Proposed stocking list... New ideas...

Well, its a long story, but a new tank has been purchased and Im pondering the fish stocking list. Its a 75 gallon with 60 gallon sump/fuge. Ill be running biopellets and skimming with my Reefocto skimmer from the frag tank. I believe its rated at 300 gallons or so. Complete overkill, I know. lol But I really like this skimmer and would like to put it to use. Because of this and the biopellets my bioload could be extremely heavy and still be a very low nutrient system.

I am looking to add almost exclusively small fish like, gobys, chromis, cardinals, flasher wrasses, ect. Because of this I can in theory pretty well stock this tank with small fish and not have to worry nutrient problems. With this being said, I have not seen very many reefers stick to only smaller fish. I think lots of smaller fish adds more activity and life to the tank, however there is obviously question as to how many fish to add...

Currently this is the list.
I will definitely get....
-2 clowns
-Mckoskers flasher wrasse
-firefish (trio?)
-Neon goby pair

Proposed additions.... (just ideas)
-Chromis
-Cardinals
-Hectors goby
-Two spot blenny
-Clown gobys
-White banded possum wrasse
-Chalk bass? or other basslet


I am a strong advocate for responsible fish keeping, I do not believe in overstocking a tank and creating an extremely heavy bioload unless the system can keep up with it. I will QT the fish being added and add them over a period of a year or so. That being said, with the form of nutrient export I will be using and the size of the fish I would like to add a stocking list like this seems conceivable. Also, I will be using an auto doser to feed the tank throughout the day so feeding should not be a problem.

Im really just looking for some feedback on this idea. Im sure its not totally uncommon to do but I have personally never talked to anyone who has stocked their tank like this. Thanks in advance everyone.

 

sounds interesting to me. I would agree that with smaller fish, the number you keep could be expanded imo - especially clown gobies, they are so tiny.

 

Honestly it seems like a lot of fish for a 75g.

 

That is a lot for a 75, Nick. I only keep small fish in my reef tank, and between 5-7 fish seems about right, for me, anyway.

 

If they are smaller, peaceful fish, you can certainly have 10-15 in a 75. I have 5 in my 28 nano and only one is larger than 1.5-2". All are peaceful, and have no space issues. I will have 8 in my 55, again mostly smaller and peaceful (most aggressive will be clowns) fish. Its all about making sure each fish has it's own place in the tank, or will have no problem sharing with "neighbors". There is no hard number on how many fish for a given tank size obviously, so you will just need to monitor as you add so you know when you are stocked.

 

What fish do you have in your nano? I have a 28 as well and have never done more than 2 fish (with a plan of 3) for fear of over loading it. I would LOVE more fish in there.

 

The reason why I ask this is because I actually have difficulties keeping my nutrient levels where they should be in my 30 gallon now. I utilize EcoBak biopellets by Warner Marine and skim heavily with 2 skimmers. I try to keep my PO4 levels around .02 and often find them dropping lower than that, while feeding heavily. Nitrates are undectable. All that I will be doing is taking this system of nutrient export and moving it to a different tank with more volume. The majority of the food that I plan on feeding will be for the corals, but the fish can eat it as well. Feeding will be automated and calculated based off of my nutrient levels. So essentially, the amount of fish in the tank doesnt even matter, I will still be feeding heavily if I decide to run a decent amount of pellets and skim like I currently am.

Im just throwing this idea out there. It can be done if I stay ontop of my nutrient levels. There is no doubt in my mind. The real question I was asking was is it "ethical". All of these fish could be kept in nano tanks according to most people, why not keep more of them in a larger tank if the bioload is handled responsibly?

Again, this is a proposed idea. Water isnt in the tank yet. Fish will be added slowly. Im just clarifying. I havent really seen this done before.

 

Blue Spotted Jawfish (obviously the biggest one in the tank, and controls it)
Yellow Banded Possum Wrasse (no one place in the tank, just all over and through the rockwork)
Helfrichi Firefish (hangs out right in front of the tank)
Tail Spot Blenny (stays mostly in front of the tank, usually resting in my candy canes)
ORA Yellow Assessor (hangs out in the back of the tank, usually upside down)

 

I think you have a good plan personally. Stock slowly, make sure there is plenty of rockwork and places to hide, and just keep an eye out for any aggression. A couple (even a few) smaller fish still have a smaller bioload than 1 larger fish. Its all in if they have the room they need.

 

Since this is not Norg's first rodeo I know he will error on the side of caution.

If it were anyone else I would not so loosely advise such over stocking as has been suggested in this thread thus far. Disease breaks out in a 75 gallon with 10 to 15 fish and the chances are good it will be a total loss.

When pushing the envelop it best to get a couple years down the line before advising others to do so as well.

For the Fire fish, I have kept trios without issue, get them all young and introduce all at the same time. Being very shy they should probably go in before the rest on the list.