African Cichlids inches or fish per gallon (pls respond)

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JEFFREY STREET - 27 Aug 2003 01:15 GMT

What is considered the standard and (I know this may sound dumb, but I got
this thought from another post), where do I measure and what do I consider
actually numbers. (BTW: I love the newsgroups and it is a lot easier for
me here than it is on an internet group on the web, and I know you guys are
info the science of fish)...

Example... say my dwarf rusty is to be 3 inches at adult size... is he 3
inches from from mouth to end of tail, or 3 inches from mouth to begining of
tail?

I have been told before that I should divide the number of gallons in half
and that is the number of Cichids I can have, so 55 / 2 is 27.5... so is
that 27.5 3 inch rustys, or is that 27.5 5 inch aceis or kennyis, or is that
27.5 7 inch venustus, and if the 5 inch fish is the norm, 27.5 at 5 inches
would mean I could have 45 rustys... and if the rusty is measured from mouth
to end of tail instead of from mouth to start of tail, then the rusty is 2
inches long, and if that is true, I could have over 55, each with there own
gallon of water... :)

see, I am overthinking this, but I really want to learn (and I am not a kid,
I am a 40 year starting fish later than most of you).

--Thanks in advance, Jeffrey

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NetMax - 27 Aug 2003 05:45 GMT

> What is considered the standard and (I know this may sound dumb, but I got
> this thought from another post), where do I measure and what do I consider
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
>
> --Thanks in advance, Jeffrey

The guidelines don't work so well with a tank of African mbuna. Filter
the tank as if it's twice it's size (or bigger), and stuff it with about
4 species, with about 6 of each if small (4-5"), or 4 of each if medium
sized (5-6") and none of the larger types (tank is too small). This is a
very broad description, subject to the amount of rockwork, and your
research on exactly which types of fish (I wouldn't put 6 Melanachromis
Auratus in any 55g, or even many of the Pseudotropheus, but 6 Labs as one
species would be fine). That's only what I would try to do when making
my recipe. hth

NetMax

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Jim Brown - 27 Aug 2003 06:04 GMT

I am sure the advice of the Rift Lake cichlid devotees will sort out your
question based on their experiences.
The measure of a fish is not their size today, but their adult size. Fish
sizes in reference material can be stated as TL (Total Length) which is from
nose tip to tail tip, or SL (Standard Length) which is nose tip to end of
body. For a newcomer to the hobby, I would recommend stocking based on TL
which will give a bit more room for error. Then again, there are proponents
of overstocking these cichlids, or those that choose males only.
Maintenance will also have a bearing.

Jim

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Pet Forum / Aquaria / Cichlids / August 2003

African Cichlids inches or fish per gallon (pls respond)