Tropical Fish | Secrets | Advice | TipsHow Many Inches Have You Got? We’re talking Freshwater Tropical Fish here, so keep your mind clean! So I've been asked many times in the past how many fish can I keep in my tank. First thing to say is - all those who have goldfish, or any other fish, in a bowl - GO OUT AND BUY A TANK! No fish is ever happy in a bowl so do the decent thing my friends.... Of course, there is the oft quoted one inch per gallon "rule of thumb" – but this should really be in large quotes and with red circles round it – as it really only applies to certain common species of friendly fish that are generally small in size and nature and even then it's not particularly accurate. So for example a beginner (once the water chemistry is right) with a 20 gallon tank might get themselves 6 neon tetra, two mollies, two platys, 4 guppies, and a small Plecostomus. However it would not work to have two discus fish, two small Oscars and four lake Malawi cichlids… So is it just that size matters? This is not just a problem with size. It has to do with food and water chemistry requirements, species aggression, aeration of the water, species ability to understand other species behaviour, quality of filtration and many other minor reasons. When crowded, fish exhibit stress patterns that result in:
and, most importantly, slowly losing their inherent resistance to disease resulting in significantly shortened lifespan. Get back to Nature In the real world, if a fish or group of fish decides that it doesn’t like the other species or individual, the fish will automatically relocate to a safer area where it can settle down and not be disturbed. So when sizing your own tank and species that you are wanting to keep – you have to bear in mind that one or two of the fish may wish to re-locate to another part of the tank, and your calculation sums must take that into account. Some literature advises you that doing water changes, being on top of maintenance and having lots of plants can increase the number of fish that your tank can take. THIS IS RUBBISH! Not doing partial water changes, having a poor maintenance regime and having very few plants LOWERS the number of fish you can keep. Nothing can increase the maximum number you have in a tank… My experience is that if you add fish slowly and gradually, then you will have a happy and healthy group of fish – and remember safely bringing your tank's population up to the maximum load can take up to 6 months. So the number inches is only part of the way there - skill and experience and how you use it, matters more...
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