How many fish?

[mxfj40]

I have a 34G. (322X12) tall tank. Now I have 17 fish in it (6 red platys,6 sunset wag platys,4 gold dust mollies,1 male betta) The fish are about an inch long right now but I think they could grow up to 2-2.5 inches. Is this close to the maximum fish a 34g. should hold? I was thinking about a couple of Dwarf Gouramis. Would those be good tankmates for what I have now?

 

[Froggy]

A 34 gal will house approx. 34 inches, adult size not counting the tail, of fish. If you calculate what you have now by their adult size, you're estimating right at 2.5 each, that = 42.5 inches of fishes. I personally wouldn't add anymore to the tank.

 

[loganj]

I have to disagree with the "inches per gallon" rule. It might be OK to go by that as long as you're stocking a shallow tank. What really matters is the surface area of the tank. Also, all fish are not equal when talking about the amount of bio load they will add to the tank. Eg...one inch of oscar is a lot more that one inch of neon tetra. In the 34 gal, you essentially have the same surface area as a 20 long. Since the surface area of the tank dictates the amount of oxygen exchange that can occur, your 34 gal has the same holding capacity as a 20 long. You may be able to keep the fish you have by making sure you have plenty of filtration...I'd suggest at the very least an Emperor 280 and an Emperor 400 would be better. I would not recommend adding anything else to the tank.
Logan J

 

[Froggy]

I have to disagree with the "inches per gallon" rule.

Well, I put the measurements mxfj40 gave into the calculator located at the top of the page and thats the answer it gave....sorry for giving incorrect advice.

Also, all fish are not equal when talking about the amount of bio load they will add to the tank. Eg...one inch of oscar is a lot more that one inch of neon tetra.

I don't really think mxfj40 was looking to add an Oscar to the tank. But again my apology

 

[Guest]

Froggy, it's cool, we're all alowed to disagree here, and all calculators can't take everything into account. No biggie!

 

[d9hp]

Logan's oscar comment was a hypothetical. I have had bad experiences with them. Advice is advice, so we thank you for helping out. At least you said dont add anymore fish.