| Have you got yourself a new aquarium? If so, | | | | (30cm) deep, the answer is 288in2 (1800cm2). |
| you need to have a plan on how you are going to | | | | The next thing you need to know is how many |
| fill it with those beautiful fish. | | | | inches (or centimetres) of fish you can |
| Before you work out exactly which fish you | | | | accommodate, and this will depend on the type of |
| want, you need to work out have many inches | | | | fish. |
| (or centimetres) of fish you can accommodate in | | | | Freshwater Tropical Fish - 12in2 per inch body |
| your new aquarium. | | | | length |
| The fish will obviously have more room to swim | | | | (75cm2 per cm body length) |
| and set up their territories in a larger aquarium, | | | | Freshwater Cold Water Fish - 30in2 per inch body |
| but more important than the size of the aquarium | | | | length |
| is the shape and proportions of the tank. A long, | | | | (187.5cm2 per cm of body length) |
| shallow tank will hold more fish than a short deep | | | | Marine Tropical Fish - 48in2 per inch body length |
| tank, even if they have exactly the same amount | | | | (300cm2 per cm body length) |
| of water in each. | | | | So, in our example tank above you could fit: |
| The reason for this is that the oxygen content of | | | | 24 inches (60cm) of Freshwater Tropical Fish |
| the water depends on how easily it can be | | | | 10 inches (25cm) of Freshwater Cold Water Fish |
| supplied. The only place this can happen is where | | | | 6 inches (15cm) of Marine Tropical Fish |
| the air meets the water, which is at the surface | | | | To calculate the number of inches (or |
| of the tank, so the larger the surface, the more | | | | centimetres) of your fish, measure from the |
| oxygen available. Similarly, the carbon dioxide that | | | | mouth to the start of the tail, and don't forget |
| the fish exhale has to be expelled from the | | | | that the fish you see in the shops are normally |
| water, and this also happens at the surface. | | | | juveniles and are not fully grown, you need to |
| So, to work out the capacity of an aquarium, you | | | | allow for the size they will become! |
| need to multiply the length of the aquarium by | | | | Get this right, and you're well on the way to |
| the depth to get the water surface. For instance, | | | | having a successful aquarium. |
| if your aquarium is 24in (60cm) long by 12in | | | | |