Time For Another Fish?

[Mark Goode]

I've a Red Sea 525, which is 140 US gal including sump (minus rocks, obviously). I use a Red Sea Skimmer 600, a Reefmat 1200, I use RO/DI water, and change 10% weekly. It has now been running for 11 weeks, and fish stock is now:
1 juvenile One Spot Foxface
1 small Royal Gramma
2 Pyjama Cardinals
2 small Common Clownfish
Using the old 'inches of fish' guide I doubt the total length would reach 6".

I'm in the middle of the 'uglies' I guess, but have not had serious issues: brown diatoms have been and (mostly) gone, I've had a couple of short-lived (<24 hour) bacteria blooms, and I currently have a few tufts of GHA on my sandbed (the Foxface and hermits seem to keep the rocks clear of it). Parameters are:
Ammonia: not detectable (Salifert)
Nitrate: < 5 (Salifert)
Phosphate: < 0.008 (Elos)
Salinity 34.5

From what I understand from reading this forum my nitrate & phosphate are a bit low. I skipped a couple of water changes, but that had no effect. I feed 3 times per day, frozen (mysis, chopped clam, krill, brineshrimp) and nori 3 or 4 times per week.

I'd like to add another fish, though what I've not yet decided, silver belly wrasse perhaps (but then again, as my tank is new, perhaps not). The fish I have spend most of their time hiding, and I'd kinda like to see some movement in the tank. Can I go ahead yet, or should I wait?

Below is my tank. Spot the Clownfish.

 

[blaxsun]

The "inches of fish" guide is kind of obsolete. I have 42 fish in my Red Sea 750, so if you use that as an extreme stocking level and compare that to your Red Sea 525 you can probably run 16-20 fish easily.

 

[Jekyl]

Stocking in my mind is usually decided by 2 things. Effect on my parameters, and hiding space for each fish. For example an NSA aquascape is suitable for less fish than a tank with a bunch of rock with lots of personal hiding places. As far as the ugly phase, you've barely scratched the surface at 11 weeks. Mine didn't get bad until around 6 months.

 

[Mark Goode]

Mine didn't get bad until around 6 months.

Something to look forward to then.

 

[dstockwell]

Time for a Tang, Dwarf Angel, or BOTH....

 

[Joe81]

I would personally wait until over the ugly stage and stabilized. ‍

 

[slojim]

I have a similar size and some similar fish
a diamond watchman helped a lot with ugly patches on my sand bed.
a few wrasse will definitly add some movement, but there's a lot of variety
a single firefish will generally be out and visible -easy to get nice looking small peaceful (except to other firefish)

 

[Mark Goode]

Time for a Tang, Dwarf Angel, or BOTH....

I saw a nice little fish in a shop today which I thought would look nice: a Yellow Goatfish. I took out my phone and did a quick Google. Ah, grows to 20"? It would need a swimming pool.

 

[Mark Goode]

I would personally wait until over the ugly stage and stabilized. ‍

I had planned to do that, but my low nutrients made me wonder...

 

[Mark Goode]

a few wrasse will definitly add some movement,

Yeah, I like Wrasse. I was thinking about a Silver Belly, but don't they need an established tank? The only life I've seen in there are a few spirorbid worms, which are mostly growing on my bumblebee snails.

 

[dstockwell]

The Yellow & Purple Wrasse diet should include vitamin enriched frozen mysis shrimp, vitamin enriched frozen brine shrimp, and other meaty foods along with a high quality marine flake and marine pellet food.

 

[PatW]

You can add fish in the ugly stage. If you want swimming get a flasher wrasse or a fairy wrasse. They are both very active mid water swimmers. Or you could get a chromis and they are mid water swimmers. Another option might be to get one of the least aggressive damsels. They tend to be active midwater swimmers also.. Or you could get a mix of the above.