My Fish Tank

A tropical delight sits in the corner of our room, a great little feature of the living room that provides its own entertainment.

We have a communal tropical fish tank. At the moment the tank is a ‘happy’ tank.

But …..
It hasn’t always been like that!

Follow us on our journey to make the ideal habitat for tropical fish.

We have quite a small tank, 24 inches wide, 16 inches in height and 12 inches deep. It holds approximately 19.95 Gallons. We were not sure as to how many fish we could keep in the tank, so after a little research we found that we could keep 18 inches of fish.

How much water does your tank hold?

• Measure the aquarium from edge to edge = Length
• Measure from top to bottom = Height
• Measure front to back = Depth
• Multiply the three measurements        

24 x 16 x 12 =  4608 cubic inches

To convert to Cubic Gallons, multiply the cubic inches by 0.00433

4608 x 0.00433 = 19.95264

So we have a 19.95 Gallon aquarium! 

How many fish can you keep in a 19.95 Gallon fish tank?
The general rule of thumb is 1 inch of fish to 1 Gallon of water, so ours could hold 19.95” of fish!  Due to having a few rocks in our tank, we edged our bets and decided on 18inches worth of fish. 

Tip: Don’t forget about water displacement.  If you put in any rocks or ornaments in your tropical fish tank, this will lessen the capacity of the water in the tank, which means less “inch-age” of fish.

What’ fish-inchage?
All fish need a certain amount of room to swim about in.  If too many fish are crowded into a small space, you’re asking for trouble!  Not only will the bully of the tank have the time of his life, but they will die too.  A fish is measured from end to end, including the tail fin.

We have the following fish:

1 x Kissing Gourami – 3 inches
Kissing Gourami belong to the labyrinth fish family. This means that they can take oxygen from the air, and are often seen taking a gulp of air from the top of the tank.  The Kissing Gourami originates from Thailand and is noted for it’s kissing action. Male kissers will occasionally challenge each other, but is never fatal.

3 x Silver tip tetra – 3 x 1"
Silver tip tetras belong to the characin family, and are lovely peaceful little fish. The males are coppery in colour, but the female is quite pale in comparison, if not, silvery. Both have white tips at the end of their fins, and this is where they get their name. 

3 x Neon tetra -  3 x 1"
Again, part of the characin family. Noted for its iridescent hues, the neon tetra has a dark-olive green back and a silver white belly. There are two glowing ‘neon’ stripes of red and blue, which strike the fish from its nose down to its tail. No fish tank is complete without a shoal of neon tetra.  They love to swim in groups, and are happiest when swimming through the nooks and crannies of a well set up aquarium.

1 x Spotted sucking catfish 6"
This spotted sucking cat fish is also known as a Plecostomus, and is a member if the Loricariidae family.  They are freshwater fish and originate from South America. Pleco’s are a peaceful fish, but are also clumsy! They love to sucker onto the glass and digest the algae through their specially designed mouths. These are fascinating fish to watch as they would feel at home in Jurassic Park and are reminiscent of ancient aquatic dinosaurs.