How many is too many?

[myyellas2k]

How many is to many for the bioload?

I have a 54g corner...
6 fish - Cinnamon clown (first one I had), 2 annoying Squirrelfish, 1 Royal Gramma, 1 Majestic Foxface & 1 Emperer Angel

3 coral - Hammerhead, Electric Long Tentacle, and a GSP... along with some zoa frags

all readings are right on, except for calcium and phosphate ( I have an RODI system in place for about 1 month or so, and have been doing 10% water changes every week or thereabouts)

Am I locked in and finished with the amount of fish ?
I know the 1" per gallon... but that doesnt make sense

thanks -
newbie questioner

 

[Crabs McJones]

How many is to many for the bioload?

I have a 54g corner...
6 fish - Cinnamon clown (first one I had), 2 annoying Squirrelfish, 1 Royal Gramma, 1 Majestic Foxface & 1 Emperer Angel

3 coral - Hammerhead, Electric Long Tentacle, and a GSP... along with some zoa frags

all readings are right on, except for calcium and phosphate ( I have an RODI system in place for about 1 month or so, and have been doing 10% water changes every week or thereabouts)

Am I locked in and finished with the amount of fish ?
I know the 1" per gallon... but that doesnt make sense

thanks -
newbie questioner

Technically speaking you are overstocked. That angelfish gets over a foot, and will need at least a 200 to 250 gallon once fully grown. Unless you have plans to upgrade to a bigger tank in the future, you may want to rehome it. The squirrelfish and foxface are kind of in the same boat. They have the potential to get up to 8 inches and require a 75 or larger. So i'd say you're already overstocked..hope this helps

 

[Greybeard]

The emperor angel will be 15" long as an adult. Cinnamon's are one of the larger clown breeds, and known to be fairly aggressive. Depending on the type of squirrelfish, you're looking at 7" to 12" adult size on those, as well... and the foxface, about 9" as an adult.

All in what amounts to a 30" triangle shaped tank.

Yeah, I'd say you're stocked. Over stocked, in fact. Way... overstocked.

 

[Webslinger]

I have twice that many fish in my 60g. It all depends on your filtration/live rock and fish compatibility. I have 100lb of rock and a sump and feed 3 times a day. I could add a few more fish but the system is running great and corals are growing too fast. A few of your fish will out grow your tank.

 

[ArowanaLover1902]

1 Per gallon goes out the door when you go to saltwater tanks, I personally try to never think with any amount of "per gallon" rules in my reef. Lets take a 100 gallon reef for example; you have 15-20 fish, thats about right for that large of a tank, if thats a mix of gobies, blennies, angels, clowns, and etc, then you are fine, all the fish are covering different natural niches of the tank, but lets change that to the same amount of fish but now its all gobies, now there will be major competition for the resources that they all need. Just try to consider where the fish hang out, what they eat, their aggression and the territories they desire, and etc.

 

[Webslinger]

+1

 

[myyellas2k]

Technically speaking you are overstocked. That angelfish gets over a foot, and will need at least a 200 to 250 gallon once fully grown. Unless you have plans to upgrade to a bigger tank in the future, you may want to rehome it. The squirrelfish and foxface are kind of in the same boat. They have the potential to get up to 8 inches and require a 75 or larger. So i'd say you're already overstocked..hope this helps

... Yeah, I'd say you're stocked. Over stocked, in fact. Way... overstocked.

My plan is to get my basement finished -where I don't have to worry about weight and anything crazy
The basement project will start in October/November ish (when I pull my boat out for the season)

 

[Greybeard]

My plan is to get my basement finished -where I don't have to worry about weight and anything crazy
The basement project will start in October/November ish (when I pull my boat out for the season)

Using the little 54 corner as a temporary holding tank while the fish are juveniles, with a plan in place to move them to a _MUCH_ larger tank (mine is 150 gallons, and I wouldn't try to keep an Emperor angel) within the next year or so... Seems a perfectly reasonable plan.

I would still not suggest that you add any more fish to the little corner tank. Foxfaces in particular grow quickly. The two inch orange spotted rabbitfish I bought several months ago is nearing six inches long already, though the scopas tang has only grown an inch or so.

 

[Crabs McJones]

Using the little 54 corner as a temporary holding tank while the fish are juveniles, with a plan in place to move them to a _MUCH_ larger tank (mine is 150 gallons, and I wouldn't try to keep an Emperor angel) within the next year or so... Seems a perfectly reasonable plan.

I would still not suggest that you add any more fish to the little corner tank. Foxfaces in particular grow quickly. The two inch orange spotted rabbitfish I bought several months ago is nearing six inches long already, though the scopas tang has only grown an inch or so.

Agreed

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

IMO, fish limits are often only tested in emergency situations such as power failures. How well you deal with these may have a big effect on how many fish you can keep.

 

[fish farmer]

Agreed

I have a foxface, regal tang, two striped damsels, spotted hawkfish and a tomato clown in a 120 and that seems like a lot to me. Foxfaces are pigs, I'm on my second one. They do grow fast!

 

[Saltyanimals]

I’ve wrestled with how many is too much myself and settled not only on fish size as an adult but more about my ability to maintain and tank dimensions and not gallons. The corner tanks I’ve seen are about 36” so some species do better with more horizontal swim lanes. Ie tangs. I only have a 48” 65G and do keep tang police violations but accepting it because I will trade them up when they get too big. Equipment and ability to keep good water and well fed fish is a key part. I have 10 fish all in and I think I’m fully stocked.