# Fish to Gallon Ratio?



## MistyRiver (Oct 7, 2008)

Okay, I apologize for the dumb question but I would like an answer... I did a search on here and could not fine anything of use... 

Typically speaking, a couple years ago when I was in the hobby of fish. Everyone told me to do 1 inch of fish to three gallons of water for a safe set up... Atleast, I think thats what it was... 
My question is; is there some kind of guide lines like this for how much fish I can put in my 10g? It should be decently planted if that makes any difference...

Can someone help me (and other newbies looking for the same answer)? Is there a chart or something? I feel really dumb not knowing this.... lol...

Thanks in advance!


----------



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

The "rule" Is one inch of fish per gallon, but it doesnt always apply, that rule is kinda outdated I guess


----------



## fishboy87 (Feb 19, 2008)

There is a lot of controversy over this issue. Factors such as if the fish are messy eaters and territory issues are just 2 things that should really be considered before stocking. It also depends on what type of filter you have. What fish are you planning on having? If you want larger numbers, stick with tetras and otos. So to cap the answer, there is no specifically accurate rule because there are many factors that can change it.  Good luck!


----------



## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

in general, the less fish the better especially in a small tank. You can go for the 12 square inch surface area / inch of fish rule. Or the 1 inch / gallon rule.. Whatever will produce less amount of fish.


----------



## Black Hills Tj (Jul 19, 2008)

I would just like to clarify that the inch/gallon rule is based on the estimated size of the full grown fish.


----------



## seAdams (Jun 2, 2008)

The 1" per gallon thing only works with small, low bioload, streamlined fish like neons e.g.

It definitely doesn't work with larger fish. 10 one-inch dwarf rainbows in a 10 gallon tank would be fine, but 10" of goldfish would not.


----------



## RandomKayos (Oct 3, 2008)

When I started in the aquarium hobby 40 years ago we had a rule of thumb. "Rule of thumb" is a term meaning General guidline. Or a place to start.

That rule of thumb was 1 cubic inch of fish per 1 gallon of water in a basic, unplanted tank. Over the years people have tried to make this a hard and fast RULE. It didn't take into account plants, surface area, info like bioload, if the fish was an air breather or got it's oxygen from the water. We didn't understand the nitrogen cycle and the effects of ammonia or Nitrites on gills and so on. 

Although I still use this rule of thumb when laying out a tank to give me a starting spot I work to factor in everything I am now aware of. Territory, Oxygen needs, water quality, plants, surface area and age of tank and so on. Some fish I only keep a half inch or less per gallon. Some I can keep healty with as much as 3 inches per gallon.

Basicly, if I add a fish and lose one within a week I know that tank is topped out and don't try to add more. And in regards to Black Hills Tj's clarification, that is a good way to use the estiment. Although your fish are smaller when you buy them, they will grow. The tank stocked full now will be over stocked in a few days without changing anything.

RK


----------



## MistyRiver (Oct 7, 2008)

Wow, that was a much greater response then I expected! 

So basically, its a matter of guessing and trial? Not something I should worry too much about?


----------



## Black Hills Tj (Jul 19, 2008)

MistyRiver said:


> Wow, that was a much greater response then I expected!
> 
> So basically, its a matter of guessing and trial? Not something I should worry too much about?


I wouldn't necessarily say trial and error. Depending on your water volume it can be a pretty delicate balance. With a 10 gallon tank, you may want to watch your steps.


----------



## MistyRiver (Oct 7, 2008)

Black Hills Tj said:


> I wouldn't necessarily say trial and error. Depending on your water volume it can be a pretty delicate balance. With a 10 gallon tank, you may want to watch your steps.



So.... Hows two Otos, and two guppies sound? I want to breed the guppies. Once that happens, keep a few of the males maybe, and get donate/trade the rest. 

Or another setup would be Corydoras and a couple Otos... How many of those do you think I could have in there?

Thanks again!


----------



## Minsc (Jul 9, 2006)

The best thing you can do is to make a plan, then ask opinions of it.
Include descriptions of your filtration, hardscape, amount of plants and stocking list.
The more input you can get about the specific conditions of your tank, the more informed your decisions will be.

The adult size of the fish, the attitudes and personalities of the fish, the amount of hiding places and sight breaks all play a large factor in the overall success of a tank. No rule of thumb can ever take into account all these factors, especially in the situation of a high light, high flow CO2 injected tank, which can handle a much higher bioload than a fish only tank ever could.


----------



## MistyRiver (Oct 7, 2008)

Minsc said:


> The best thing you can do is to make a plan, then ask opinions of it.
> Include descriptions of your filtration, hardscape, amount of plants and stocking list.
> The more input you can get about the specific conditions of your tank, the more informed your decisions will be.
> 
> The adult size of the fish, the attitudes and personalities of the fish, the amount of hiding places and sight breaks all play a large factor in the overall success of a tank. No rule of thumb can ever take into account all these factors, especially in the situation of a high light, high flow CO2 injected tank, which can handle a much higher bioload than a fish only tank ever could.


Ah, thank you! Thats what I needed... Someone to put me in my place, always seems to be the only way I learn. 

I'm heading out of town for the week in a few hours here, so I'm going to have plenty of time to think about this... I'm going to work on developing a plan, and then get everything set and ask all my solid questions then. Maybe if I do that, I would stop looking like such a n00b and save people their time. 

So thank you Minsc, a fellow northwesterner, for you helpful nudge of advice. 
BTW, I believe we've met... lol.

See y'all next week!


----------



## Black Hills Tj (Jul 19, 2008)

You can never do enough research or ask enough questions. The time you spend now learning, will outweigh any amount of time and money spent later to attempt to fix any errors you overlook. I look forward to following this thread when you return next week.

Have a safe trip!


----------



## Minsc (Jul 9, 2006)

MistyRiver said:


> Ah, thank you! Thats what I needed... Someone to put me in my place, always seems to be the only way I learn.


Lol, I'm not trying to put you in your place, or anything like that
I'm just not very fond of stocking rules, and I'm trying to explain why. If I had taken my own advice in the past, I might have saved the lives of some fish:icon_redf



MistyRiver said:


> I'm heading out of town for the week in a few hours here, so I'm going to have plenty of time to think about this... I'm going to work on developing a plan, and then get everything set and ask all my solid questions then. Maybe if I do that, I would stop looking like such a n00b and save people their time.


No worries, if people wanted to save their time, they shouldn't be online 



MistyRiver said:


> So thank you Minsc, a fellow northwesterner, for you helpful nudge of advice.
> BTW, I believe we've met... lol.


Now I'm curious...


----------



## Fat Man (Nov 2, 2006)

This is a little relationship I worked up a while ago. it is based on the fish having an ellipsoid (football) body shape.


Length 1 inch equivalent
(Inches) Volume
1 1.00
1.5 4.50
2 8.00
3 27.00
4 64.00
5 125.00
6 216.00
7 343.00
(how do you post tabular data?)

If biologic needs are proportional to body volume then this demonstrates that larger fish place a exponentially higher demand on the thank than that of smaller fish.

As stated by others there are far more important things to consider when stocking a tank. Minsc gave a good outline of them.

My personal philosophy is that if I feel I might be over stocked, I am.


----------



## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

mistergreen said:


> in general, the less fish the better especially in a small tank. You can go for the 12 square inch surface area / inch of fish rule. Or the 1 inch / gallon rule.. Whatever will produce less amount of fish.


In an african cichlid tank this would end in disaster. My point is that there are no general rules that have any real basis.


----------



## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

MistyRiver said:


> Wow, that was a much greater response then I expected!
> 
> So basically, its a matter of guessing and trial? Not something I should worry too much about?


NO! It is a matter of researching the needs of the fish you WANT to keep and deciding what you CAN keep.


----------



## fishsandwitch (Apr 20, 2008)

mistergreen said:


> in general, the less fish the better especially in a small tank. You can go for the 12 square inch surface area / inch of fish rule. Or the 1 inch / gallon rule.. Whatever will produce less amount of fish.


so I can put an oscar in a 20g?

My point is there is no accurate rule.

edit. Wow. It looks like I completely took what overstocked said and was mocking him. I typed that before I saw over stocked's post. 

LMAO


----------



## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

fishsandwitch said:


> so I can put an oscar in a 20g?
> 
> My point is there is no accurate rule.
> 
> ...


yes you can definitely put an oscar in a 20G....


you can put a 1-4 inch oscar in the tank. You'd have to move it to a bigger tank when it's bigger. Let's come up with a new rule...
Let's do body mass instead in inches. 
Let's say .5 ounce of fish per gallon. Pull out the scales.


----------



## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

RandomKayos said:


> When I started in the aquarium hobby 40 years ago we had a rule of thumb. "Rule of thumb" is a term meaning General guidline. Or a place to start.
> 
> That rule of thumb was 1 cubic inch of fish per 1 gallon of water in a basic, unplanted tank. Over the years people have tried to make this a hard and fast RULE. It didn't take into account plants, surface area, info like bioload, if the fish was an air breather or got it's oxygen from the water. We didn't understand the nitrogen cycle and the effects of ammonia or Nitrites on gills and so on.
> 
> ...


Welcome to TPT!


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

Now I see how you get so many posts Laura:hihi:

Anyway, there is no "fish per gallon" or "inch per gallon" rule. The rule is to ask (smart) people if your tank is overstocked.


----------



## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

I swear laura is hacking the forum and changing the post_no field in the Database. 

And I'd be suspicious about taking stocking advice from a guy named 'overstoked' lol


----------

