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how can i instruct my students on which fish to look at for a 20 gallon tank? we will have fresh and salt water tanks.
thanks

The basic rules of stocking are. (These are just guidlines)

FW 1" of adult fish per gal of water
SW 1" of adult fish per 5gal of water.



Dan

You'll want to have your students research their choices for:

Potential growth size; ensure that the fish they choose will not become too large for a 20gal tank.. With only 20 gallons of saltwater to work with your students options will be limited to certain fish for obvious reasons..

Aggression levels; make sure to choose tankmates that are compatible with each other and can coexist without conflicts over territory.. Certain fish, such as a lot of the fish in the damsel family, can become incredibly territorial and regardless of their smaller sizes would make less than ideal tankmates with more passive species in a small aquarium..

Required swimming areas; there are some fish that will require a larger tank size regardless of their potential growth size due to their swimming patterns..

Feeding habits; due to the wide variety of feeding patterns, your students will need to understand what each fish they choose demands nutrition-wise to remain healthy.. There are quite a few fish that are difficult to maintain based solely on their feeding habits.. An example would be a fish such as the Mandarin Dragonette.. Due to it's almost exclusive need for live copepods/amphipods to feed upon, most of these fish would starve in a matter of weeks if an aquarium cannot support a large enough pod population..

Ease of care; fish that are considered "expert only", or that are difficult to maintain in home aquaria, would make for poor choices simply because they have requirements that would be hard for an aquarist to meet.. Sticking with fish that are considered hardy and easily maintained would make for an easier aquatic experience..

These factors are the main things I look for when I'm researching purchases for either my saltwater or freshwater tanks.. Knowing as much as possible about a fish before you buy it can help tremendously when it comes to successful long term care..

Good Luck to you and your students and Welcome to FishProfiles.com

Also, have them find out how much each fish adds to the bioload. Compare fishes and the amount of waste produced such as, say, plecos vs. cories.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

for the inch per gallon rule. it only applys to fish under 2inch that are non aggresive.

There are really no "Set" rules for saltwater fish. It seems to vary by person. Sure, there are suggested guidelines, but they are not set in stone.

I would let my kids pick out a common fish that they all like, then research it's habits, etc. with them. I think it could be a fun little experiment.

Dang, I wish you were my teacher. LoL, high school, eh? I was thinking elementary kids, so my standards have been raised up a notch.:%)

Urm... There are quite a number of species of small freshwater fish. Pretty much anything that stays 3" or less would be a great candidate, and perhaps one or a pair of 4" fish would be fine. Fish such as danios, tetras, barbs, cory catfish, small species of gourami, small species of rainbowfish, and harlequin rasboras are ideal beginner fish for the 20 gallon.

In the saltwater world, you're much more restricted, since you can only pick some fish like damsels, clowns, and small gobies. Sea horses can be kept in such confined spaces, but their ease of care (or lack!) and price make them quite inappropriate for a school project. On the other hand, in the saltwater world you're not restricted to just fish, as you can pick among a number of invertebrate forms of life, as well as get them when purchasing live rock.

Although ideally your students won't purchase any fish that will eventually outgrow the 20 gallon space, the fish also will only be spending a few months in the aquarium, so although perhaps purchasing something like an Angelfish isn't exactly armageddon, you of course should still avoid fish such as Red Tailed Catfish, Pacus, Bichirs, and other large fish (which would outgrow the tank within a few months anyway...).

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.