How many more corals can I add?

[FRANK48]

I have a 52 gallon tank and I already have some coral, two zoanthids, finger leather coral, GSP and I’d like to know if I can add some more or if I should. Thank you

 

[ying yang]

Think picture of full tank shot would be helpful for others to see and help you.
But i think with you just having 4 corals i would say could have lots more but depends how much rock /sand you got to place the corals but depends on size and how much space your current corals are taking .
Also depends how many corals you want in tank.want have sparsely at first and let them grow in or have packed from start and trim back so your choice

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

is it a new tank? If so, I would suggest to wait a few weeks, just to make sure your corals survive. If doing well after a few weeks, you can have more confidence to get more.

 

[Cell]

You can add quite a bit more, based solely on the size of the tank.

 

[FishTruck]

There are two schools of thought on this. The old conservative one is to add corals slowly until you are sure everything is stable - and that your maintenance routine stands up month after month as your initial corals grow.

The other school of thought is to just load the tank with coral as soon as you think it's ready. If you truly have everything right, this could prevent ugly stage and more rapidly evolve the stability of your tank - through multiple theoretical effects on the bacterial and algal makeup of your system. I find this second approach financially risky, the whole part about having your tank "truly ready" is an elusive milestone - even with ICP testing and all the new bacterial additives - occult user error is always a risk (speaking from personal experience).

The other question you might be asking is about geography. Do you have space for the placement of the corals without stinging each other or competing for light. A picture of the tank would help with that.

Finally, the types of corals that you have can grow pretty fast.

 

[Gtinnel]

IME if you still remember what corals you have then you likely still have plenty of room.

 

[FRANK48]

is it a new tank? If so, I would suggest to wait a few weeks, just to make sure your corals survive. If doing well after a few weeks, you can have more confidence to get more.

My tank is 5 months old and I just got new lights(Red Sea 50) but I also thing one of my Zoas has died

 

[DeniseAndy]

Remember, not all corals will get along. Some will need more space to grow than others. Some will grow right along side others nicely. Some need high light, some low, some medium. Flow is also a factor.

So, in reality, your tank can hold what works best in the system and what you personally like. Probably not a full grown carpet nem and I would stay away from many gorgs in that small of a system with other corals.

Pictures would help. As would your ideas for future corals, fish, inverts, etc.

 

[FRANK48]

 

[elorablue]

It’s such a random question.
How long is a piece of string? Same answer really.
although the gsp will eventually take over that entire side of the tank so you should just concentrate on the other side.
what kind of coral do you like?

 

[FRANK48]

It’s such a random question.
How long is a piece of string? Same answer really.
although the gsp will eventually take over that entire side of the tank so you should just concentrate on the other side.
what kind of coral do you like?

Well I’m quite new but I’ve been looking at bubble coral and mushroom coral and zoas the only problem is my zoas haven’t spread and the gsp too

 

[ying yang]

REEF OF THE MONTH - September 2021: Vitaliy's Stunning 300-Litre Mixed Reef

Absolutely stunning! Well done! thanks

www.reef2reef.com

This link above is current tank of the month.
If you wanting a beautiful "PACKED " reef like this you have quite a way to go right.

But its entirely your choice how many corals you put in your tank.
Can have just one coral on just one rock or one coral to cover all rocks.
Or can have 101 different corals ( providing your system will grow them all) as i read often on r2r that a certain person can grow xyz coral that deemed hard to grow but cannot grow a simple coral that alot call invasive.
So in time you will get to know how your system behaves and what you can or cant do with it,but remember your system evolves just like you do so maybe one time you can't grow a certain coral but 2 years later same system grows it great.
Maybe press on peoples build threads and get some inspiration from them or watch some you tube videos.
Good luck in whatever you decide and hope you get great enjoyment from your tank ^_^

 

[DeniseAndy]

You will probably want some more rock to get more corals at different levels. JMO

Such a clean slate to deal with. Lots of cool additions to be had and watching them grow is so much fun!

 

[FRANK48]

You will probably want some more rock to get more corals at different levels. JMO

Such a clean slate to deal with. Lots of cool additions to be had and watching them grow is so much fun!

Would I need to start dosing anything ?

 

[FRANK48]

REEF OF THE MONTH - September 2021: Vitaliy's Stunning 300-Litre Mixed Reef

Absolutely stunning! Well done! thanks

www.reef2reef.com

This link above is current tank of the month.
If you wanting a beautiful "PACKED " reef like this you have quite a way to go right.

But its entirely your choice how many corals you put in your tank.
Can have just one coral on just one rock or one coral to cover all rocks.
Or can have 101 different corals ( providing your system will grow them all) as i read often on r2r that a certain person can grow xyz coral that deemed hard to grow but cannot grow a simple coral that alot call invasive.
So in time you will get to know how your system behaves and what you can or cant do with it,but remember your system evolves just like you do so maybe one time you can't grow a certain coral but 2 years later same system grows it great.
Maybe press on peoples build threads and get some inspiration from them or watch some you tube videos.
Good luck in whatever you decide and hope you get great enjoyment from your tank ^_^

would i need to dose?

 

[elorablue]

would i need to dose?

If you stick to soft corals like mushrooms and zoas you may be able to get away with just regular water changes. Only way to know is to test for alkalinity.

 

[ying yang]

would i need to dose?

You would not dose anything that you cannot test for but you would research first if you need to dose and how to test for stuff in your tank to see if getting depleted first and if so by how much.then when you found out how your tank is acting/behaving then you would decide if regular water changes are enough or if you have to dose manually or on a doser.
I never dosed and never tested to see if i need to start dosing,but i researched it along with many things just so i know.so without me sounding like a *** i suggest you do lots research on lots many things as may never need to know but its good to know just incase needed.
Goodluck ^_^

 

[elysics]

would i need to dose?

If you want a tank like in that thread then yes absolutely at some point on the way there. But there's still quite a bit of ahead of you to get there.

Other question, do you want a showcase/collector style tank or a habitat tank?
The more you play gardener and keep the corals small, the more you can pack in. Or you could keep a single coral and grow it out to fill the tank. Or anything in-between.

 

[FRANK48]

If you want a tank like in that thread then yes absolutely at some point on the way there. But there's still quite a bit of ahead of you to get there.

Other question, do you want a showcase/collector style tank or a habitat tank?
The more you play gardener and keep the corals small, the more you can pack in. Or you could keep a single coral and grow it out to fill the tank. Or anything in-between.

I want a habitat tank I think and I’d like for the corals to spread around

 

[elorablue]

I want a habitat tank I think and I’d like for the corals to spread around

It sounds like mushrooms and zoas would be perfect for what you're looking for. Good luck!