Re: [APD] Stocking Levels

["Robert T. Ricketts" <rtricketts at verizon_net>]

Ellen O'Connell asking about stocking levels in some small tanks seen among
the AGA contest entries, and Stuart Halliday replied with some discussion of
the old (and never valid IMHO) "inch per gallon rule" of stocking smallish
"community" fish.

Perhaps the best put-down of that rule that I have seen was presented in the
no longer available "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Freshwater Aquariums" by
Mike wickham, where he discuses stocking as function of total mass.  That
approximate mass is not quite synonymous with bioload, but is much closer
than is simple length (or maybe standard length).  In the accompanying table
he gives a 1" fish a nominal mass of 1, a 2" fish a nominal mass of 8 (both
of those he suggests allowing a nominal water volume of one gallon), a 3"
fish a nominal mass of 27, and a water volume allowance of 3 gallons.  That
continues up to the 6" fish with a nominal mass of 216 and a water allowance
of 8 gallons.  There are other limiting remarks on other factors to be
considered.  To my mind it still not a valid stocking rule, but is far more
realistic (if still incomplete) compared to the hopeless and to me useless
inch per gallon rule.

RTR


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