infinsable
Member
Is there a ratio to follow on how many fish go into a tank? Im starting a 120 soon and dont want to harm the fish by putting to many in, What could happen? 
how many is to many
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jacksonpt
Active Member
1" per 10 gallons is a good starting point, but it depends on a lot of things. Maturity of your tank (bio load capability) will matter, personality of the fish will matter, if the fish are big swimmers, that will make a difference. Once you know the kind of fish you are interested in, you can decide how many you can put in your tank. If your fish do not require a lot of space to swim, and they are peaceful, social fish, then 1" per 5 gallons is certainly acceptable, especially if you're tank is somewhat mature. On the other hand, if your fish are not social, and/or they require lots of room to swing, the 1" per 10 gallons might be more appropriate.
HTH
HTH
infinsable
Member
Thanks for the reply, Much appreceated
infinsable
Member
With that ratio in a 120 gal tank I could only have 3 fish that grow to 4 inches. 1 inch : 10 gals , 12in :120 gals , It doenst seen right, or an i calculating wrong?
broomer5
Active Member
You can use the 1"/5 or 1"/10 but rules of thumb are sorta dangerous.
Adding to what jacksonpt mentioned;
Fish species, juvi size, adult size, compatibility with others, diet, prone to diseases, aggressiveness or docile, active or inactive, reef safe, tank size and filtration ... and your personal plan on what type of set up you want to have.
IMO - All these things can be factored into your fish selection.
You can use the 1"/10 just realize that as the fish grow, you MAY have to remove one or more as they reach maturity. Or get a BIGGER TANK - YEAH!!!!!!
Adding to what jacksonpt mentioned;
Fish species, juvi size, adult size, compatibility with others, diet, prone to diseases, aggressiveness or docile, active or inactive, reef safe, tank size and filtration ... and your personal plan on what type of set up you want to have.
IMO - All these things can be factored into your fish selection.
You can use the 1"/10 just realize that as the fish grow, you MAY have to remove one or more as they reach maturity. Or get a BIGGER TANK - YEAH!!!!!!
tangirl
New Member
This seems like such a contraversial question around here. First, I have NEVER heard of 1" per 10 gal. You didn't mention whether you are going FO (fish only) or reef. Which makes a BIG difference. I don't think I can mention which site my info is from but your first response from Lionsohmy has been the closest:...................
In a well-kept tank with max. filtration you can have 1" Per 2 gals. (****This is for Fish-only tanks) and for reef tanks it is 1" per 5-6 gals.
Hope this helps.
TANGirl.
In a well-kept tank with max. filtration you can have 1" Per 2 gals. (****This is for Fish-only tanks) and for reef tanks it is 1" per 5-6 gals.
Hope this helps.
TANGirl.
broomer5
Active Member
There is NOTHING written in stone regarding any of these very "general" guidelines. What works for one person may not for another. A lot of factors involved here.
IMO - The whole notion that there is a "correct" inch per gallon rule is as ridiculous as the number of watts per gallon lighting "rule" of thumb !
Rule of thumbs are "ESTIMATIONS" only, and should be viewed as such ... not a fact that will guarentee success.
Controversy abounds in this hobby, as we all know, and if you MUST use a rule of thumb - it's far better to be conservative, and start off with a light number of fish. You may certainly increase it over time after the YOU - the owner of the tank gains some real life experience with YOUR individual tank set up. Especially if you new to the hobby, and little experienc keeping fish.
Using the 1" per 2 gallons .... not including the tail of course ... and assuming you have the most efficient filtration system known to man.
Would anyone here recommend keeping a single 5 inch fish in a 10 gallon tank ?
Or five 1 inch fish in same tank ??
Or how about five 3 inch fish in a 30 ???
Six 4 inch in a 55 gallon tank ????
Ten 6 inch in a 120 ?????
They may live .... but are you really being responsible ?
IMO - The whole notion that there is a "correct" inch per gallon rule is as ridiculous as the number of watts per gallon lighting "rule" of thumb !
Rule of thumbs are "ESTIMATIONS" only, and should be viewed as such ... not a fact that will guarentee success.
Controversy abounds in this hobby, as we all know, and if you MUST use a rule of thumb - it's far better to be conservative, and start off with a light number of fish. You may certainly increase it over time after the YOU - the owner of the tank gains some real life experience with YOUR individual tank set up. Especially if you new to the hobby, and little experienc keeping fish.
Using the 1" per 2 gallons .... not including the tail of course ... and assuming you have the most efficient filtration system known to man.
Would anyone here recommend keeping a single 5 inch fish in a 10 gallon tank ?
Or five 1 inch fish in same tank ??
Or how about five 3 inch fish in a 30 ???
Six 4 inch in a 55 gallon tank ????
Ten 6 inch in a 120 ?????
They may live .... but are you really being responsible ?