Inches of fish should equal tank size??

[maxwellag]

I have a 10 gallon tank with a dwarf gourami, small catfish, and 3 guppies. The lady at the pet store told me that I can only have 10 inches of fish in my tank. Is this true? Does it hurt the fish to go a little over like 2 inches? Thanks, -maxwellag

 

[tornadonick]

that is a very broad rule, here is a little helpful site to help you decide for yourself, AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor What is the catfish? i think it sounds about right but really the only way to know is to do research on the fish you own and will own and decide for yourself.

 

[Morgie]

What kind of catfish is it? Chances are it won't stay small long.

 

[maxwellag]

I think my catfish is a peppered Cory catfish, but im not sure. by small I meant small size when full grown, like 3 inches. So when I got him he was pretty much adult size. He's grown a little, but not much. Thanks for the help!

 

[tornadonick]

cory cat should work fine

 

[BigJim]

The inch per gallon "rule" is a joke. There are too many exceptions.

As Nick said, the only way to stock your tank well is to do some research. I'm not a fan of AqAdvisor because I don't trust it's algorithms. Post your stocking questions here on AA. There are a lot of very experienced aquarists here. I lean on their expertise when I have stocking questions.

 

[doogle]

the inch of fully grown fish per gallon(tropical fish) is a good standard to keep from overdoing it, use common sense, it is just as well to compare it like the watt per gallon rule(always variables to change) and we usually want more. not a rule but general guide to help.

 

[Tim Wheatley]

If you're new to fishkeeping, then 1 inch per gallon is a good place to start. However, some fish use less than their inch in terms of bioload and some use more. You also must consider the space the fish may need. For example you cannot put a 10" Arowana in a 10 gallon tank. But yes, if you're new to fishkeeping I would definitely advise to use this rule, but you must consider space that the fish need (which sometimes may mean you only have one fish in a tank no matter how many inches you have left) and compatibility problems between them.

 

[siva]

Well it's the easiest thing to go by in the beginning...but as you go along asking questions along the way you will see sometimes you may need to have more than 10"of fish in a 10 gal and sometimes less. Different fish have different needs. Cory cats really do not like to be alone, so I suggest if that is what you have that you get him a buddy. Then you would pretty much be stocked.

 

[severum mama]

The inch per gallon "rule" is a joke. There are too many exceptions.

As Nick said, the only way to stock your tank well is to do some research. I'm not a fan of AqAdvisor because I don't trust it's algorithms. Post your stocking questions here on AA. There are a lot of very experienced aquarists here. I lean on their expertise when I have stocking questions.

Totally agree.

the inch of fully grown fish per gallon(tropical fish) is a good standard to keep from overdoing it, use common sense, it is just as well to compare it like the watt per gallon rule(always variables to change) and we usually want more. not a rule but general guide to help.

Inch per gallon is garbage, sorry. So is watts per gallon, for that matter. Both of these "guidelines" steer many a beginning hobbyist in the wrong direction, although inch per gallon is much worse.

 

[spoonman]

If the inch per gallon rule is good, then I can have a 10" oscar in my 10 gallon tank???? Being funny, but it does point to the obvious fact that all fish are different and have different requirements.

 

[doogle]

i think people who disregard a simple broad guideline to help beginners not get 14 platys in a 10gallon(for example)and not explain why, is not helping them either. above is a great example why it is flawed, but it is there to help , most people understand that.

 

[severum mama]

i think people who disregard a simple broad guideline to help beginners not get 14 platys in a 10gallon(for example)and not explain why, is not helping them either. above is a great example why it is flawed, but it is there to help , most people understand that.

It has been explained may times all over this forum and others why it isn't helpful. There is no need for the rudeness. But that's fine, I can explain some more.

"Guidelines" such as this oversimplify stocking and steer folks away from research on the subject IMO. For example, someone sees tiger barbs at a lfs and says, oh, well they only grow to 2.5 inches so I can put 4 in a 10 gallon. They purchase them based only on size, not researching their activity level and aggression. You can guess what happens soon after that. Not keeping an oscar in a 10 gallon is NOT necessarily common sense to a beginner either and I've seen it happen many times when a new hobbyist applies the inch per gallon guideline.

There is so much to consider when it comes to stocking a tank. It's not just about size. Temperament, feeding habits, temp requirements, occupying certain strata in the tank, etc.- all that needs to be taken into consideration as well or the hobbyist ends up with stressed and dead fish.

 

[BigJim]

+1 Even for small fish the inch per gallon "rule" is flawed. Take a zebra danio and a betta for instance. The betta will get bigger than the danio in every way, yet a betta will be happy in a 5g or a 10g, but a danio would be cramped because it's a much more active fish.

 

[siva]

I think the inch rule can be useful for beginners, but not as a replacement for knowing the paticular fish's needs. Of course you need to know the minimum tank size for that kind of fish and their temperment, etc. But for beginners, who typically have smaller tanks, they can then use the inch rule as a general guideline to avoid overstocking. Sure running your stock list by everyone on your fav forum is the best idea, but we are fooling ourselves if we believe even half of the people buying fish out there are doing that..but if you're standing at the store buying your fish, trying to make sure you're not overstocking, calculating the inches you already have going on in your tank is not a bad thing.

 

[severum mama]

It doesn't matter, if you're stocking fish that do not coexist with each other. Bioload is the least of your problems at that point. IMO the inch per gallon guideline is a false comfort and it's a shame it's perpetuated in the hobby to the extent that it is. I truly believe it does more to hold a beginner back than anything else.

 

[mfdrookie516]

Im fully in agreement with severum mama. I've seen far too many people reference the 'rule' and they're only setting themselves up for failure. The way I see it, a rule is a rule. If there's a rule saying you can't run down the sidewalk after 10pm, one would assume that you can walk fast, jog, skip, ride a bike, etc. So, if there's a 'rule' that says you can have 1" of fish for every gallon of water you have in your tank, a beginner who has never researched fish may think it's fine to get a 10" fish for a 10g tank. That's what the rule says, right? I would say that 1" per 5g is more appropriate, but there are still exceptions. Fact is, there will never be an end all stocking rule.

Tools like aqadvisor will never be able to give accurate advice. Sure, it will steer you away from an oscar in a 10g tank, but it still won't give what experienced hobbyists can. You also have to take in to consideration that different fish have different termperments. What works for me, may not work for you. What works for everyone else may not work for me. There's just no replacement for experience... period.

 

[siva]

I apologize, I guess I am so jaded from seeing the RIDICULOUS way people keep fish that I'm desperate for anything that might keep them from having 20 two inch fish in a 10gal tank or a betta in a one quart bowl. Of course I don't stock based on this guideline....but I don't know any "hobbyists" other than myself, besides people online. Everyone I see with fish in their home have NO IDEA what they are doing and no matter what I or anyone else says, the liklihood is, they never will. So these frustrations have affected my opinions on this matter.

 

[jenatron]

I don't see the argument here. The "rule" shouldn't even be considered a rule. Stop giving it some sort of credit and maybe people will stop putting 10" oscars in 10 gallon tanks. You're giving uneducated hobbyists an excuse to be uneducated.

 

[mfdrookie516]

Here's the thing. This is a public forum. You can choose to accept the advice offered, or you can ignore it. We've all stated our opinions, opinions that come from experience and research. There's no need to get all upset over it. You've spoken your opinion, i've spoken mine, and everyone else has spoken theirs. The OP can decide what advice to take and what advice not to take.

As far as the +1, I think you may misunderstand what that means. That's not reputation points. That means 'I agree' or something of that nature.