Give it to me straight doc, am I overstocked?

Hello my name is Joe and I have a problem.... I can't stop buying fish, I justify getting more, I see them in my dreams, I now want a tiny six-line wrasse, can someone please stage an intervention!!

Here is the current stocklist in my 55g:

2 Ocellaris
2 Banggai Cardinals
1 Blue Hippo (will move out when gets too large)
1 Flame Angel
1 Royal Gramma
1 Flame Hawk (very small)
1 Allen's Damsel (very small)

I do not have a sump/refugium or filter. I'm just running my aquaC skimmer, my TLF reactor & Koralias. About 70lbs of good LR as my biological filtration. Params have been consistently steady, no fish loss, other than a Copperband that starved to death. Everyone gets along well, all healthy and eating well.

There's so much conflicting info on stocking. Some say you can have 1 fish, some say 57, some say you can have 1 fish if its body mass divided by 17 is equal to 4", some say if you are blind in one eye you can have 3" of fish per 3g, others say if you close both your eyes you can add up to 24" of fish, oh it's confusing at times.

So you can hit me, or maybe you can tell me this is not so bad. I am religious about upkeep, feed sparingly, I feel I am a good reef father.

 

A good 'rule' to follow is 1" of fish (adult fully grown length) per 5 gallons. So yeah you're overstocked.

 

Nooooooo but I wanted 4 more Tangs and a school of 12 Chromis, Nooooooo

Yeah if I sell or trade in my Hippo I think I may be better off. I wish I had gotten a YT Damsel instead of my Allen's only because I like the look of the YT better. I doubt I'll ever be able to get that Allen's out though.

 

I see more tanks in you future.;D

 

The general rule is 1" of fish per 3-5 gallons. However, some people feel if you keep up with water changes and have good filtration and equipment, it's okay to go over that inch per 3-5 gallon rule as long as the params stay 0 and your fish are healthy.

 

if anything I'm a responsible over-stocker, I swear , maybe I'll get some Zoas too!!

 

IMO, you are overstocked, especially given that the fish are small and will grow. Having a sump or refugium would be very beneficial because it not only adds water volume but really help to filter the water. I wouldn't buy any more fish, but enjoy the ones you have.

 

Yeas!! we can get matching hazmat suits!!! ;D

 

roffl

 

I can just imagine Dennis my Flame Hawk seeing me walk up in that, let's do it!

Thx Guitarman & ReefMonkey, I don't want to admit it to myself but I am a bit overstocked, I'm in denial, but thx for the input/advice!