Do you believe this?

Question

can you belive people think that a 1 inch per gallon of fish in your tank is true LISTEN PEOPLE ITS NOT TRUE

ya but if that rule is true then could you put a oscar in a 20 gallon tank no because its to big saying 1 inch of fish per gallon is not correct because then a oscar could go easy in a 20 gallon tank because it gets 12 inches and then it would only need 12 gallon tank its not correct

Answer 1

Thats ridiculous. Like having 1 foot per person in a room. You couldn't breathe!

Answer 2

It is funny that you are the moron. I have been told this by EVERY fish store I have ever been to- in three different states! It is called a rule of thumb because it is set in place to prevent overcrowding. You use is as a starting point for those people who are buying a tank or have one and don't know anything about fish. What to buy or how many. That is why it is a rule of thumb. I didn't say it was a comandment. Anyone who has ever owned fish knows this rule of thumb.
For example: If you have three fish that at full growth will each be 5 inches long then you start with a 15 gallon at the least. I don't put anything in a tank smaller than 20 gallons to start off with no matter the size. We were originally told the 'rule of thumb' when we were purchasing fish for a 225gallon tank. We were told by two different fish dealers. At full growth the fish we selected were perfect. We could have up to about 220 inches of fish. When you are talking a tank that size with larger fish... that isn't that many fish. We only had 7 fish and two plecos in the whole tank!
If you have a 5 gal tank only put fish in that at full size will equal 5 inches. Think about it moron... that is only 5 tetras.... That is a ton of room for 5 tetras!!
If you have a 10gal tank, you should only put in an equivalent of 10 inches of fish. Be it 2 fish that equal 10in at full growth or 1 fish that is 10in at full growth.
Say what you will but I have had tanks that you would fit in yourself for over 12 years and have helped many people set there tanks up and am here to tell you that that rule of thumb works for every tank. It keeps your tank from being overcrowded once all the fish are full grown. You are probably one of those people who go buy a tank and all the pretty lil baby fish and in two months have to give them back cause your fish outgrew your tank. Any of you that don't believe me, pick up your phone book and call a fish store and ask them. A fish store not a chain store like Walmart which is where this moron is probably from. A wannabe fish caretaker.
Do what you will, but I feel sorry for your fish, that is if you even own any.

Answer 3

I go by a rule that I found in a book I bought on fish. You are to measure the width and lenght of your tank. Multiply the two and then divide by (10 for a cold water tank) ( 12 for a tropical tank-warm water) That gives you the max inches of fish you should put in that tank. Full grown ones, don't count the size in baby form. So a ten gallon might let you keep 16 inches worth of fish...that is only 4 fish if they are 4inches long. This seems to work really well for us...

Answer 4

It's not a terrible rule when we apply it to very small fish in smaller tanks, but that's about it. You can't stop people from wanting to believe things that are simple, but the proper method of stocking fish involves actually learning about it.

Inches per gallon doesn't account for odd shaped tanks that are round or tall and don't offer decent living space. They don't account for territorial fish that need a heck of a lot more then 1" per gallon to not fight with other fish. It doesn't account for the minimum space required for a fish due to simple size (we can all appreciate how ridiculous a 36" Pacu would be in a 36 gallon tank). It doesn't account for how well or poorly the person maintains the tank, or how good filtration they have on it. It doesn't account, in the end, for any real life applications.

But you must understand that this advice takes the fish store employee three seconds to explain, and most of these employees know little to begin with. And unfortunately too many people rely on these 'professionals' to make their decisions instead of doing research themselves.

Answer 5

The 1 inch per gallon “rule of thumb” in not an end equation and doesn’t work for most fish. It serves as a safe way to keep beginners from overstocking their tank without confusing them too much. It’s not a “bogus rule”. It’s an excellent starting point for those who have no clue where to start. Once they have a clue, it’s a completely different game. Nobody who has kept fish for any period of time still follows that rule. But it's still a good one for beginners.

Answer 6

I live in Florida and own a local fish store. I am here to tell you that this is a very good rule of thumb as she puts it. I have owned my store for over 10 yrs and I tell every one pretty much this same thing. One of the above posters was right that this does not take into account specific kinds of fish who may exhibit more aggressive or territorial behaviour. A person starting our would not have such fish for the most part. But as she puts it... as a 'rule of thumb' it is an excellent starting point. At first glance some people who don't think it through might see it as cruel, but I have put this rule into motion many times over the years and it works much more often than not. I am assuming the person who explains it is the one posting it in other answers and she pretty much sums it up. For that girl I say "don't listen to these other people. Keep doing what your doing." She is right. Call any professional fish dealer and they will tell you the same rule of thumb. I called it a guideline, but will steal her term in the future because that is exactly what it is. A rule of thumb. For the other nay sayers I say to you 'get some education on it before defaming it in public'. She may have said it a little harsher but for those of us who are in this business or who have owned more than one tank, you nay sayers sound foolish. This is a wide spread guideline in the fish industry. There is no myth about it.

Answer 7

OMG! this is what they tell newbies. As a hobbyist you start to put one plus one together.Who Cares? Everybody who has a interested in fish knows how at about 4 inches the rule doesn't apply. When people (newbies) walk into petco the fish petco have are all gouramis, guppies and other small fish and the one inch rule is fine. a hobbyist understands this because as you get deep into the hobby you find about aggressive fish that need a single tank, and you understand that certain fish need there space, and its common sense.
As a majority people know this rule doesn't apply.

Answer 8

TA [1 inch/gallon of fish] NK = ????

I could not believe it,
I could not comprehend it.
I thought fish liked water, not inches.

Answer 9

well in the case or over stocking yes it is quite cruel
some people use the measurment or the waters sureface to acurrately predict how many fish you can have in the tank

Answer 10

People who believe in this rule are being really cruel to fish.