Beginner Guide

Fish Quantity

One-inch per Gallon Rule: Recommended 1 inch of fish per 1/2 gallons of water

This is a widely rule known rule that is a good guide. However, it leaves plenty of room for error. It does not account for modern filtration systems, the types of fish, live plants or proper lighting.

Factors to account for

  1. Different fishes have different requirements, from amount of waste to swimming room required to stay healthy
  2. Fishes will grow, so their space requiremenets will change
  3. The volume of the aquarium is not the same as the water capacity, as decor & equipment take up space
  4. Keeping too few of schooling fishes can cause stress and a shorter lifespan