Originally Posted by sepulatian
What exactly do you disagree with? I stated that it depends on the adult size of the fish. I don't want to argue either, but please tell me what you disagree about.
I just disagree with the 1" per gallon as rule of thumb. Whther the adult size or not. One thing is most of the time you can keep more than 1" / 1 Ga. It depends on the fish itself, take cichlids for instnace very messy fish that produce a lot of waste. So you probally would have to go under 1" / 1 GA. On the other hand less take small not as messy fish, lets go with guppies & tetras. You could probally do more than 1" / 1 GA.
Also the matinence & filtration, you could have more inches of fish if you do water changes every week compared to every two weeks or once a month. A better filter is going to allow for more bio-load.
Aggression could be a key factor involved also. A more aggresive fish is going to need more gallons to an inch than a shy timid peacefull species.
I have a 20 gallon freshwater planted tank with about 28" of fish in there that includes, 10 different fish. I am able to do this because they are small non messy species. I do a 10-15 % water change every two weeks. My levels are all at zero all the time & have been since January. The fish are not squished & non of the experts of freshwater that I know through forums think so. It is best IMO to first off make sure regardless of size that it is recommended for X size of tank. Then you kind of have to go by heart & gut-feelings on how many more should go in there. Also ask others in the hobby what they think. Test your levels, are they good? Might could allow for a bit more increase in the bio-load. Do the fish seem squished in your honest opinon? These all play factors in the role of an amount of fish. Everyone that I know says don't go by the 1 inch per gallon rule. I hope this helps you see why I disagree with that. I may be young, but I do have over 10 years of experience in freshwater aquariums & comprehend things very easy. Actually I just started my first salt water tank ever after that many years. It's almost done cycling. :jumping: