what is the inch per gallon rule ?

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drprowant

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Jan 10, 2011
Messages
71
Location
Michigan
what dose the inch per gallon rule actually mean i have never hied of it and just wanted a lil in site on it thanks


----Derek
 
Forget you even heard about it. It used to be a guideline that a lot of people used, until they found out it is a very poor guideline. Now about the only time you'll hear it is from someone very uninformed. 9/10 times, it causes the tank to be overstocked.
 
Forget that all you really need to know is that the longer the fish the more bio waste and the thicker bodied the fish the more bio waste. This means depending on the size of your tank you can have many small fish e.g neon tetras or a pair of larger fish e.g firemouth cichlids. Over stocking your tank will lead to bad water conditions and shorter fish lives.
 
it's basically that if you have 20gals, you can have 20 1" fish, or 10 2" fish, etc. But like others have said, it's outdated and not very accurate. For example, a 20" fish would not survive in a 20gal tank.
 
+1 for MFD. I have tanks that far exceed the inch per gallon rule and they run great. I figure I've got about 75-100 inches of fish in a 20L. They're mostly guppies, so it's not bad. I wouldn't even dream of putting an 8" oscar in a 20L.
 
thank you all it is a lot of help having ppl on here like you..... so all of the ppl that say this is ether uneducated on fish or they got it a long time ago
 
+1 for MFD. I have tanks that far exceed the inch per gallon rule and they run great. I figure I've got about 75-100 inches of fish in a 20L. They're mostly guppies, so it's not bad. I wouldn't even dream of putting an 8" oscar in a 20L.

Lol, 75 guppies in a 20L? I can't imagine what feeding time likes like :p

--Adeeb
 
Another problem with the one inch rule. People do it for the fish they are currently buying. Not taking into account the growth of the fish. Such a pity to those fishes.
 
What matters is not the gallons but the air surface, where oxygen exchange takes place. The rule of thumb is ten square inches of surface for each inch of fish. You don't give the dimensions of your tank, so I can't make an estimate. Multiply the length times the width in inches and divide by 10 - that will give you the number of inches of fish your aquarium can support. Basic rule about aquarium fish: Better too few than too many.
 
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