10 gallon per fish rule

[luenny]

Hi all,
Just a newbie here and I want to ask something about the 10 gallon per fish rule. Does this rule apply to bb tank or just planted tank? The reason why I am asking this is I am staying in Singapore and if I go around Singapore asking discus keeper about the 10 gallon per fish rule, most of them would have never heard about it and some of them would think that I am crazy.

I have seen people keep 10 adult discus in a 50 gallon bb tank over here. Some of the extremist keep up to 20 in a 50 gallon tank - but these don't grow quite as fast. The thing about people keeping discus here in Singapore is we do a lot of water changes every day or every other day. Some if not most of us do have the luxury of using tap water directly - with water conditioner added - when doing water change. We do not even need heater. So what is commonly practice over here is a lot of water changes and you can keep more fishes in the tank. And some of them do as much as 100% water changes every day and seriously I can't say that their discus is not growing since some of them do win prizes from discus competition. So my question would be, how many people follows the 10 gallon per fish rule? And how important is it?

Sorry, just a newbie with a lot of silly questions.

[White Worm]

The 10g per fish rule is not a rule at all. Its just safe guidance for new people to the hobby. Things are easier to control if a newbie sticks to the guidance until they get some expereince behind them. It all depends on things such as your source water, what you feed, your experience with discus, size of discus, fitration, water changes, etc.

[Tropical Haven]

You could keep more discus then the 1 fish per 10 gallon rule but your water changes will have to be increased as well as the frequency. People who use automatic drip systems can get away with more fish in a tank due to the fact that fresh water is always being added to the tank.

[OIF03VET]

I dont follow that rule either. I have a 65 gallon with lots of driftwood, gravel bottom, a bunch of corys and 20 rummy nose. Oh and the 8 full grown discus. I only change the water once a week. My fish are always happy.

[Don Trinko]

I have had fish since the 1950's. Read what some of the old books say. ( 1 inch of fish for every 10sq inch of surface area, double if you have a pump, triple if you have a filter) This was for small fish. For larger fish you needed more surface area per inch. ( I think it was 25 or 50 for chicklids)
The 10g per fish (I think) alows a little safety factor just in case you make a mistake. If you look at pictures of Discus in the breeders tanks you will see that the 10g/fish rule does not apply to them. This is justafiable because they have more knowledge of discus rearing than most of us do. Don T.

[Apistomaster]

When a discus keeper has the luxury of having a constant flow through water change then the ten gal rule does not apply. This is the best of all possible methods where it is practical.

It was designed with semi-closed systems in mind where the water is partially changed once or twice per week.

It should also apply to the net capacity of their tank. If substrate and decor displaces water then use the actual amount of water the tank holds. For example, a 55 gallon with 2 inches of substrate should not have more than 5 discus unless you are a water changing fanatic and are prepared to do it almost daily.

[luenny]

Hi all,
Thanks for the reply. This really help me because initially I thought this is a hard rule that can never be broken. That is why I feel so strange when I visit my friend's houses where they pack a lot more than 10 gallon per fish and still manage to get their fish to grow well.

I guess the secret is their dedication to do daily water change. Thanks again.

[hboute]

I have been keeping 4 medium sized discus, 2 angel fish, 5 plecos, 12 rasboras and 6 neon tetras in a 46 gallon for a while now and do 20% water change every other day. The discus are very healthy and grow fast, I feed them three times a day and have never had any problems.
I am moving them to a bigger tank (75 gal) so they have more space.