Dispelling the inch per gallon rule.
- Thread starter blackwolfXKAV
- Start date
I have a freshwater question regarding this topic that I was just trying to find good info on last night...
15g aquarium being used for feeder quarantine (not to exceed 30 days in containment). How many could I put in there? I've been told 150 to 200 tops. That seems like a lot to me, but...
Thanks
P.S. We're talking small to medium sized Minnows (Rosey Reds, Chubs and Shinner Minnows).
15g aquarium being used for feeder quarantine (not to exceed 30 days in containment). How many could I put in there? I've been told 150 to 200 tops. That seems like a lot to me, but...
Thanks
P.S. We're talking small to medium sized Minnows (Rosey Reds, Chubs and Shinner Minnows).
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Even feeders deserve respect. Stocking a tank at those levels is inhumane at best, bordering on cruel.. If ya did that with puppies, the SPCA would be up in yer ***..
re: the marine stocking questions... Marine tanks cannot be stocked by a formula due to personalities. No two fish, even of the same species, behave the same. In my years of keeping sw tanks, one of my favorite fish was the Coral Beauty angel.. I had 3 of them and all 3 were very different. 1 was very shy and never harmed anyone. 1 was very agressive, always in the front of the tank (which is very unusual for a CBA) and even would attack your arm while cleaning the tank. The other was a mix, sometimes coming to the front but hiding when I messed in the tank. The 2 less agressive ones were good for a community tank, but the third was a complete butthole to the other fish. I had to return him to the shop due to that agression. So, while the tan was fully capable of supporting him according to the common stocking guidelines, he was not stockable due to a very unusual mean streak. Same goes for several clowns I've had. You simply cannot apply a generalization to such strong individuals..
re: the marine stocking questions... Marine tanks cannot be stocked by a formula due to personalities. No two fish, even of the same species, behave the same. In my years of keeping sw tanks, one of my favorite fish was the Coral Beauty angel.. I had 3 of them and all 3 were very different. 1 was very shy and never harmed anyone. 1 was very agressive, always in the front of the tank (which is very unusual for a CBA) and even would attack your arm while cleaning the tank. The other was a mix, sometimes coming to the front but hiding when I messed in the tank. The 2 less agressive ones were good for a community tank, but the third was a complete butthole to the other fish. I had to return him to the shop due to that agression. So, while the tan was fully capable of supporting him according to the common stocking guidelines, he was not stockable due to a very unusual mean streak. Same goes for several clowns I've had. You simply cannot apply a generalization to such strong individuals..
That's kind of what I thought.
Thanks RBishop for the rec!
Let me ask this though - I am thinking of swapping this tank out with a 30g tall (which fits the stands 12X24 footprint). Would that be able to house 200 feeders for about 30 days? Or is that still borderline cruelty?
Thanks RBishop for the rec!
Let me ask this though - I am thinking of swapping this tank out with a 30g tall (which fits the stands 12X24 footprint). Would that be able to house 200 feeders for about 30 days? Or is that still borderline cruelty?
Would you want to be crowded in a room with 200 people for any length of time? Why do you need to maintain 200 feeders? If you go through 200 in 30 days, then buy 40 per week instead. 40 is still too crowded in my book, but it beats 200..
Plus, something else to consider... Prepared food is almost always better for your fish than feeders. In SW, it's popular to buy a Volitan (lionfish) and throw a bunch of feeder goldfish in there to see it hunt. Well, the problem there is that feeder goldfish have virtually no nutritional value, so he's essentially eating a bunch of chocolate bars. Same goes for Oscars or whatever other tankbuster you've got. Prepared food is a far better choice if you can get your fish to take it. Plus, you lose the whole housing/feeding/cleaning problem with feeders. I'm not preaching against keeping predatory fish, I had red bellies and oscars for a long time and loved to watch them hunt. But, the benefits of a more varied diet outweigh the bloodlust of watching something die.
Plus, something else to consider... Prepared food is almost always better for your fish than feeders. In SW, it's popular to buy a Volitan (lionfish) and throw a bunch of feeder goldfish in there to see it hunt. Well, the problem there is that feeder goldfish have virtually no nutritional value, so he's essentially eating a bunch of chocolate bars. Same goes for Oscars or whatever other tankbuster you've got. Prepared food is a far better choice if you can get your fish to take it. Plus, you lose the whole housing/feeding/cleaning problem with feeders. I'm not preaching against keeping predatory fish, I had red bellies and oscars for a long time and loved to watch them hunt. But, the benefits of a more varied diet outweigh the bloodlust of watching something die.
Corax said:
Ummmm - thanks - I don't know that I see the comparason being the same (between humans in a room and feeders in a tank), but I appreciate your insights.
As for food - the fish I keep will only eat live feeders so I don't have much choice (they're not ornamentals - they are game fish - I keep native tanks).
Thanks
