Calculating how many fish to stock in a tank

[flyjawn]

i came across this "formula" for how to calculate the right number of fish for your tank. it took me a few minutes to work it out because it's in metric... but basically it said i should have 9 fish.

therefore according to the formula i'm already overstocked. i have:

2 cory's
3 oto's
6 cardinals
2 rams

i don't think i'm overstocked at all but i'm curious what others think about this "formula"...

Length of tank * Width = Water surface area / 40 cm (standard) Now, divide the size, or the average, of the fish you want to add.

Example:
90(cm)* 35 (cm) = 3150(cm2) / 40 = 79 / 5(cm) = 15 fish.

http://www.tropicalfishcentre.co.uk/Choosing.htm

 

[hc8719]

how many gallons is your tank first of all?

 

[kansei]

40cm = 15.75 inches. so by the formula I could have 17 fish in my tank with average size of 5 inches.

 

[flyjawn]

oh sorry, my tank is 20G...

 

[lyquidphyre]

You really aren't that overstocked. With plants and water changes various formulas and rules can be bent =o)

 

[rich311k]

Your stock is fine. You may want to add a couple of more cories to fill out the school.