Inch Per Gallon

[black hills tj]

Who all believes it in the "Inch Per Gallon" theory? I personally think its a load of crap. There are too many variables with regards to which fish you have, your filtration, planted/non, etc.

 

[mgamer20o0]

i am the same with you. there are more times its wrong then right.

 

[Ben K]

I generally think with smaller fish, you don't need to follow it as often, but the bigger the fish, the more closely you need to follow it.

I also look at what you have as well. I have two dragon goby's, a stripped rapheal and a pleco. This fish alone would put me over my "inch/gallon" but as they are generally bottem dwellers, I also include smaller in the tank.

 

[black hills tj]

I generally think with smaller fish, you don't need to follow it as often, but the bigger the fish, the more closely you need to follow it.

I also look at what you have as well. I have two dragon goby's, a stripped rapheal and a pleco. This fish alone would put me over my "inch/gallon" but as they are generally bottem dwellers, I also include smaller in the tank.

How long have you been keeping fish?

 

[Ben K]

My mother had kept fish for a good 10 years, I have just recently started, though have had my current tank going on for at least two years now. No expert, but I do enjoy the hobby.

 

[dinokath]

So if you have a planted tank you can go more than 1" of fish per gallon? Just curious. It would make sense though.

I have always follwed that rule, but I hate have a crowded fish in a tank too. I just think it doesn't look right to have a tank overloaded, not to mention what it may (or may not) do to the health of the tank.

 

[black hills tj]

My mother had kept fish for a good 10 years, I have just recently started, though have had my current tank going on for at least two years now. No expert, but I do enjoy the hobby.

Just curious, because catfish in general(whether it be any of the 600+ pleco's or a striped raphael cat like yours) are pretty messy fish. You are doing exactly the opposite of what you should by counting them as a smaller bioload than what you would for a normal fish.

 

[black hills tj]

So if you have a planted tank you can go more than 1" of fish per gallon? Just curious. It would make sense though.

I have always follwed that rule, but I hate have a crowded fish in a tank too. I just think it doesn't look right to have a tank overloaded, not to mention what it may (or may not) do to the health of the tank.

A heavily planted tank will be able to handle a greater bioload than a non-planted tank.

 

[mgamer20o0]

its about bio load like black hills is saying. people looked for a easy way to do things. as you keep more fish and keep them longer you learn how you can push this or that and different ways you can get away.

the common used though i like to dig a little deeper is the whole 10 inch oscar in a 10 gallon tank.

 

[fishlover9000]

i think it is completly a lie that mean you buy more couse your told you can fit more in....

Are you telling me i can fit my 9in goldfish in a 9g tank???
thats just stupid..

 

[cbwmn]

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/starter-aquarium-115317.html
Charles

 

[miniflea84]

I think it is an ok albeit very general rule of thumb as long as you're talking about small tetras and barbs and such. Anything larger and it goes right out the window.

 

[drillsar2]

Actually Goldfish need 2 - 3 gallons of water per inch and Oscars need 3 - 5 gallons per inch because there messy fish, Personally I wouldnt put a pleco in a tank less then 55 gallons there messy and get quite large.

I agree it's not really a good rule because it has variables to it.

I also think this rule was made before filtration, if you have good filter/plants your bioload increases, I was wondering though how you know your bioload limit?

 

[bs6749]

Well, I had over 175 Endlers and about 26 GBR's growing out in a 29g tank along with snails that ate all of the uneaten food. Guess I'm not a believer.

 

[eja206]

the rule is a load of rubbish! as my favourite fish in the world ever are goldfish i am glad i now know not to follow that rule!

 

[darkmule27]

I think it's a good starting point for planning a tank. As long as you slowly add fish and test diligently, it's useful. You also have to use common sense and research, though. By the IPG rule, our (my mom and my) 20g is overstocked, but it is also overfiltered and the levels are tested every water change...no problems.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I think it is fine for small fish like Tetras but is by no means a way to live by. There are too many variables to be considered. You could either severly overstock a tank or understock depending on the fish chosen.

 

[HooKooDooKu]

I think you are missing an option to vote for...

"It's a Starting Point" - Now THAT I'll vote for.

As I see it, this isn't a yes/no question. Obviously it is not a "Rule to Live By" because there are too many obvious exceptions to the rule. But at the same time, it's not totally a "Load of Garbage".

What it really is is a very impresice measurement, because there are way too many variables for it to properly work in all cases, but it gives the beginner a starting place.

Basically, the "One Inch Per Gallon" rule lets you know that a hand full of guppies are going to be ok in a 10 gallon tank, while a dozen 2" zebra danios need more than a 10 gallon tank. That is at least a starting place for a beginner. After all, how long did it take YOU to aquire all the knowledge you currently have about fish. Even when you put it all in a book, it takes more than one reading of the book to begin to grasp all the things you really SHOULD know before starting fish keeping... but if we spent all our time learning, we'd never get to the fish keeping.

 

[drillsar2]

Eja206 what size tank you have for the goldfish? Goldfish really need 10-20 gallons per goldfish to survive a good life.

Sure goldfish can live in a smaller environment but usually will die 1-3 years, if you give them more water/space they can live 20 years or longer.

This biggest problem is well my fish look happy/water is fine so they must be ok, fish will grow no matter what and if your tank isnt big enough for fish to grow they will just die.

 

[underdog5004]

I think for a beginner, 1 inch per gallon is a good rule to live by. This rule can be stretched if you add live plants to the tank, increase the frequency of water changes, upgrade to awesome filtration (canister instead of hob).
Personally, in my 10G tank I've got about 22 inches of fish (guppies, mollies, platys), but I've also got about 2 pounds of anacharis, java moss and christmas moss in the tank as well. Nitrates are ~4ppm, nitrites and ammonia are 0ppm. I also do about 30% water change about once a week.