have only a few fish in them. I am new at this...my tank is acclimating and I am reading, learning, reading, reading, reading.....it seems that a 55 gallon can hold more than what I am seeing. I have read the inch of fish to 10 gallons....just an observation.
I see a lot 55 gl tank her that...
- Thread starter LadyV
- Start date
Some fish will grow or are too aggressive/non-compatible with other fish. Some people prefer the simplicity of an understocked tank...
The one inch to one gallon rule is a rule of thumb that doesn't very closely follow reality except at very small volumes of water. One reason for this is just the size of the fish themselves. A fish that is 2 inches long compared to one that is 1 inch long does not simply take up twice as much room. Often times, the mass of the fish increases much faster than its dimensions (try 1x1x1 and 2x2x2). Therfore, the needs of 10 one inch fish are in all likelihood much smaller than one 10 inch fish.
Just some random thoughts. I'm starting up a 55 right now (trust me, the more you plan, the smaller a 4' tank seems) and one of the things I'm finding the most interesting is having the room to watch the fish establish territories, pair up, and exhibit other behaviors they can't really display in a tank with a smaller footprint. It seems like you'd want to just pack in as many kinds of fish as you can but then in the end, most likely, you'd end up with a disorganized and chaotic tank. I would, anyway. 
The alternative to having a few larger, interesting fish would be having larger schools of small fish, which would be beautiful. But I really enjoy watching the personalities of the individual fish.
Even with my smaller tanks now I'm not nearly as tempted to overstock them. I'd rather watch my fish when they have room to spread out.
The alternative to having a few larger, interesting fish would be having larger schools of small fish, which would be beautiful. But I really enjoy watching the personalities of the individual fish.
Even with my smaller tanks now I'm not nearly as tempted to overstock them. I'd rather watch my fish when they have room to spread out.
the inch gallon rule doesnt work whatsoever. it doesnt consider the behavioral needs, space that the fish needs, or its aggression level.
1 neon tetra wont fit in a 1 gallon. why? because they like to be in schools, and that would seriously over stock a 1 gallon.
what kinds of fish do you have right now, and what kinds of fish do you like?
1 neon tetra wont fit in a 1 gallon. why? because they like to be in schools, and that would seriously over stock a 1 gallon.
what kinds of fish do you have right now, and what kinds of fish do you like?
yeah, I have 1 angle and 12 rasboras in a 55. My other 55 is housing two growing oscars. The oscars have grown to the point where they need a larger tank. TWO fish.... Less is beter and once you maintain the tank awhile you'll appreciate less. Fill the tank with plenty of plants and scenery. You will love it soon enough. More fish isn't better.