What size tank?

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Rachel O'leary - 6 years ago

How do you guys decide stocking?
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Rachel O'leary - 6 years ago

+Shadowstar1917 ancient

Shari Bice - 6 years ago

Shadowstar1917 Rachel said he is nine years old.

Shadowstar1917 - 6 years ago

Rachel O'leary jw how old is Captain Crankypants?

Shari Bice - 6 years ago

Bigger the better,over filtration,water changes and don’t overstock the tanks.

Martin Smith - 6 years ago

It's not some much of a problem with imperial gallons! Seriously, since the eighty's when my mother brought me into the hobby we always worked on the idea of half that rule for all fish, except with larger or messy feeders.

Chuck T - 6 years ago

I use the inch per gallon rule with nano fish. But I run into trouble as they grow and they break out of the parameters. I find that flushing one fish (my fish room has a bathroom right off of it) within sight of the fish tanks immediately cuts my feeding costs in at least half as fish begin to diet to stay small and not be the next "example" !

zzospreyzz55 - 6 years ago

I grew up with the 1" per gallon rule for tetras. When I decided to get a 90 gallon tank I went with SA cichlids and quickly learned the silliness of the 1" rule. Now I just judge the tank myself. Nothing technical. Make sure the fish have to and are behaving adequately. Over filter, keep good flow so you don't have to worry about stocking levels. Live plants help even more! I currently have 27 tetras and Cory's plus ghost shrimp in my 28 that I feel is just out of room for much more. Meanwhile I have over 60 nano fish (mostly chili's, emerald and CPD) in my 3' 38 gallon planted tank and I don't think it's half stocked yet. ...

Aqua Hogs - 6 years ago

Rachel O'leary I keep fancy goldfish, so i need A LOT of room. I have 5 fancys in a 75 gal, lightly planted and a FX6 with UV light, and still do 50% water changes weekly. So you info couldn't be more accurate. Thank you Rachel, for all you do for us!

Jay Workman - 6 years ago

I use AQadvisor as a rough draft and try to finish it off with experience or research as needed. I keep smaller fish in heavily planted tanks with a weekly water change schedule, so I can typically stock more than AQadvisor suggests.

Northie - 6 years ago

AqAdvisor, theme and experience!

I'm currently running two 240 liter (63 gallon) tanks with incomplete stocking but the more "complete" tank has soon around 30 neon tetras, 17 rummy noses (bleheri), and 8 peppered cories as the dedicated fish that stay in the tank. I call this the tetra tank.

The other has only ten six-banded barbs and six elegant cories but the cories will move into their own tank after I get third 240-liter tank and the bridge to join it with the other two. The fish here will be asia (mostly malaysia and myanmar) themed with a sizable group of danio choprae and the barbs.

The rest are "wandering fish" that freely use the connecting bridge(s) to switch tanks which includes ten kuhli loaches, six otos, four twig catfish, two sturisoma whiptails and two red lizard catfish - oh and my lone bristlenose. Naturally these are still counted against stocking of any of the tanks. For example the kuhliis are counted against the asia tank stock despite the fact that they like to use the bridge to hop between tanks.

The primary reason why I want the third tank is to expand the stocking options a bit more. I'm also sure the wandering fish are happy with even more room to move. I'm just not sure what will be the theme of the third tank. :)

Mark Swessinger - 6 years ago

Rachel, I love the breadth and depth of your knowledge about the hobby. On the subject of aquaria you are one of the best educators on YouTube. Thank you for sharing your expertise on the subject. I understand the idea of cubic inches when dealing with stocking, but I missed the ratio of cubic inches vs. gallon. I have a five gallon nano that I want to stock, and am looking for one or two interesting specimens. I have viewed a number of your videos and have some ideas, but want more clarity on "rule of thumb" for stocking. Thanks.

Sarah Kate Yeoman - 6 years ago

How do plants play into stocking?

In a 12g planted tank would you be able to stock more boraras maculata and shrimp than if you were stocking a 12g tank that had only hardscape or fake plants?

Rachel O'leary - 6 years ago

yes, for sure. I think many folks are a bit shocked at their petite adult size. Plants can definitely help utilize waste and aid in nitrification, but are not required

KG cichlids - 6 years ago

well said Rachel

Kyle Collins - 6 years ago

Extremely helpful

Luke Flint - 6 years ago

great video and information. i really like the tiny shell dwellers at 6.05 mins, what species are they Rachel?

Andrea Shelton - 6 years ago

Hi Rachel, I decided on the black neons (6) with the German BRs (6), in my 75 gallon. I’m very happy with the # of Rams (great behavior), however, I feel I need more neons to get the schooling behavior. What do you think?

Jen M - 6 years ago

Very helpful video, I was wondering about shrimp! Your hair looks so good! Also! What guppies were those!?!?! And are you selling them?!

Prime Time Aquatics - 6 years ago

Nice discussion. It's frustrating that those parameters are still being used by some pet stores for beginners. It's something that can set them up for failure.

10. comment for What size tank?

Liam Pawlak - 6 years ago

I base it off size, filtration and social behavior

Miranda Elaine - 6 years ago

Hey Rachel / other polypterus lovers in comments. I was wondering how many polypterus senegalus I could comfortably keep in my 75g?

The legit Fish vlogs - 6 years ago

love your videos

Neil Baxter - 6 years ago

How big a tank is best for 2 sarasa comets?

Pamela K - 6 years ago

Is it really 0.08 for the chili rasboras? That would mean I can fit 10 per gallon which seems wrong. Question for any experienced hobbyists: I have 12 neon tetras and 3 kuhli loaches in a 20 gallon planted tank. Would I be ok to add a betta and a nerite snail or is that too much?

Gaina - 6 years ago

Are you familiar with aqadvisor.com? I like that website as it gives you lots of variables to put in the boxes like how many filters you have and what type, aquarium dimensions etc. It also tells you what % of your stocking allowance you've used as well as suggesting the volume of water change and how often you should do it for your chosen stock. They do stress it's just a guide but it seems a good place to start, especially if like me you prefer to understock slightly and over filtrate.

FuZzY-03 - 6 years ago

I've got a question about multifasciatus in particual about holding fish that enjoy "hard" water.
The water in my area is very soft, would the fishs die if i would not treat the water?

IFG - 6 years ago

Thanks for this video Rachel. Are you using the new equipment in this one?

Rachel O'leary - 6 years ago

+IFG yes

IFG - 6 years ago

Rachel O'leary awesome stuff

Rachel O'leary - 6 years ago

Yea, I have been for a few weeks. The regional Sony manager loaned me equipment to try before I buy. I think its working out well! My new kit just arrived 2 days ago, so I will be returning his and using my own stuff from here out.

The Bandinator - 6 years ago

Hi Rachel Would you say that 5 cardinal tetras , 5 harlequin rasboras, 1 male betta ,3 cory catfish and 6 otosynclus in a 15 gallon tank overstocked

HalfMan HalfCichlid - 6 years ago

Excellent, timely video. I have a video that covers this topic based on US Fisheries data on the relationship of fish biomass to fish length. Being respectful of your time, check out my findings at 4:24 in my video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEkPqGRyTLg
Reinforces what you are saying. Basically, fish biomass (weight) grows nearly exponentially with body length.

20. comment for What size tank?

2nd Chance - 6 years ago

How do you feed Captain Cranky Pants??

Rachel O'leary - 6 years ago

very carefully!

Richard Norwood - 6 years ago

You are such a good orator, Rachel. Thank you for this clarification about stocking. As I was listening, I was most struck by how fluent your delivery is and how well and nicely organized the talk was. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and insights--as always.

Scorch - 6 years ago

I have a Rio180 litre tank with an external eheim 2217 filter

Stocking
2 x Pearl Gourami
6 x Dwarf Neon Rainbow Fish
10 x Glowlight Danios
3 x Otocinclus
6 x False Julii Corydoras
10 x Amano Shrimp

Would you say that is overstocked? or anywhere near overstocking?

jerry ebner - 6 years ago

i think the one inch per gallon is an old rule that needs to go away and stocking is on fish and tank mates. I used to keep an Oscar in a 55 and now I dont think I would keep one under a 75

Blayde - 6 years ago

whats worst a 10 inch oscar in a 10 gal or a 55 inch redtail in a 55 gal

Kay Skywalker - 6 years ago

An Oscar is a very messy eater and produces massive amounts of bioload. Anything below a 75 gallon requires 2 50 percent weekly water changes to keep the bioload down.

I now have a south african cichild tank, and over stocking keeps the aggression down and I can't have enough filtration on the tank. I have water turning over 9 times an hour in the tank.

Emmit Stewart - 6 years ago

One rule I once heard of was so many grams per liter. The idea was to relate body mass to tank capacity. The problem is that a goldfish is going to produce a lot more waste than a fish with the same mass, but a more efficient digestive system.

Chuck T - 6 years ago

I have 50ish apisto fry growing out in a 10 gallon tank. I heavily filter and do frequent water changes. I don't have to worry about food hitting the bottom of the tank because these guys are like locusts. My plan when they "get to their larger adult size" is to call a friend and ship them out!

DMAN D - 6 years ago

Do you have any advice on how to move baby fish? I have an 8 gallon tank with many endlers in it. I stared out with 3 but underestimated how fast they breed and like 6 months later I have a tank full. It's a stable system because it's heavily planted and the plants are growing so fast, they are growing out of the tank but I want to upgrade them to a 40 gallon but I have no idea how to catch the little babies.

Rachel O'leary - 6 years ago

I have siphoned fry many of times

DMAN D - 6 years ago

I have gravel in the tank and I am scared to break the tank.

Denise Pollitt - 6 years ago

DMAN D . Get the water level down as far as you can then literally just pour the remaining water (and fish) into the new tank.

ROHIT MESHRAM - 6 years ago

nice info vid. i also follow that inch per gallon rule, but also research the fish behavior, its adult size, and biolad. as per what i hav seen the Rule is like a rough starting point for a beginner. else i would hav a dozen of fishes in one gallon tank just because it looks cool when filled. and common sense, we human ought to have that.

30. comment for What size tank?

Randall Flores - 6 years ago

Hello Rachel, really appreciate the wealth of information you bring in these brief videos. I was actually sent your way while watching a "Low Tech Planted tank" video by Alex Wenchel (TankTested channel), so double thanks for that.

While browsing through your channel(s), I found the Multi Cichlid Syndrome video! I was so happy to see all the various Dwarf Cichlids and was hoping you could help!!!

I have a pair of Apistogramma Cacatuoides (Orange Flash) and wanted to know if they could be houses with a trio of Apistogramma Cacatuoides (Double Red)??? I know it sounds silly to ask, but they are GORGEOUS and I'd hate for something to go wrong!!!

Thanks again for all your input!

pedro Valencia - 6 years ago

losing weight i see, good job i need to work on that as well

xxohmycaptainxx - 6 years ago

Did you get a new camera??? The quality looks so much better. Also you look great as always, loving the hair!!!

Rachel O'leary - 6 years ago

+xxohmycaptainxx yes I did! Thanks for noticing

CAL JACKSON - 6 years ago

Hi Rachel, just wanted to thank you for all your advice via You Tube. Recently, my favourite female Betta ( her name is lily) got herself caught between a powerhead and its bracket holding it to the tanks side. I didn't notice at first, and by the time I had realised she was missing and hunted her down, she had rubbed her back raw struggling to get out. She is only about 5 months old, and was very stressed as well as missing scales from the gash on her back. I put her in a floating clear plastic jug in the tank and remembered what you had said about Indian Almond leaves having medicinal and anti fungal properties in their make up.So I ground up a medium size leaf and dropped the paste into her jug. She remained pretty poorly for 2 days and I feared I would lose her, but I did twice daily part water changes and added extra pulped leaf to keep up the medicinal effect and by the third day she was more active and the gash on her back looked less raw. She is all white and I think she will always have a pinky red scar, but she is eating now and showing interest in the fish swimming around her jug 'hospital'. I'll be reducing the amount of almond leaf in the water slowly over the next 3-4 days and hopefully by Monday she'll be able to rejoin the main tank. Anyhoooo, just wanted to say a big thank you, and give you an example of your advice making a real difference in the life of a fellow fish keeper and her slightly bedraggled but still beautiful Betta fish. ;-)x

Jeff's Aquarium Hobby Enjoyment - 6 years ago

The inch per gallon rule is both right and wrong at the same time. It's right when it's properly understood as a general guide and that variables have to be taken into consideration. It's wrong when it's misinterpreted as an absolute rule.

Jeff's Aquarium Hobby Enjoyment - 6 years ago

Well yeah, but it depends. If it's perceived as a universal rule, then yes, the inch per gallon rule is terrible. If it's perceived as a general rule, it's not so terrible. There's a big difference. Does anybody who condones the inch per gallon rule really even try to apply it to or suggest it for a 10 inch fish? No.

Rachel O'leary - 6 years ago

+Jeff's Aquarium Hobby Enjoyment I think it's pretty much a terrible rule

chiahroscuro - 6 years ago

I always try to have at least some live plants and more filtration than is recommended for my tanks because it helps dilute the effects of accidents; like if I was away at college, my tank could survive for about 3 months without a cleaning (it's also 125 gallons), or if I accidentally drop too much food in the tank it's not a disaster. I also find that plants and filtration help parent-proof a tank :P

Jerreau - 6 years ago

you are an absolute legend for this we need more hobbiest like this in stores. pet stores should pay more and hire less but more intelligent and specialized workers that can provide correct information so people not only dont waste money but also stay in the hobby longer and maybe even take better care of the animals (petco).

Cris Vega - 6 years ago

Home Depot/Lowe's style ladder, very cool lol, I bet other than your inline airline pump, that is the most precious tool in the fish room?

Cris Vega - 6 years ago

Rachel O'leary actually, now that I have a bit of your time. What would you recommend as a nano cool water fish? For a 6 gallon. Thank you in advance

Rachel O'leary - 6 years ago

I appreciate you watching!

Cris Vega - 6 years ago

I bet :-)

Amazing video, this is my go to video when someone asks about stocking. Thank you for your time.

Rachel O'leary - 6 years ago

oh gosh-I have 3 ladders, the rolling one is my favorite if cumbersome. Its really fantastic that I can put puckets and specimens containers on it

Meredith - 6 years ago

One of my pet peeves when it comes to tank sizes is in the goldfish world. In the goldfish groups they make it a rule that it's 40 gallons for a common goldfish at 12 - 14" in size. Their reasoning is because the footprint is the same as a 55 gallon, so it's fine. Can't change people's mind on that, it's a rule that they swear by and get mad if told a 12" needs more than 40 gallons... sigh.

Russell Necaise - 6 years ago

I know this doesn't relate to anything but I am trying to set up a south America nano tank and need fish suggestions the tank is a 10 gallon with some corys in it now

radiohead322 - 6 years ago

I recently acquired a 5.5g tank, but tbh I can't think of anything that I can put in it (besides invertebrates or 1 betta). Does anyone have any recommendations, or is this just too small?

OregonOutdoorsChris - 6 years ago

The Boraras that Rachel mentioned in this video would be great for that size tank.

As would a single pea puffer.

Delaine LD - 6 years ago

radiohead322 Scarlet Badis

chiahroscuro - 6 years ago

You could try neon tetras, but I've heard they can be prone to ill health

Love of Pets - 6 years ago

Great advice!

Matthew Zito - 6 years ago

I've always viewed it as a general guideline for stocking small fish. For example, one of my 20-gallon high tanks currently houses 10 Glowlight Tetras and 1 Clown Pleco, which works out to about 19" of fish.

By the way the shape of the tank also makes a difference, since a long, shallow tank can house more fish than a short, deep tank of the same volume.

The Lagoon - 6 years ago

Working at a local fish store myself I will say that the inch per gallon rule while not perfect is pretty good guidelines for beginners. I edit the old rule by including use common sense and don't add fish to the aquarium if they will grow larger than 1/4th the size of the aquarium (a fish that grows to be 1 foot being housed in a 4 foot tank minimum). What happens more often than not, especially in community tanks, people will often understock which is good for beginners. They'll end up stocking their 10 gallon with 10 one inch fish which is fairly easy to maintain. When someone asks you "how many fish can go in this aquarium," it is much easier to tell people the inch per gallon thing with the disclaimer of the fish not being larger than 1/4th the size of the aquarium then to go into detail about filtration and feeding, though you still should when educating people about proper tank maintenance.

Johnny GeeWhiz76 - 6 years ago

Hi Rachel and thanks for another great video. You got the best hair in the hobby. Whenever I'm stocking a new tank I usually multiply the tanks length by its width and then I divide that number by 12. Standard 75 gallon gets me 72 inches of fish. I also use a tanks total gallons to determine the max length of any single specimen that I might house in a tank. For example, a 75 gallon would only house fish up to 7.5 inches, a 55 up to 5.5 inches, 30 up to 3 inches, and so on. I also avoid adding fish to tanks unless I know the tank is at least 4 times the species adult length and height. All this isn't set in stone but it is my general rule of thumb. I also use this math to determine how many goldfish crackers I can fit on my bologna sandwich. I probably need help.......

afterburnerboyz - 6 years ago

You can never be too rich and you can never be too thin...

Rachel O'leary - 6 years ago

i don't know if either of those things are true! LOL

afterburnerboyz - 6 years ago

Excellent video, and you keep shrinking! Keep it up.

Rachel O'leary - 6 years ago

i am trying to stop and hold steady but it keeps happening, lol

Elrsy James - 6 years ago

I tend to under stock my tank with medium size fish. Say like 20 fish in a 125 gallon. Lots of room to spread out and I make sure to get fish that like different spots in the water column

Triple 10 Tanks - 6 years ago

i like cubes

Steve Miller - 6 years ago

Good thing you explained it, I was thinking I could fit in a 3 neon tetras with my 6 foot aramapima in my 75 gallon. It’s already a pain to move him back and forth so his head or tail doesn’t dry out.

50. comment for What size tank?

Wakin Goldfish - 6 years ago

Getting hotter with each day.

varanidguy - 6 years ago

Thank you for this video! I've also found, at least in my experience, that differing levels of swimmers can be easier to stock in a tank. For instance, I've found that you can put 10 neons and a decent group (4-6) of smaller species of corydoras in a 10-15 gallon tank just fine. With appropriate filtration of course.

Gilda deSousa - 6 years ago

I love v necks that top is what I need where did you get that shirt ?love it.

Rachel O'leary - 6 years ago

gosh, i can't evne remember. I have had it forever. probably somewhere super fancy like target

Alicia Luoma - 6 years ago

Another thing to consider is the area of the tank that the fish hang around in and to keep it even. Aka. Bottom dwellers, mid-dwellers, top swimmers, "everywhere" swimmers. :)

Ne Ne Zilla - 6 years ago

I only have a 20 gallon with 8 tetra, 3 khuli loaches and a betta. The tank looks quite empty, but atleast the fish have lots of space!

Andre Koala - 6 years ago

1 Lt - 1cm per fish length. When they're over 10 to 15/20 cm, triple that. My experience.

Andre Koala - 6 years ago

Of course it depends, so many factors involved. I've been successful with many species, including full size Oscars and Pangasius.

Jason Maslen - 6 years ago

G'day Rachel, great vid mate.

Elise Easton - 6 years ago

Are CPO dwarf Mexican crayfish peaceful enough to be housed with kuhli loaches and a rabbit snail a 20 gallon tank? thanks

Monkey Nut - 6 years ago

It’s a perfectly good rule for fishkeepers when using for low bioload small sized nano fish. Exclusion puffers, aggressive fish etc.

I only use for community live barers guppy molly platy rasbora Tetra etc..

I use it, and I’d recommend it as a rule if your stocking certain fish. I change to rule for diff fish for example if large molly then the are worth 2 of the inches. I use it to do easy math and get a feeling of size and bioload

Kat Cetera - 6 years ago

Rachel, I was wondering if you could tell me about Cory Doras and how they tolerate medications? I'd like to bring some into an established tank and I usually quarantine and use a Cure All for fungus/parasites etc with all the fish that come home with me but I heard Corys are more sensitive and can't tolerate meds like typical scaled fish. The only place I can buy fish are from pet stores that just buy from overseas fish farms and more often than not, those fish bring in some parasites with them. I want to make sure my Corys and treated safely and that my display fish don't catch anything.

Kat Cetera - 6 years ago

The grossest, most smelly fish I ever kept was a Giant Peruvian Apple Snail. He was a little smaller than a tennis ball and omg what a smell!!! He pooped 24/7 and needed tons of water changes. That was the highest maintenance aquatic pet I ever had.

Down the Worm Hole - 6 years ago

Great video! Wonderful explanation

Down the Worm Hole - 6 years ago

Ne Ne Zilla thank you! I drew it myself, every betta is wonderful for sure but to draw one out I had to try a crown.

Ne Ne Zilla - 6 years ago

Down the Worm Hole -- love your picture! I have just a plain common Betta, but he is gorgeous to me.

Tony Serrato - 6 years ago

Can you do a spotlight on angel fish

The One And Only - 6 years ago

I have an empty 30 gallon. Anyone have suggestions for stocking?

Lorie Johnson - 6 years ago

How do you find out what the bio load is on different fish? We are going to be setting up a 40 gal breeder tank. Hoping to do live planted tank. We are doing a low tech tank and we would like a variety of fish.

Alex 018 - 6 years ago

Add up the total length of all your fish.(centimetres) Square that number. Figure out the surface area of your tank( centimetres squared ) The numbers should be within 200 digits.

BlackHuddy - 6 years ago

I have a 3 gallon with 4 fish( 2 Cherry Barbs and 2 Rosey Red Tetra.) I have a sack of biomedia with water going to it. I also have about half a dozen Shrimp. Is that ok?

Tank Tested - 6 years ago

Rachel this is great! I'll definitely be using the cube rule when I need to talk people down from crazy fish purchases.

Hobo Aquatics - 6 years ago

Fiction

Dw Dwdoe - 6 years ago

Size, how active they are, if they need groups, temperment, bioload.

Shelley G. - 6 years ago

Very well put

The Silence - 6 years ago

I only keep small fish but ive been going on my own rule of the tank needs to be 20 times the length of the fish

Robert McDaris - 6 years ago

I found that I can get more guppies in tank especially using live plants. I also found a local pet that is willing to trade with me.

Ed's Fish - 6 years ago

This was very informative, thank you.

dgodfrey9189 - 6 years ago

I'd always understood the "inch per gallon" to be a rule to decide how many (relatively small- under 5" or so) fish you can keep in a particular volume tank, provided that tank is big enough for them. So zebra danios, being fast and active need a 3' tank, which works out at maybe 20 UK gallons (which is what 30 US? Something like that), get to about 2", so you could have 10 of them in a tank that size.

Avsfreak24 - 6 years ago

I usually take bio load, size and tank specs into account when picking fish

Cichlids of Pennsylvania - 6 years ago

Great information on this Topic

Savanna Fleming - 6 years ago

Thank god for you posting this video I absolutely cannot handle myself when I hear this fucking technique being used from poorly kept animals and people try to tell me that not only am I wrong for saying they need a proper tank size but saying that they are right and are taking the best care for the fish and it’s just a red flag that the person is entirely uneducated even on the fish they are keeping or even worse when they are breeding and keeping many of these fish and they still follow this rule and even push them. It’s very sad. I guess it’s just something you find out with time and genuine fucks given to provide the appropriate care. I know most people just get fish and a tank and know that you need plants and need a filter and lighting but know nothing about specifics or anything even about filtration cycling or even taking into consideration the full size of the fish at the largest when it’s bought at a fry age or just very young age. I’m glad you put this out there with the reach you have I really hope this helps spread this literal common sense shit to some people who genuinely didn’t know this

Shaden0040 - 6 years ago

I agree a cubic inch is a better measurement to use for stocking fish per tank size. I also use general size of fish too. Anything under 2 cubic inches can take 2 gallons per cubic inch, 3-5 cubic inches need 4 gallons per cubic inch, and do on. As the fish gets larger you need to double and even triple the water volume. Realy monsterous fish I've never kept, but i like how you figure water volume for those big ones.

Karen Mcisaac - 6 years ago

Such a great video awesome information

Asnl45 - 6 years ago

Great explanation Rachel, I have to keep posting your vids on Joeys DIY page, theres not always a lot of research going on before purchases in the posts.

Terry Foldy Holes - 6 years ago

a new "rule" based on "horizontal space to fish length" ratio would be more reasonable. in my 70L/18g planted community tank i have 15 ornate tetras, 20 pgymy cories, 10 plecos (5-6cm/2inch), and maybe 50+ sherry shrimp. that sounds like a lot but all the fish are doing very well probably due to the tank's shape - it's 120cm/4ft long, 30cm/1ft deep and only 20cm/0.7ft tall. so i have essentially twice the planting surface and twice the horizontal swimming space comparing to a typical 70L aquarium. more plants means more fish wastes are absorbed and more hideouts are provided. and the additional horizontal space also reduced ornate tetra's territorial behaviour to the point where they naturally split into 2 groups and never fought again. it's been an extremely low maintenance tank. i only need to do water change once every 4-6 weeks to get rid of excess GH because of my poor choice of gravel (i went for the cheapest one in my LFS when i set up the tank 6 months ago...).

Leo lion - 6 years ago

I think fiction:)

Andrew Huang - 6 years ago

For small fish, could the (cubic) inch per gallon rule ever be exceeded? I'm wondering a good school size for small rasboras like Boraras or Sundadanio would be in a 2' long, 17 gallon tank. 17 fish seems a bit sparse for seeing nice social behaviors.

PiMama92 - 6 years ago

If anyone thinks mystery snails are great for cleaning, just spend a week with a bare bottom tank with a few mysteries, holy crap quite literally!

Denise Pollitt - 6 years ago

PiMama92 . Agreed. The turbo snails in my fowlr tank can crap for England. The substrate is full of the stuff.

PiMama92 - 6 years ago

Jordan Vaughan for cleaning I'd say nerites, but they still make waste, no creature is a perfect cleaner, as what goes in must come it. I've heard bladder snails are good for puffers, and they're prolific breeders if the food source is there, and they're pretty hardy

Jordan Vaughan - 6 years ago

PiMama92 what snails are the best for cleaning and puffer eating

PiMama92 - 6 years ago

Jordan Vaughan no they crap a lot. I have 4 males and I had them in a bare bottom for awhile and you could see the poop really easily lol. But if you have a mix of males and females they will mate, but that's besides the point lol

Jordan Vaughan - 6 years ago

What happens do they breed alot

SterTheDer - 6 years ago

XD
Yep yep, they like to climb on my tank's lids, and they cover the surface with detritus XD

jonstfrancis - 6 years ago

It's the same rule in the UK and the USA and yet two different measurements for the gallon.

Jennifer Jenkins - 6 years ago

Great video! And hey by the way you look great. Looks like you might be training or working out.

Miloš Milošević - 6 years ago

Omgg your voice is so calming, it's easy to listen...

Jeroen van Achterberg - 6 years ago

Size, the amount of waste they produce, and their activity levels should all come into play.

For example your personal favourite, the Kuhlii loach. While quite long, they're really thin and produce a low amount of waste, however they do love to swim around a lot at night and they're very active. Just their swimming speed alone shows that they're much happier in a decent sized tank.

Evil Seedlet - 6 years ago

great video, thank you :)

Daniel Dulu - 6 years ago

I have 5 Tetras in a 29 gallon and they are doing well. I also have two guppies in a ten gallon and if I was breeding them they would be in a much bigger tank.

amcluesent - 6 years ago

Fiction

bb weasel - 6 years ago

I stock according to tank specs filter,air,planting,etc

Zenin Skomorowski - 6 years ago

Most people forget about the waste that snails and plecos produce ... need lots more water volume for them ;)

ShelbyRae Lane - 6 years ago

Great way to break this old school rule down.

alanostop - 6 years ago

I thought 1 inch =10 gal so fish ov 18 inch 1×10 ×18=180 gal that should b plenty shouldn't it

x_Insane_Kitty_x - 6 years ago

It isn't 100% accurate as you cannot stock a 20gal high the same as a 20gal long etc, It depends on the length and dimensions of the tank and the behaviour of the fish rather than water volume. As said in the video some fish require to be in schools or produce more waste than others. An example is koi grow to be about 36inch+ but you would never keep them in a 360gal, a 1000 would be more appropriate. Same as you would not keep 10 1 inch fish in a 100 gal minimum.

The Fishy Life ! - 6 years ago

Another problem in the hobby is filter ratings!! I see it all the time with hob filters especially. ...I stock based on what my filter can handle and what's reasonable based on the fishes size

Heather - Varuna Aquatics - 6 years ago

I love the Tuesday Tips! I prefer to understock personally. I agree with you that more than just size matters, behavior and needs matter as well.

Savanna Morrow - 6 years ago

I don't have any set rules or guidelines for stocking my aquariums. One thing I find some don't take into consideration is also the activity level of the fish they want to keep. While you can keep 6 albino corydoras in a ten gallon, they'd be much happier in a larger space because they are so playful, active and are always looking for food. So I prefer to keep Cory species in 20+ gallons. Some would say my main display tank is overstocked using the inch per gallon rule, but my fish are evenly divided between which part of the water column they occupy, I have extra filtration and none of my fish are crowded nor have trouble getting their share of food. And my water parameters are always ideal. I also consider decor and planting... How inquisitive are the species I would like to keep? Do they need to hide? Do they prefer more or less light? Do they need tall decor to break their line of sight from each other? So many things to consider! Temperaments of each species... Thank you for another great video! I felt this was super helpful and also important for anyone starting in the hobby. :)

Melissa Berry - 6 years ago

Great video!!

100. comment for What size tank?

Baby Tear Gardens - 6 years ago

The 1 inch per gallon rule makes sense if you are dealing with 1 inch fish.

Robert Fletcher - 6 years ago

I use the AqAdvisor "Intelligent Freshwater Aquarium Stocking Calculator" every aspect of stocking is considered.

Kameo Hosley - 6 years ago

I have one betta in a 10 gal. Planted. 3 Amano Shrimp. How many neon tetras could I put in there? AqAdvisor says 10.

Kameo Hosley - 6 years ago

The shrimp wont reproduce because it is a freshwater tank and their eggs only hatch in brackish.

Craig Francis - 6 years ago

no way am I trying to come off rude but I feel like it has alot to do with common since. Love the videos! watch every one of them

Ben Chalfin - 6 years ago

Such a great topic!!!! I hate hearing big box store saying this

anjmarie320 - 6 years ago

Customers always want a definitive answer. This is one of my most dreaded questions I get asked daily.

K Batt - 6 years ago

Ben Chalfin I guess it's better than them selling a big Goldie to kid holding a bowl lol....

Avi Mistriel - 6 years ago

Thanks!

Charles Bruno - 6 years ago

From south Philly PA.

Charles Bruno - 6 years ago

Go ESGLES FLY EAGLES FLY

kyle myrice - 6 years ago

#1!!
Also, I had to learn this false rule in order to win an Aquarium Management Competition for my school. Came 1st place in Ohio though:) now that I have graduated, I’m looking into becoming a judge for the competition, so I can update the questions with more accuracy. Love the vid!

Ne Ne Zilla - 6 years ago

kyle myrice -- congrats!

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