# 1 inch?



## serpaekeeper45 (Apr 12, 2007)

the ppl at petco are telling me that i should only put 1 inch of fish per gallon in my aquariums. i know this will keep me at a good stocking level,but you all know i just want to go like 2 inches over. i was talking to some1 whos name i will not mention,who said instead of having 9 inches of fish in my 10 gal i could have 18. i just want to know what everyone else does. btw i can keep up on water changes very easily.


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## Flip (Jun 23, 2007)

I heard it was 1 inch of fish per gallon too but i dont follow it lol.


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## leifthebunny (Mar 13, 2007)

Depends on the fish that are in the tank. If you have torpedo shaped tetras for example, they can be stocked with higher quantities as they are lower waste producers.


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## Amphitrite (Sep 8, 2006)

If you want to slightly overstock, make sure that you have good filtration in the tank.


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## fish_4_all (Nov 13, 2006)

In a new tank, less than 6 month old I would follow the 1 inch rule. Once the tank is weell established then you can think about "overstocking" but like has been said, it depends on the fish. I would not overstock with swords or platties because they produce a lot of waste. Tetras, especially the small ones seem to produce less waste and I actually have 18 noens and a glo lite in a 10 gallon tank and have never had a problem with ammonia or anything else and there are two Skunk Botia loaches in there also. 

The main difference with my stocking is I have medium to heavy planted tank and the plants can help to maintain a healthy tank. This doesn't mean a heavily planted tank will let you stock 5 neons per gallon but it helps to break the rule and keep things in balance. 

As for filtration, over filtering will help if you want to overstock but remember that fish need room to swim and some fish need a whole lot more than others. In the case of some shark, arrowana and baracuda, the size of the fish determines what size tank you need and filtration won't change this need.


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## Andyandsue (Jan 23, 2007)

One inch is the rule, but you have three things to consider. Type of fish, where they like to be in the tank, and bioload.

One inch of goldfish or pleco for example is a bad rule of thumb since they produce a lot of waste and can grow to be large and you wouldn't want a one 6 inch fish in a 10 gallon tank.

The other thing to think of is where the fish "live" in the tank. Do they stay at the top, middle, or bottom? If you divide up your variety of fish based on where they like to be, they will have more living space.

And lastly bioload. If you have an appropriate filter (not an undergravel), your tank is fully cycled/established, and you keep up on weekly water changes then you are more likely to have success with an overstocked tank.

Plants help keep a tank healthy, but do require some work. There is a product called Algone which is basically a plant in a pouch. I use it to have the benefits of a planted tank without all the work. I also mix artificial and live plants to fool the eye, it's very hard to tell.

I am overstocked. I have 17 beings in a 12 gallon. The rasboras stay more at the top, the danios/white clouds in the middle, the corys at the bottom, the snail and shrimp are all over. Everyone has their space, and without fail I change the water once a week.


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## Falina (Feb 25, 2007)

What Andy or Sue said there is right. The only other thing to consider is that it only really works for small fish. You wouldn't put a 12" fish in a 12g tank, even though it doesn't break the "rules".


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## fish_4_all (Nov 13, 2006)

Andy&sue put it right, I wish I could have thought of the words but that is the basis. Like and rule, it can be broken and the fish won't suffer if done right. 

When I was really overstocked, and i mean really overstocked. I have 14 copries on the bottom, 4 otos and 11 swords. The tank is filtered with an AC20 HOB which is slightly over filtered but not much. The key was a ton of fast growing plants, maily Wisteria. I never saw ammonia, nitrates nor any problems with stress and never lost a fish. Removed the Wisteria and I instantly saw the cories getting territorial and actually attacking the swords. It worked but it was still overstocked. Will I ever do that again, no way but is a prime example of where the laws can sometime be majorly ignored and still have a healthy tank. 

(I did this before I started to come to forums and was told it wasn't the best idea. I feel bad for doing it but I don't feel bad for the fish because they were healthy and some of them still are 2 years later. )


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## serpaekeeper45 (Apr 12, 2007)

ok i dont want to go wwaayyy over or anything. maybe 1 or at the most 2 inches overe the 1 inch rule,thats all.


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## fish_4_all (Nov 13, 2006)

Key to the old saying: If you never try it you will never know. But post your results. A weekly diary after oyu start something will help to debunk some of the myths and help us build a data base of fish that survive and do well aside from the 1" rule.


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## reverendred (Mar 1, 2007)

so i want to throw out my list here on this thread....

i have so far in a 29G
3 albino tigers (maybe an inch each) 
2 blood parrots 
1 dojo loach (maybe 6 inches..... i never know cause he hides so much lol)

i hope to add 2 striped cats and 3 more tigers.... how close to over stocked does this sound? 

this filtration is a 55G biowheel. also have a bubbler in the tank (dont know if that makes a difference, heard they add more o2)


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

reverendred said:


> so i want to throw out my list here on this thread....
> 
> i have so far in a 29G
> 3 albino tigers (maybe an inch each)
> ...


Albino tigers are oscars, right? This is overstocked already. The whole stocklist will need 200 gallons minimum.:shock:

Please don't add any more fish. Get your fish new tanks or return some of them.


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## reverendred (Mar 1, 2007)

Lupin said:


> reverendred said:
> 
> 
> > so i want to throw out my list here on this thread....
> ...


the albino tigers are barbs. sorry i wasnt specific in my original post. when i say tigers i always barbs, so i dont think to specify, my bad.


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

That's ok, Rev. I would remove the blood parrots though if I were you as they can grow to 8 inches and you can never expect how they'll coexist with their tankmates.


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## mHeinitz57 (Jun 9, 2007)

I know having worked at several petsmores that employees are taught the 1 inch per gallon rule. The thing you have to realize though is that fish are 3-d animals and as they get longer the volume grows at a greater ratio. In other words, when a fish doubles in length it also doubles in height and width. SO when a 2 cubic inch fish doubles in length it becomes about 16 cubic inches! Waste output is linked to metabolic rate which is also linkied to body volume (their are other factors though). I would say the inch of fish rule works for small fish that you ourhcase at the store but as they grow they will need more volume of water per inch. Like it was mentioned before, you wouldnt put a 12 inch fish in a 12 gallon tank. You also have to look at other factors too like how messy of an eater the fish are, how much waste output they have, metabolic rate, hardiness, and behavior.


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## reverendred (Mar 1, 2007)

Lupin said:


> That's ok, Rev. I would remove the blood parrots though if I were you as they can grow to 8 inches and you can never expect how they'll coexist with their tankmates.


well i plan on moving them to a new tank within a year. so far they coexist quite fine, they stick to their little cave until feeding time.

but, do you think adding about 3 more tigers(barbs) would be ok?


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## willow (Sep 9, 2006)

hi
i'm pants at working out over stocking,so i'm not commenting
on that,what i would just like to add is that the Tiger barbs
need to be in a large group,because they will be less stressed
because there is only three of them,and also it will spread the
agression.


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

reverendred said:


> but, do you think adding about 3 more tigers(barbs) would be ok?


Yes, you can assuming you will indeed move the blood parrots but you'll have to increase the frequency of doing tank maintenance due to the added bioload. Blood parrots can grow quickly.


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## reverendred (Mar 1, 2007)

Lupin said:


> reverendred said:
> 
> 
> > but, do you think adding about 3 more tigers(barbs) would be ok?
> ...


i have heard that they grow quickly.... but these ones havent really grown that much in the time that i have had them. 

i plan on upgrading to a 55G or 80G tank by next summer.


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