An Age Old Question.

Hello all.

I recently set up an 57g reef that, so far, is going exceptionally well.

I look forward to posting some pics and giving you a tour. It's pretty sparse, but I'm trying to be patient and enjoy good numbers rather than rushing the stocking.

Right now, I'm trying to decide how many fish belong in the tank. I know this is a very old question, but things have changed so much recently that I don't know what to make of the old guidelines.

Obviously this question has two halves. First, each fish has its own space and tankmate requirements. I'm not asking about this part. What I want to know is, realistically, with a good skimmer and otherwise good husbandry, how do you judge how much fish is right.

 

I say you drop in a dozen tangs...*awaits the hate mail* ;p


There are too many factors that play into everything besides the skimmer and "good husbandry". Things like number of water changes, your feeding regiment and the feeding requirements for the particular fish you are looking at, lighting, filtration equipment, what kind of and how much of filter media are you using, etc etc etc. The list just goes on and on. I know people with 500g systems that have 3 dozen large angels and tangs in them all at full size and w/o any problems, and then there are 100g systems that have problems keeping 3 tangs in one system.


Honestly, theres no real quick answer to your question ;p It all depends on what you want your aquarium to do for you. Is it a personal enjoyment kind of thing that you dont want to turn into a major headache and you want a "low maintenance" system, or is it something for your family to enjoy/mess around with, or are you looking for a "wow factor" aquarium that'll make anyone that sees it jaw drop. Then it'll go into the question of what kind of a budget are you working with and how much time and energy you are comfortable with putting into the system.

 

rofl...

The funny part is I don't even like tangs... is there another set of cops for that?

 

Oh yeah, The Tang Police Are notorious.

A good rule of thumb is 1" per 4 gallons at the start, not all added at once. That is adult size. Live Aquaria's recommendations are a good start.

 

What kind of corals do you plan on keeping?

honestly the only way to know is to stock until your going out of your desired water parameter range.

then take fish back as you exceed that range.

 

Oops, I should know better. I'll give more detail soon, but here is the quick rundown.

I'm keeping SPS/LPS. Right now my numbers are approximately:

SG, 1.026; Nitrates <1; PO4 0; Alk 185 ppm; Ca 480 ppm; MG 1500 ppm.

I'm running a Reef Octopus skimmer, Eco-BAK biopellets in a moded Phosban reactor, I dose two-part in a moded ATO system. Tank movement is thanks to an MP20 and a Koralia routed through my Reefkeeper.

So far, I'm quite happy with the system. I hope it holds up long term. The looming question is how many happy little fish can I get away with and still keep the tank on track.

 

It would be easier for you to make a list of what you want, then submit it for approval.

 

A fair suggestion... I'll suggest a list that I know is too long, in the hope that I have enough fluff in it that people can have options in paring it down. These are roughly in order of preference...

1. A pair of Potter angels or a pair of swallowtail angels.
2. I have a pair of ocellaris already in the tank.
3. 3-5 Chalk Basslets.
4. A group of 3 blue dudgeons.
5. Either a butterfly or a size appropriate tang, assuming I can find something suitable.
6. 5-7 Threadfin Cardinals.

All suggestions are welcome.

 

1. most angles are aggressive toward each other, only recommend 1. and sometimes they damage reefs
2. those are ok
3. multiple chalk basslets would probably kill each other
4. not sure what that is?
5. Don't recommend butterflies for reefs, you could get one or two tangs but they must go back when they get bigger. With a single tang expect to get maybe 3-4 years out of it( depending on the starting size) before it outgrows your tank. You could probably keep it longer but it would probably be to much to keep the water pristine.
6.those are ok

I would think a tang, 5 cardinals, and a basslet would be ok.

 

Stocking limits.... regardless of compatability issues.... has nothing to do with water parameters. It has everything to do with how much oxygen the water can hold and wether or not they suffocate.

SW holds much less oxygen than fresh water. That is why stocking limits are much less for salt water. It is hard to get enough gas exchange naturally in our tanks. We can rely on mechanical means to get more oxygen in the water.... but then when the power goes out for 4 hours they all die. Natural reefs actually go hypoxic at night and so do our tanks. Oxygenation by photosynthisis during the day is the biggest contributor and at night oxygen levels can drop drastically.

It is all about the rate the fish remove it and the rate at which it can be replenished. We can all build huge bio filters to process the waste from 10 tangs in your 60g tank.... and they would all suffocate with in an hour or two.