Fishing Q&A
when stocking a fish tank the general rule is 1" per gallon but is this a us gallon or uk?
uk gallon = 4.546 litres us gallon = 3.785 litres
Public Comments
- I think a gallon is a standard measurement (like inches and meters).
- Honestly, I don't think it truely matters. That so called "rule" is issued as a guideline for beginners to go by. I tried to apply this rule years ago, and never seemed to understand how a fish store could have like 40 fish in a 20 gallon tank then. So I knew then something was odd. The 1 inch of fish "rule" also does not address the growth rates or activities of fish either. It's something I personally feel should be heaped onto a manure pile and left to rot. If we are to take this rule and apply it, it's telling me I'm way over stocked in my 180 gallon tank then. Three of my four Silver Arowana are 21 inches now, giving me almost 1/2 of the fish I can keep in my tank in Arowana alone? That doesn't make any sense to me. I've got a full cichlid community sitting on the bottom, along with three pleco's as well. If one was to add up all my fish, I've got like 275 inches of fish in a 180 gallon tank. So you'd think I'd have fish dying off on me left and right to keep things at 180 gallons? I haven't had a death in my tank there for like three months. And the last ones at that were from some weaker cichlids that just lost a fight. This rule also does not incoporate surface area in a tank as well. There are so many loopholes in this rule again I think it should be trashed. When you are looking at your tank, look not only at the gallons, but your tank dimensions, is your tank planted, what kind of substrate are you using, what do you want to stock, what kind of filtration are you using...all of these factors should be considered much more then how many inches. You also want to allow extra space for movement and activity as well. So it's alot more complicated then just adding inches up.
- 5 LTRS is a gallon no matter where you are.
- I don't think that there's any difference. The UK lost its imperial system of weights and measures when it went metric in the 70s but US kept the old system so I think a gallon is eight pints whichever country you are in. Their miles are still the same as our miles and ounces are the same as well.
- think that rule only applies to tropicals. there are conflicting answers on this subject. uk gallon i believe
- I think it used to be the Imperial gallon though most of the books now use the 1cm per litre rule which is a little more accurate! As the filter system used and the dimensions of the tank can make a huge difference I only use it as a starting point. That number if it's an undergravel filter, half again with the correct sized internal and twice the amount with external filtration. Even then the type and size of fish make a difference. I can keep 120 neons in one of my tanks but the waste from that many fish would over work the system!
- This so-called rule is ridiculous and should not be used!! When stocking a tank, you should consider the adult size of the fish and the species's swimming needs. Let's consider the comet goldfish. This is one of the most widely available and popular fish on the planet. This fish is usually about 2" long when sold. This fish will grow rapidly and can easily reach 2 feet in length. Would it make sense to put this fish in a tiny 2 gallon tank?? Of course not!! US or UK gallon is irrelevant, the rule is absurd
- It is a general suggestion and is pretty vague and unhelpful. As a rough guess of fish to tank ratio, it certainly doesn't matter the size of the gallon,
- Don't worry if it's a UK or US gallon, the rule is not a rule, it's nothing but a very, very basic starting point. If you have a 10G tank (US or UK) you could probably fit in 10 x 1" fish, but I could safely say you wouldn't healthily fit in 1 x 10" fish. As with all of fish keeping, the key is research, research, research. When planning a tank stocking, use the 1" per gallon rule as a very basic guide, but then please ask an expert. The actual ability of a tank to stock fish depends upon how much waste a fish produces, how big they are compared to the tank, how much surface area there is to transfer oxygen into the water, how often you are really going to perform tank maintenance and probably numerous other issues (I'm not going to claim to know everything about fishkeeping - few people will, which is why I recommend asking these questions to learn from the more experienced). The key is to think about the info you are given and keep asking questions, as you have done in this case. Well done and please keep it up,
