Rules of size and tank size.

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BucketFish

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May 22, 2012
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Ok, so I promised you guys I wouldnt add anymore fish to my biocube. I'm always reading into different types of fish and what they're like...livequaria says a valentini puffer would do fine in a 30 gallon but the way I've been taught that's probably an good idea. I figure nothing over 2 1/2" could do well in a 29 biocube. However, what I'm looking to know is there an inch rule vs gallon tank?

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Nepherael

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May 11, 2012
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There's a thread somewhere on here or MFK about it. If you're trying to calculate that way go one cubic inch per gallon instead of inches long. So you're calculating length, width, and height. its not too bad with small fish because say they're 2 inches long, half inch tall, half inch wide that isn't the much space and gallonage.

At least that's how I took the thread. You might want to look around a bit for it. It's stickied on MFK I think

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TL1000RSquid

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Apr 6, 2011
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With a cube me personally I'd probably go no bigger then 3.5" on a nice center piece fish then keep the others to 2.5" maybe larger for a nonactive fish. I'd use caution when considering adding anything thats suitable for 30g minimum to a bio/nano cube a 29g BC has smaller footprint then a 29g standard glass tank. Puffers are usually messy eaters as well and will kill your CUC, along with possibly being aggressive towards your current fish. I wouldn't keep any messy carnivore eaters in a system that didn't have good sump filtration.
 

SubRosa

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Jul 3, 2009
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Inch/gallon rules are useless. Do you think a 2.5" long Watchman Goby puts the same load on a system as a 2.5" Yellow Tang? Even discounting the Tang's much higher activity level, it's just a whole lot more fish than the "same sized" Goby. If you must think in such terms, try thinking about volume of fish per gal. It's easier to estimate volume than weight, which is what it's really all about in terms of carrying capacity. There are a lot of other factors to consider as well. For instance a tank suitable for a 12" Lionfish may not be suitable for a 6" Tang due to their respective activity levels.
 

Khemul

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Oct 14, 2010
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Puffer tank requirements are a little tricky.

You have the minimum to keep one and the minimum to keep them from getting bored. The second one is the trickiest. A Toby is pretty mellow by puffer standards, but even a bored Toby can be dangerous. If you have plenty for it to explore and move in and out of then a biocube would be fine. If you have more of an open aquascape then it could get bloody (luck out on personality and it may be fine either way).


There is no rule in saltwater really. It is best to understand the natural behavior of the fish. A tang follows different rules then a goby or blenny, for instance. Even a goby and a blenny follow different rules.
 

stormywendyann

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Apr 21, 2012
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The inch rule is ridiculous. How many fish you can keep in a tank is based on length of fish, width of fish, waste ratio of said fish, and personalty of the fish. There is really no "set" rule about fish per gallons. You really need to think about the issues I mentioned earlier and come up with a reasonible estimate and work with that.
 

Nepherael

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Ok...I'm new sorry...

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It's ok. They're just helping you out. I'm pretty new around here too so even as I reply to threads I'm learning.
 

stormywendyann

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Don't say your sorry to me... did I sound sarcastic. I have to watch that. I don't even realize that I am doing it sometimes, it is a bad personality flaw (although my husband likes it). I did not mean to berade you at all. You have to ask questions and sometimes I get both the questions and answers wrong. Keep an eye out for my sharp tongue in the future.
 

oo7genie

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Nov 18, 2010
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Ok...I'm new sorry...

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Don't worry about it. They're just trying to help. A lot of us get worked up over the "inch per gallon" rules, partially because they're worthless and end up causing as many, if not more bad experiences than good. And also because the "pet" industry & many stores still perpetuate such a flawed method of determining proper stocking levels for tanks, meaning that more people believe in such calculations, which means that more tanks get overstocked, and more fish suffer as a result.

Basically, they're upset with the inch/gallon rules, not the fact that you asked about it. The fact that you asked shows that you care about the fish you keep, which is easily the most essential thing for keeping a healthy happy tank. You'll see it fairly often around here, people tend to get a bit heated and opinionated about the subject being discussed, myself not excluded. Just do your best to look past any suspected rudeness, snideness, sarcasticness, etc. and focus on the actual point they're trying to make, and don't take anything personally, because 99% of the time, it's not meant that way.

The more you ask, the more you learn, and the happier your tank inhabitants are. So keep asking away!
 
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