# of FIsh in a 12 gal reef tank

[NanoJrFL]

How many inches of fish per gallon would be appropriate for this tank? What kinds of fish, corals, and inverts would be compatible?

[tinyreef]

that's a hard question to answer succinctly. a lot of consideration has to be made for the type of fish, size, food, filtration, maintenance schedule, and temperature.

 

your question is kind of like saying, how many dogs can you have on an acre of land? e.g. are they beagles, basset hounds, or labradors? different animals will need different levels of food and filtration even tho they may be closely related. (altho i still consider a chihuahua a cat, a wuss of a cat at that : )

 

also, some of the livestock you may want will affect your parameters as well. clams can process more waste than they contribute whereas anenomes contribute more waste than they process (imo). this doesn't even start to consider compatability. e.g. how many cats can fit on that same acre mentioned above? (well, probably a lot if you only had chihuahuas )

 

if you give us a inkling on the types of fish you are favoring we can probably give you better feedback. you might want to look around some of the members tanks/setups for ideas and read over the articles in the Information tab for other ideas. welcome to NR!

[chufa]

"inches of fish per gallon" does not work. It is a common misconception. For example, I have a 55 gallon aquarium. It can probably hold 55 1 inch neon tetras. But it is too small for a pair of 12 inch oscars.

 

Basically, the bigger the fish, adn the more they consume, the more space they need. In saltwater, there is less oxygen, so you need about 5 times more sace than in freshwater. For a 12 gallon, I would keep a maximum two fish, maximum 3" in size , or 3 tops if one happens to be a tiny goby, such as a neon or clown, and the other are 2 inches or less.

[duckhuntboy]

I'm just agreeing with what these guys said. Don't concentrate on how many fish you can add to the tank, but find yourself a pair of fish or so that you really like, and work with that. You could do a pair of false percs with lots of success, or you could do one damsel, or two percs and a goby, etc... If you're looking for a maximum, definately dont add more than three fish. Try to stick with no more than a pair of certain species... no one wants to be the third wheel. Some fish are more aggresive, and don't like any company. Buy a fish that when fully grown, wont be very big at all... You cant think you can buy a 1 inch tang or triggerfish, without compensating for growth (avoid those species alltogether). Some fish, no matter how small they are, still need tons of room, and a 12 just wont do it. Also, the "inch per 10 gallons" rule, or whatever it is, doesnt apply to nano's at all, because more fish would be happier in a bigger tank. I almost feel like the number of fish you can add is exponential in comparison with tank size. I guess you could break the "pair" rule with some chromis, since they like the company.