Ok so yeah, the title was pretty much just to get your attention. But it draws upon a very good idea.
A lot of folks new to the hobby like to go by the guideline of 'one inch of adult fish per gallon of water'. And this is fine for a general guideline to get started in the hobby. However, this theory quickly breaks down when you get away from the common community tropical fish.
Lets look at the above example: A full grown Oscar can easily be anywhere from 12-15 inches long as an adult. By thinking of the inch per gallon idea, then it should be fine in a 20 gallon right? At most, 15 inches in 20 gallons so we've even got 5 inches of space left over. Eh, not quite. This is where the idea breaks down. An oscar is no where near a common community fish. Before we even take into account it's length, check out an adult oscar's shear width! I've seen many an adult thats been 2 inches thick easy. Also, an oscar has a LOT more energy and strength than your community fish, and this needs to be taken into account as well. Next lets look at what comes out of the oscar. They are notorious for being messy eaters, as well as big time poo'ers. It just doesn't make since to keep a fish like this in a 20 gallon tank, even though it may fit into the inch per gallon bracket.
There is a time and place for everything. And I'm not trying to say that the inch per gallon idea should be bannished and forgotten forever, not at all. I think it certainly has it's place to help people get started in the hobby, and works so long as it's applied to common community fish. I do however feel that it should be realized that it is just an idea, and by no means a rule set in stone. Each persons tank is different, and what works for one person may not work for the next. That's why this hobby is so often an art form of finding the balance of what works for each of us.
Feel free to discuss.
A lot of folks new to the hobby like to go by the guideline of 'one inch of adult fish per gallon of water'. And this is fine for a general guideline to get started in the hobby. However, this theory quickly breaks down when you get away from the common community tropical fish.
Lets look at the above example: A full grown Oscar can easily be anywhere from 12-15 inches long as an adult. By thinking of the inch per gallon idea, then it should be fine in a 20 gallon right? At most, 15 inches in 20 gallons so we've even got 5 inches of space left over. Eh, not quite. This is where the idea breaks down. An oscar is no where near a common community fish. Before we even take into account it's length, check out an adult oscar's shear width! I've seen many an adult thats been 2 inches thick easy. Also, an oscar has a LOT more energy and strength than your community fish, and this needs to be taken into account as well. Next lets look at what comes out of the oscar. They are notorious for being messy eaters, as well as big time poo'ers. It just doesn't make since to keep a fish like this in a 20 gallon tank, even though it may fit into the inch per gallon bracket.
There is a time and place for everything. And I'm not trying to say that the inch per gallon idea should be bannished and forgotten forever, not at all. I think it certainly has it's place to help people get started in the hobby, and works so long as it's applied to common community fish. I do however feel that it should be realized that it is just an idea, and by no means a rule set in stone. Each persons tank is different, and what works for one person may not work for the next. That's why this hobby is so often an art form of finding the balance of what works for each of us.
Feel free to discuss.