Stocking Question

I think that canister filter is going to have to take a HIKE .. I think I am just going to start with the Emperor 400 and the Skimmer.. and remove the emperor 400 after a while and see how it goes from there... even thought of using two phosphate reactors.. one with carbon and one with phosphate remover in it.

 

Yellow don't grow any faster IMO, they just grow bigger faster (if that makes any sense) than hippos do. And if by blues you mean Powder blue they get bigger than the Yellow do.

Most star fish don't really do well in tanks, I do agree they are really cool but their diet just seems to be lacking something and they usually don't thrive that why I stay away.

 

You could add several other fish in there over time. You're list is less than mine, and we have a 46 gallon. It's not really how many "inches of fish" you put in the tank, but what kind of fish you put in the tank. For example, a watchman goby is not going effect your stocking limits anywhere near as much as a tang or angel would. Tangs are absolute poop machines, while fish such as gobies are docile and spend almost all of their time on the bottom.

With stocking, you are concerned about the max bioload, yes. But any bio load can be increased through HOW you stock, not WHAT you stock. Stocking limits are mainly centered around territory/swimming room, as well gas exhange. Fish can be aggressive, they need their own territories to live well with each other. If you don't have a lot of realestate available, you can not stock as many fish. Meaning, bigger the tank, more you can stock. Some fish need room. Lots of it. Tangs are a prime example, they are grazers and travel everywhere. No matter how large of an aquarium we have, we still come no where close to the amount of swimming room they would potentially have in the wild. Some fish need just a small amount of room and territory, while others need alot. This becomes a deciding factor in what you stock.

Another main concern is gas exchange. For example, you can put a whole lot more into a 20 gallon long, over a 20 gallon tall, because the long tank has more surface area, meaning more gas exchange. The same goes for having a sump vs. no sump.

Your list is rather small in my mind, but it depends on what you are looking for as well. We wanted a Fish Only setup with some soft corals (wavy things, according to my mom), so we are stocking our fish level to the brim. Our protein skimmer was originally on an LFS employee's 120 gallon with around 180 gallons flowing throughout the whole thing. Now, it's on a 46 gallon with around 55 gallons total, meaning it is complete and amazingly awesome overkill , so our tank can handle the stocking we have in it, plus some (we ain't done yet ).

If that's what you want, that's what you want. But keep in mind you can add several more fish if you would like. And for the record, tangs can be kept in something as small as a 29. The fish keeper just has to know when to put it in a bigger tank as it outgrows something so small. Having a 75 or 90 gallon setup simply means your tang can live it's full life without having to be moved to a bigger system. The tang I mentioned in a 29 is still in there, he's still a whee one. However, arrangements were made to move him to a 100 gallon (roughly, more like 112 or something) LFS frag tank that is plumbed into a 500 gallon frag tank system when he outgrows the 29.

I hope this helps with any decision making, and anyone feel free to correct me anywhere if I goofed up on something.

 

Your stocking list is fine, you cold probably add another 2-3 without much problems, depends on what they are. A flame angel would be great. They may nip at corals, but are considered one of the more reef safe angels, you could also look into a coral beauty. As others have said, you cold have a tang, but just keep it small and remember they grow. Also, have you thought about doing a sump. I would forgo the filter and add a sump, you could put your skimmer, heater, filter sock etc. in there, plus it would add to your total tank volume allowing you to more heavily stock your tank.

 

Naw at this point a sump is not in.. I am just starting out with this tank now.. I would like to get the hang of things before getting into a sump. I realize what benefits a sump is but at this point I am going to wait. My Next tank I would like would be a 120 or so.. and at that point I will add the sump.. ahh hell even use the 65 for the sump.