One inch per gallon?

[fishfan88]

What do you think about the "one inch per gallon" thing? I personally have never needed to go over it, but I don't believe it to really be a problem, I mean, as long as there aren't obviously way too many fish crowded in there. I think the main thing is the water changes and filtering. If the tank stays clean, do you think it is okay to "over stock" your tank, so to speak?

 

[Shanny]

What do you think about the "one inch per gallon" thing? I personally have never needed to go over it, but I don't believe it to really be a problem, I mean, as long as there aren't obviously way too many fish crowded in there. I think the main thing is the water changes and filtering. If the tank stays clean, do you think it is okay to "over stock" your tank, so to speak?

I think it depends on the type and size of the fish. Some fish, like goldies, have a much bigger bio load than others. And they might start out at just an inch but then they grow and suddenly you have much more than 1" per gallon. Then you are left with trying to rehome some of them. I think the inch per gallon rule would probably work with fish that stay small and aren't poop machines.

 

[fishfan88]

True. It's good to know how big your fish will be at full maturity. And goldfish ARE poop machines! ;D lol I got three clown loaches a few years ago at only about an inch long each. They are now around four inches, and from what I have learned, will keep growing! Luckily, there's still room in the aquarium

 

[PockX]

True. It's good to know how big your fish will be at full maturity. And goldfish ARE poop machines! ;D lol I got three clown loaches a few years ago at only about an inch long each. They are now around four inches, and from what I have learned, will keep growing! Luckily, there's still room in the aquarium

What size tank are they in? They should be bigger than that if they're a few years old.

 

[Sillyfishies]

True. It's good to know how big your fish will be at full maturity. And goldfish ARE poop machines! ;D lol I got three clown loaches a few years ago at only about an inch long each. They are now around four inches, and from what I have learned, will keep growing! Luckily, there's still room in the aquarium

Clown loaches need like 125 gallon aquariums for 1...

 

[fishfan88]

They are about two years old. I would say at the very MOST the biggest one is 5 inches, but they are definitely not bigger than that. They are all different sizes though, which is interesting... I have a 130 gallon aquarium that they are in.

 

[PockX]

They are about two years old. I would say at the very MOST the biggest one is 5 inches, but they are definitely not bigger than that. They are all different sizes though, which is interesting... I have a 130 gallon aquarium that they are in.

They usually hit a growth spurt and then slow down like most loaches after about a year or so.

 

[fishfan88]

Well maybe mine are just weird then I don't know

 

[fishfan88]

Anyway... Can anyone else give their opinion about inches per gallon?

 

[Tank Girl]

I have fancy goldfish. There are three in my tank at a total of 22". According to that rule, I would only need to keep them in 22 gallons of water. And I could, if I wanted to kill them. Because I love them dearly, they have a 120 gallon tank to enjoy.

 

[fishfan88]

Goldfish are much dirtier than just about any other fish! I totally agree

 

[Sharpchick]

Although people preached it for many years, the one inch per gallon rule was never used for goldfish, oscars, discus, or marine fish, and is IMO, questionable for use with other freshwater tropical fish - particularly those with thick bodies or unique body shapes. Think about freshwater angelfish, whose bodies can grow up to around 6 to 8 inches at maturity, and who have long fins that require deep tanks. Using the rule, one could say their angel was suitably housed in a 10 gallon tank, and that would be ludicrous.

For very small fish - think neon tetras, and many inverts - the one gallon per inch rule can go by the wayside in a densely live planted tank, where the plants act as another natural filter, using ammonia and nitrate and giving back oxygen to the livestock.

Stocking a tank responsibly can't be limited to an inches rule. It relies upon careful research of the needs of the desired fish, and the habitat you're considering.

 

[Fishanatic]

Anyway... Can anyone else give their opinion about inches per gallon?

I would say it depends of the context. You can't include fish over 4 inches, fish that produce a large bio load and fish that are very active. Small fish and peaceful can somewhat be used with this rule but its still outdated and not recomended.

 

[Tank Girl]

If someone was looking for a more accurate guideline in might make more sense to go by the weight of the fish.

 

[Bdonaldson]

Yes I do agree that the rule is outdated. You must consider the type of fish that you want to keep and the natural habitat that they came from.
I agree with others that said it depends on the filtration and how many water changes you are willing to do per week.

Personally if I choose to overstock just a little then I need to be prepared do do the extra water changes. And I have always believed that you can never have to much filtration.

If you are overstocked your tank will show it.

 

[fishfan88]

Makes a lot of sense. What fish would you (or anyone reading this) say has the smallest bio load or a very small one?

 

[Tank Girl]

Little fish like neons and guppies come to mind. I'm sure somebody can suggest a few others.

 

[bshenanagins]

I agree. Tetras prob have the least bioload. My platties are about as bad as goldfish, always pooping! I don't think corries produce that much waste but I could be wrong. My rams are pretty clean too.

 

[fishfan88]

I find the same thing with my platys, swords and Mollys even

 

[bud29]

Although people preached it for many years, the one inch per gallon rule was never used for goldfish, oscars, discus, or marine fish, and is IMO, questionable for use with other freshwater tropical fish - particularly those with thick bodies or unique body shapes. Think about freshwater angelfish, whose bodies can grow up to around 6 to 8 inches at maturity, and who have long fins that require deep tanks. Using the rule, one could say their angel was suitably housed in a 10 gallon tank, and that would be ludicrous.

For very small fish - think neon tetras, and many inverts - the one gallon per inch rule can go by the wayside in a densely live planted tank, where the plants act as another natural filter, using ammonia and nitrate and giving back oxygen to the livestock.

Stocking a tank responsibly can't be limited to an inches rule. It relies upon careful research of the needs of the desired fish, and the habitat you're considering.

Sadly the inch per gallon rule HAS in fact been used for goldfish and oscars, which is the reason you see so many horribly overstocked tanks sometimes. I have heard many people at walmart talking about how "it's crazy, since my oscar is so big, it is the ONLY fish I can have in my 10 gallon tank"!

Inch per gallon is really something to disregard. By logic of inch/gallon you could keep a 29 inch fish in a 29 gallon tank. However, a 29 gallon tank is only 30 inches long, so that would only give the fish 1" of extra room! Then there are also exceptions on the other end of the spectrum, like with RCS, where you can easily keep 100 in a 10 gallon with no issues. Also, inch/gallon also JUST takes into consideration size, it does not take into consideration other major factors such as aggression, bioload, dwelling level, activity, etc.

There are online stocking calculators such as aqadvisor.com which are not 100% accurate but much better than inch/gallon. Don't take everything you see on there as gospel, though - it's best to run the numbers you get by the people on here. Also, I have found aqadvisor is particularly bad with small tanks like 5s. I did use it some for stocking my 29 gallon though and it is pretty helpful. It is good at giving you a general idea of where you're at.