1" rule, flawed or just not taking in all factors?

Walker Anderson

Walker Anderson

AC Members
Dec 12, 2005
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www.walkeranderson.com
Hi,
This will probably get me flamed, but I think the 1" per gallon is a bit of nonsense unless its your first tank. I personally only count the body of the fish, tails dont matter. Swords, bettas, species of guppy, plumage if you will can very alot. Doesn't really matter to body size though.

Also, the rule doesn't take into account the fishes zone in the tank that it lives in and prefers. 30" of corys in a 30 gallon would be crowded. But if you judiciously plan your top, mid, and bottom dwellers, you can find a better mix of fish that pass the inch rule. Also fish temperment can be a factor. Are these "inches" constant, fast moving rambunctious fish, or placid drifters?

And to top it off, it doesn't take into account if the tank is planted with real plants, plastic plants, or has a gigantic tacky castle sitting in the middle of the tank that really cuts 30 gallons down to about 25 gallons of actuall swimming space?

Basically I am wondering peoples thoughts on this and if the one inch per gallon really holds true or if it is outdated and flawed.

p.s. not to mention, you can look at your tank and homestly tell that no matter how badly you want another particular fish, there just isnt anymore room.

Walker
 
MoparORnoCAR said:
I agree, you can't put a 50 inch fish in a 50 gallon tank :laugh:
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So you're saying I should take the 20" pacu out of my 20 gallon high? :huh:


:laugh:
 
racingjason said:
So you're saying I should take the 20" pacu out of my 20 gallon high? :huh:


:laugh:
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No, he'll be fine. My LFS told me fish only grow as large as their enviroment allows....so he is done growing :joke:

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
 
Such a rule could only really make sense if it took into account the other two dimensions besides length. An inch per gallon works for most fish that do not reach lengths greater than 2 inches.

I have been pondering how to come up with stocking rule that would make sense and still be simple enough for people to use.

My best idea yet would be to measure that actual volume of the fish and then come up with some calculation based upon that.

My 10 inch oscar probably takes up the same volume as a couple hundred neon tetras, so the bio-load of the oscar is FAR greater than 10 tiny neons.

My 37 gallon community aquarium actually houses about 37 inches of fish. However, 25 of those inches are very small, low volume fish such as hatchetfish and neon tetras. The other 10 or so inches come from a nearly full grown 4" bristlenose pleco and a 4" Synodontis eupterus. I feel that I have done a great job of stocking this aquarium and enjoy seeing plenty of fish but do not have significant number of large fish to create a huge bioload.

This aquarium is set up to provide a very open area for the hatchets at the top, with driftwood and plants providing interesting areas for the other fish to enjoy.

What is really most important is the bio-load. How quickly do nitrates accumulate to the level where the water should be changed. I change my water when nitrates reach levels above 10ppm and consider 20ppm to be the critical cut-off for my fish. With 50% water changes every 5 days or so, I never have nitrates above 10ppm, and feel that my stocking of this particular aquarium is right on track.
 
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Ah, sorry bout that, didn't see the stick on it. Teach me to look at stickys from now on. It just popped into my head this morning, because I was buying plants from a LFS yesterday and overheard a sales person and customer talking about "tank cleaners". I suggested the cories as great tidy uppers with lots of personallity. They were great catfish. The clerk squinted at the tag and pronounced them as not catfish but Coryadoras. And just for the hell of it I decided to get into their debate about stocking and the inch per gallon rule came up. They wanted a bala because it fit the rule. I told the shopper in all honesty, Go home, take you Nike off and toss it in your tank. That is what you will end up with. Eh. I was just surly after the clerk pronounced the corys as not cats.


Walker
 
MoparORnoCAR said:
No, he'll be fine. My LFS told me fish only grow as large as their enviroment allows....so he is done growing :joke:

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
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Thats good info! Its easy to do water changes since there is only 4 gallons in there with him and the 15 pieces of driftwood. :)
 
It's very difficult to take different metabolisms, lifestyles and activity levels into account in a community tank when your a newbie, but they should all be considered. YuccaPatrol hit the nail on the head though. I tell customers that you can have 1inch of fish, but explain to them that that doesnt hold for fish over two inches. I tell them to imagine if you could scrape out the inside of the fish with a melon baller. How many neon tetras could you stuff it with? that's how many inches that fish counts for. Of course I also tell them the best way to maintain a beautiful healthy tank is to understock as much as possible. they rarely listen to this advice.
 
there are no stocking rules, and the only guide is experience. every tank is different. filtration, tank size and shape, and the actual size and shape of the fish all have to be taken into account. the only dependable way to stock is to ask someone with experience. even then it is never a guarantee.
 
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