What All Contributes to Bioload?

Is it just the fish in the tank or do corals, LR, hermits, snails, etc... too? It's pretty much everything that is living right, since they are taking out and putting back into the tank right?

I'm just worried about having too many fish and it is freaking me out. When I added the three Green Chromis it was kind of spur of the moment, but I mean I have been wanting them cause I thought it would look cool with them schooling around the tank. I'm disappointed in them since they don't do that, with time they probably will though.

I had my fish pretty much in concrete in my head; wanted a Clownfish(have it), Canary Blenny(have it), Sixline Wrasse(had it, new one soon), Scopas Tang(soon), Cleaner Shrimp(had two, both disappeared) and a Green/Purple Mandarin(have it).

If I get all the fish I wanted I would have eight, which I know is too much for a 58 gallon. I have been contemplating fishing for the Chromis and taking them back to the store so then I would have more room for my other fish and future fish. They are pretty funny/cool(not entirely disappointed). I have a skimmer and my water parameters are fine.

Which is another thing that is freaking me out. I have been doing the tests (Nitrite, Nitrate, pH, and Ammonia) exactly how the directions say and they read perfect every time, 0 (pH could be .2 higher though). Could it be that my water is perfect?

 

Sounds like you have alot of fish. There is a "ratio" most people go by. I think it is an inch of fish per ten gallons of water. So for a 58 gallon it would be under 6 inches of fish. This means you are pushing it with the fish you have now. Are the fish juveniles or mature adults, because if you have babies they will grow and be cramped. Most tangs need a tank of 75 or bigger as they need swimming room. Maybe you should think about upgrading to a bigger tank. Good luck

 

I think your a little off on your ratio there... If it was 1" for every 10 you couldn't have more that 2 or 3 fish in a 55 and I have never seen a tank that size with less than 5 or 6. It used to be 1" per gallon for freshwater but with todays filters and such you can keep a little more.

The following paragraph comes from the Foster and Smith web site PetEducation.com and I can't think of a better group of people who' advice to follow. And if you do it blows all those other "rules of thumb" clean out of the water!

"You may also be wondering just how many fish you can successfully keep in your aquarium. While many variables affect that answer, a general rule is to stock no more than ½ an inch of fully grown fish per gallon of water in your aquarium. For example, if you have a 30-gallon aquarium, ideally stock no more than 15 total inches of fully grown fish. Remember to consider your desired fishes' maximum size when calculating this amount."

As far as salt water goes I have heard 3" per square foot of water surface area, so in a standard 55 that would be 12" of fish. I have also heard 2" to 3" for every 10 gallons of water so that same 55 could hold 11 to 16 inches of fish.

I have seen so many tanks that have what I would consider way to many fish in it but they are very successful tanks and carry the heavy load with out a problem.

So I say just put what you want in the tank, within reason of course, also taking account for what they will eventually grow to be and with good filtration and maintenance you should not have a problem.

As far as the tang goes I have seen tang in smaller tanks than yours that did just fine. And when he gets to big you can just take him to your LFS and trade him for another, so I wouldn't worry to much about getting a new tank for now.

 

If you have a sump/fuge that would come into play in determining bio load. Get a BIG fuge going, you'll have a little "wiggle" room as far as the waste etc. Getting the fish to get along with each other...well, that's that's a different ball of wax, isn't it?

 

Im not a fan of those who, no offense, who relegate the amount of fish in their tank to a set ratio or inches per gallon rule. It really depends on how much lr, how effective your skimmer is, how often you do water changes, the actual size and shape of the fish etc, etc. One large fish is going to produce more waste then say three smaller fish of combined total relative size. In your situation, the 3 chromis.

 

If you are a newbie then you do not want to overload your tank and wonder why your parameters are out of whack. So I still think as a beginner the ratio is one to consider. After you have experienced some problems and accidents with the tank then you can have more because you will have some more knowledge and will be able to handle a larger bioload.

 

Bio-load is the stuff organisms excrete plus any uneaten food. So your clownfish is adding approximately 3x the bio-load as that little yellow fish you have. A little crab is adding just a smidgen of bio-load. Corals are also very little.

While a newbie myself, I would go slow on adding more fish. You are setting yourself up for disappointment.

 

Your water is not perfect, your still cycling different things. Your "major cycle" is done but your tanke is still breaking itself in. Keep the fish you have for a few months and watch what you deal with, algae is coming. As far as the skimmer goes it never hurts to have a bigger one, as you responded in an earlier response you'll be getting a bigger tank eventually. Just focus know on keeping all the basics very consistent and in a few months you'll eb able to tell what you can and can't do.