Is my tank overstocked?

[Ramiro Casal]

So I am brand new to saltwater and I’ve had my tank running for around 1 month, It doesn’t have any corals just live rock from my LFS in Florida. As of right now I have :
- Royal Gramma
- 2 clowns they are pretty small maybe 1.5 inches
- A diamond goby
- Recently my friend had to dissemble his tank so I now also have a Hoeven’s wrasse.
Is my tank over stocked? I have a 20 gallon with lots of live rock around 13 pounds. I plan to upgrade to a 50 gallon in around 6-12 months when I move out of my college dorm.

 

[Ramiro Casal]

This is how my tank looks, caught all fish in the same shot, even the goby.

 

[TravelChaser]

1 month is still pretty new, but you should be ok. I wouldn't add anymore and I'd also stay on top of my parameters and water changes until the tank becomes a bit more established.

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

Everything but the wrasse and maybe the diamond goby are appropriate for that tank, as long as your bio-filter can handle all of the fish you should be fine until you upgrade in size, I wouldn't wait too long though. Make sure you test often and establish a water change schedule, with a HOB filter you're going to need to do weekly water changes and filter media changes.

 

[Yuki Rihwa]

Pay attention to your water parameter and keep up with your maintenance schedule and feeding, you will likely getting mini cycle if you tank really true 1 month old. Also, look at your picture I don't think you have enough water turn over in your tank.

 

[Ramiro Casal]

I was thinking of maybe getting a lawnmower blenny in a couple of weeks will that be pushing it? I do 5 gallon water changes every friday afternoon and change the media of my filter every 2 weeks. Will it be enough to handle an extra blenny? Am starting to grow some algae so I kinda want a fish that eats it up like the lawnmower blenny. Are there other fish with a smaller bioload that eat algae?

 

[Ramiro Casal]

The pic was taken mid water change, I stopped to take the pic because all the fish were grouped up

Pay attention to your water parameter and keep up with your maintenance schedule and feeding, you will likely getting mini cycle if you tank really true 1 month old. Also, look at your picture I don't think you have enough water turn over in your tank.

 

[Gablami]

The pic was taken mid water change, I stopped to take the pic because all the fish were grouped up

I think the poster meant that there are no powerheads seen in the tank. The only flow you have is from the hang on back filter. For the fish that you have, more flow is not really needed. But if you add corals, consider adding a powerhead.

In regards to adding more fish, I think you are pushing it. Particularly with the wrasse. He will get big and will eat lots. The diamond goby will also get larger. Not that live aquaria is the Bible for these things, but they recommend a minimum of a 50gallon and 30gallon tank respectively for those two fish.

 

[PiscesPower]

Also, not sure if you have a lid, but both gobies and wrasses are jumpers.

 

[DSC reef]

Honestly your pushing it with the tank being new. More flow can help and is always good for many things. I'd think about rehoming the diamond goby. It's eating beneficial fauna from your sand bed and unless your feeding him regularly and you see him eating the fish can starve. If your purpose for the font is to clean the sand then try a few nassarius snails. I would not add a lawnmower blenny, try some astrea snails to control algae. Your tank is gonna go through an ugly phase since it's so new. I wouldn't add fish now with hopes of upgrading later. Life happens so you never know if the upgrade falls through. I've been there.

 

[norfolkgarden]

So I am brand new to saltwater and I’ve had my tank running for around 1 month, It doesn’t have any corals just live rock from my LFS in Florida. As of right now I have :
- Royal Gramma
- 2 clowns they are pretty small maybe 1.5 inches
- A diamond goby
- Recently my friend had to dissemble his tank so I now also have a Hoeven’s wrasse.
Is my tank over stocked? I have a 20 gallon with lots of live rock around 13 pounds. I plan to upgrade to a 50 gallon in around 6-12 months when I move out of my college dorm.

YES, your tank is overstocked. So is mine. Here's how you can (hopefully) get away with that ridiculous fish load in such a small tank for the next 12 months.

First, no more fish.
Get 1 turbo snail (smaller, under 1", if possible) (for algae)
1 astraea snail (for algae)
1 Nassarius snail (for uneaten food)

So, inverts don't add much to your bio load (what I've always been told) so you can 'cheat' by adding a really cool cleaner shrimp OR a blood red fire shrimp.
I wouldn't try both in that small a tank.
And you may want to add another 5-10 pounds of live rock to your system.
Both for hiding places/homes and bio filtration.

Another useful cool invert is a 4 inch harlequin serpent star. (We stopped at 8 serpent starfish) you can probably keep 2 happy. They will help keep your tank clean like the Nassarius snail.
Lol, don't get so many that you end up having to take into account to feed them the same way you feed the fish....


5 (to 10) gallons weekly water changes should help solve your water parameters issues.

Wait at least another 2 months before adding any soft corals like mushrooms or neon green Kenya Trees.

You will probably be wasting money on anything less Hardy than those soft corals.

With that fish load in that size tank acro's are not in your future for a while. And you would want to wait at least 6 months anyways and make sure you have really good (expensive) lighting.


Here is a side shot of my 75 gallon tank. 19 fish all under 3 inches, most under 2 inches.
All added slowly over a year's time in the past two years.
200 pounds of live rock and just soft corals.

Tank has been up for 5 years but a bad crash 3 years ago.

This is the new lower maintenance version.