 = 360

Now, I have:

needing 6 sq inches:
1 hillstream loach 1 x 6 = 6
10 harley rasboras 10 x 6 = 60
6 cherry barbs 6 x 6 = 36 total: 102

needing 9 sq inches:
6 platies 6 x 9 = 54
1 dwarf pleco 1 x 9 = 9 total: 63

needing 12 sq inches
1 opaline gourami 1 x 12 = 12 total: 12

GRAND TOTAL: 102 + 63 + 12 + 277

There is no way I have 83 more sq inches to play with.....nice idea though.

I do find these old threads useful though, QTOFFER....made me think and do some math!

 

[Graybeard]

FYI, this thread is 2 1/2 years old.

For some reason, the new related topics feature is flagging really old threads.

Always check the date of the last post before replying to one of these. No sense digging up something that was probably resolved 24 months ago. wink:

Maybe AA should just delete the search function and threads older than a few months... 8)

Personally, I believe the 1" rule is at best, a general rule of thumb and nothing more. It would be far more useful if a study was conducted that determined the actual bio-load of different varieties of fish based on their activity level and feeding habits with weight, length and circumference factored in. Face it, 1" of Neon does not equal 1" of Angel...

No way would I spend the money on a 55 gallon tank and limit myself to 5 Cory's and 20 Serpae Tetras. I want to see FISH and not just a bunch of rocks, playsand and plastic plants.

 

[coolchinchilla]

This thread was started in 2003.

 

[Graybeard]

Again, what does it matter how old a thread is???

 

[jadefoodog]

well for 1 the person who asked the question probably quit comming here a few years ago, i figure that kinda matters. also i find that typically after the first 4 or 5 post on any given thread and question answering quickly becomes battle royal of everyone trying to prove thier point, often saying things that have already been said a million times hoping for some quick pat on the back (aka kissing ***)

if this post had been important back in 2003 it would have made it to sticky status.

but im thinking chinchillas main point was that since the poster abandon this post 3 years ago , who are you talking to.

 

[coolchinchilla]

If you're interested in the 1-inch rule stuff, there is an over abundance of posts, stickies and articles on this site. I think the 1-inch rule comes up about once a month or maybe once in 2 months. The conclusion is ALWAYS the same (almost), namely that the 1-inch rule is a good general guideline for newbies but more seasoned aquarists know how to manage a tank with a higher stocking rate. Some of the posts are filled with anger that "someone" out there is imposing the 1-inch rule on their tank, criticizing, justifying their "overstocked" tank because they perform 3+ PWC per week, ... yada yada yada.

It seems that no matter how many posts, articles, stickies there are on the topic, someone brings it up anew and the topic never dies out. (I'm fully guilty of bringing up the topic as well!!) Amazing. Nothing new under the sun. Wonder why it remains so significant to us.

a few musings plus my 2 cents.

 

[Graybeard]

Five people responded to the post, three contributed in (revived) the discussion and two offered nothing other than stating the obvious, the post is several years old. True, the original author may be long gone as well as all the rest who responded; however, there is a completely new audience that may wish to discuss this.

If you both are irritated that a post was brought back from the dead, keep moving!

The beauty of the internet is what may be gleaned from it's use, for some this is strictly research, for other's it's learning with dialogue amongst similar minded folks and then there is the debate.

Can the 1" rule be modified by adding the weight and circumference of the fish in the equation? Has anyone tried? Our there studies on the bio-load of specific fish?

 

[crazyred]

Gee, I just though it was interesting that someone was trying to reason out a "new" equation for stocking rules. The "1 inch of fish per gallon" rule is so vague and not always accurate as it pertains to the particular fish. I.E. an experieced aquarist knows that a 10 inch oscar will NOT work in a 10 gallon tank, but a newbie that takes the 1"/gallon rule literally would not know this.

I couldn't care less less if this thread is 2 years old or 22 years old....it's new to me and I found it intriguing and thought provoking. Isn't that the point of this board?

 

[Skyrmir]

Personally I look at the 1 inch rule as being at least some kind of stopping point for idiotic LFS salesmen. First aquariums are usually pretty small, wich mean the person is only going to get a few fish to kill before they figure out what they're doing.

Anyone that's gotten far enough into aquaria to catch a case of MTS can tell you that the 1" rule is BS because it really depends on fish species. Using crazyreds fish list earlier, his platties and pleco put out more waste than most of the rest of his fish combined, despite being less than half the 'inches of fish'.

The 1" per gallon rule is out there for the same reason gas pumps have an auto shut off. So those with lacking knowledge do less harm.