Why do tank sizes get proportionally bigger the smaller a fish gets? For monster fish the rule of thumb is 4x the length of the fish. So why is the minimum tank size for say a scarlet badis not a 4” tank? Maybe I’m just stupid.
Proportionally equal aquariums?
- Thread starter Kelly_Aquatics
- Start date
As a rule of thumb, rules of thumb only work within certain limits. For example, the 1" of fish per gallon rule might work for small fish in small tanks (e.g., 15 1" neon tetras in a 15 gal tank might be OK), but not for big fish in small tanks (you don't want a 15" oscar in a 15 gallon tank) or for small fish in large tanks (you could have more than 1000 1" neon tetras in a 1000 gallon tank). I think the context for the 4x length for monster fish is just that: for monster fish.
Its all case by case scenario IMO… not sure who came up with “4x anything” . Some fish get big sure, but they don’t need a tank 4x their length to thrive or breed in captivity. Everyones judgement is different. Every fish is different. Great example are lung fish… some get 5’ and could live happily in a bath tub lol…
Yeah, it's astonishing how many people seem to think that everything is easily reduced to simple absolute numbers. What's the bare minimum size tank for my XYZ fish? How many of such and such a species can I jam into a 100-gallon aquarium? I want to drop the temperature in my tank from 78F to 77F...will my fish be fine? My filter turns my tank over 12X per hour...but if I take all the rocks out, there will be more water and I will only have 11.5 turnovers per hour...is that okay? I've had my fish for almost 20 minutes and it hasn't eaten yet, even though I've tried 10 different foods...what should I do?
Like it says on my favourite bumper sticker: Common sense is so rare that it's practically a superpower.
Lol people way over complicate just about everything. I love the ones that test every aspect of their water 40 times a day
I think the actual term "rule of thumb" is great for this particular rule of thumb. The expression arose however so friggin long ago as an imprecise but convenient form of measurement...also true of the 4x, 6x, etc. length rule--convenient but certainly not precise or true for every situation.
So many people confusing old timey expressions and idioms these days. For instance i keep seeing posts on the marketplace saying a fish or tank is "up for grabs" and theyll want a bunch of money for it. Dont you people know "up for grabs" means FREE?!
So many people confusing old timey expressions and idioms these days. For instance i keep seeing posts on the marketplace saying a fish or tank is "up for grabs" and theyll want a bunch of money for it. Dont you people know "up for grabs" means FREE?!
Money
It is more of the opposite
Say a 1" fish gets a tank 16-24x its length to pace around and explore. Now scale that up to a 24-30" fish. Now by that logic, you'd be giving that fish a tank the size of (or bigger than) a bus. See why people only give big fish space to pace 3-4 times?
the reddit people are going to sh*t themselves when they see my swarm of 50 buenos aires in a 40b