How Many Fish Should Be in a 55-Gallon Tank?
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Rule of Thumb
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A good guideline for determining the maximum number of fish to keep in any size tank is one inch of fish per one gallon of water.
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Large Tanks are Different
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In order to create a healthy environment for your fish, add only 10 inches of fish (so roughly two or three) and wait a month. Doing this creates the nitrogen cycle, a process that establishes helpful bacteria in the water and removes ammonia, which, in abundance, will kill your fish. Test the levels of ammonia and nitrite daily; once they return to zero, which means they are balancing themselves out, you can add more fish.
Bottom Line
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The one-inch-per-gallon rule still applies, so be sure that you do not exceed 55 inches of fish in a 55-gallon tank. This roughly equates to four or five bottom-dwelling fish along with a couple algae eaters. For the happiest aquarium, buy community fish, those that coexist peacefully with other fish, such as rainbow fish, tetras or female bettas.
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- Photo Credit fishes image by Irena Hnidkova from Fotolia.com
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Comments
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The short, "Rule of Thumb" answer generally accepted in the marine aquarium hobby is: "One inch of fish (measured from the nose to the base of the tail) per 5 gallons of system saltwater." The normal response to the answer is: "Is that all? Why so few?" Potentially, you can house more fish in a marine aquarium than the Rule of Thumb allows. However most saltwater aquariums, especially new tanks with minimal filtration, lack a really efficient biological filtration system which can process the fish waste. Saltwater critters are much more sensitive to tank toxins (ammonia, nitrates, phosphates) than freshwater fish. While super efficient filtration systems can be designed and installed on a marine tank, most of the filtration systems available on the market (hang on/in tank filters with bio wheels or small filter pads) which are easy and convenient and will work for the small biological loads that the "Rule of Thumb" allows. The "One Inch per Five Gallons" Rule of Thumb may be a bit conservative for the experienced aquarist with a tank which has been running well for some time, but the novice would be wise to follow the rule. It's better to be safe than sorry.
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learningasigo37
Dec 10, 2010
Thanks a lot,my tank has been sitting for over 6 months. I could not decide where to start.
