What's Your Bioload

[Der_Iron_Chef]

I'm just interested to know what everyone has in their tank, and perhaps any opinions/observations on what might be appropriate/inappropriate as far as bioload is concerned? I'll start:

Aquarium Size: 55G (36"x18"x21") + 15G sump
Live Rock: Approximately 50lbs Indo
Fish: Regal Tang (I know, I know...she's going to a better home as soon as I can catch the sneaky little bugger), Cinnamon Clownfish, Rusty Angelfish, 2 Green Chromis, Six-Line Wrasse, Ruby Head Fairy Wrasse.
Inverts/others: 2 hermit crabs, 1 astrea snail, Coral Banded Shrimp (not "bandit"...hah...sorry, pet peeve), Hawaiian Featherduster, Sea Hare, Gigantea Anemone

I am not interested in the amount of corals people have, but their fish/invert bioload.

[hummer]

Aquarium Size: 90G (48"x24"x18") + 33G Sump
Live Rock: Approximately 75lbs
4 Ocellaris, 2 Spotted Cardinals, 1 Regal Tang, 1 Yellowtail Damsel, 1 Red Fire Fish, 1 Goby, 2 Cleaner Shrimps, About 20 Snails, and About 20 Hermit Crabs.

I like keeping small fish and providing lots of swimming room. So maybe at most I would add another 10 fish to my system.

[marie]

In my 60g cube I have a yellow clown goby, a falco (dwarf) hawkfish and a mandarin.
In my 65g (48" x 18" x 18" ) I have a yellow tang, 2 clarkii clowns and 1 chromis
In my 175g I have the achilles, a foxface, regal angel, copperband, 7 chromis, 3 glass cardinals, 2 mandarins, 2 orchid dottybacks, 1 cleaner shrimp, some peppermint shrimp, emerald crabs and an abalone

[michika]

I would rate mine at high, or approaching extra high!

180g temp/grow out system (total volume is ~200g)
naso tang
doctor tang
scopas tang
purple tang
vlamingi tang
red sea sailfin tang
yellow damsel
red sea raccoon butterfly
2x chromis
2x yellowhead jawfish
mandarin
starfish
various inverts...

[sphelps]

I have two aquariums connected to a common sump. I would say high bio-load.

Upper Display: 120 gallons
Lower Display: 50 gallons
Sump Volume: 40 gallons
Total: 210 gallons (although I would actually estimate the total net volume closer to 180 gallons)

Live Rock: 140lbs, mostly started as base rock.

Fish: Regal Tang, Yellow Tang, Potters Angel, LemonPeal Angel, 2 Percs, 2 Firefish, Flame Hawk, Geometric Hawk, Chalk Basslet,Clown Goby, Banjii Cardinal, Spotted Mandarin, Scooter Blenny, Peppermint Hog, Sunburst Anthias, Unknown Anthias, Frogfish, Fu-Man-Chu Lionfish, 2 Seahorses, Ribbon Eel, and an Engineer Goby.

Inverts: Cleaner Shrimp, Peppermint Shrimp, sexy shrimp, starfish, various hermits and snails.

[Borderjumper]

65 gallon w/25 gallon sump
100lb rock

1 yellow tang
1 flame angel
3 square spot anthias
2 royal pencil wrasse
1 yellow wrasse
1 purple wrasse
1 green wrasse
2 green chromis
2 firefish
1 cleaner shrimp
1 peppermint shrimp


60 gallon w/33 gallon sump
120LB LR

1 purple tang
3 green chromis
1 green spot mandarin
1 clown
1 six line wrasse


Both of my tanks are also fully stocked with corals. IMO lots of LR is the key.

[Chaloupa]

~150g with 50g sump
200+ lbs live rock

3 Picasso Clownfish
1 Powder Blue Tang
1 Naso Tang
1 Red Sea Sailfin Tang
2 Spotted Mandarins
1 Yellow Wrasse
1 Leopard Wrasse
1 Midas Blenny
1 African Flameback Angel
1 Trimma Goby


~120g with 50g sump
150lbs live rock

1 Golden Dwarf Moray Eel
1 Spotted Hawkfish
1 Copperband butterfly
2 Gold Stripe Maroon Clowns
1 Coris Wrasse
soon to add 1 Rabbitfish that's in QT

~65g with 18g sump
90 lbs live rock

2 False Percula Clowns
1 2 bar Rabbitfish
1 Kole Tang
1 Leopard Wrasse

~34g RSM
40lbs live rock

1 Blue Spot Jawfish
1 Curious Wormfish
soon to add pair of Sunrise or Naked Clowns

all have corals and or anemones in them.....and are all high bioload, but have good skimmers on them, plenty of LR etc

[lorenz0]

Aquarium Size: 20g tall
Live Rock: 20LBs fiji
Fish: tomato clown, watchmens goby
Inverts/others: 1 emerald crab, 8 left handed hermits, 4 snails

[christyf5]

ok but no flames :razz:

Aquarium Size: 90G (48"x18"x24") + 17G sump (water volume)
Live Rock: Approximately 80-90 lbs Fiji etc
Fish: Regal Tang, Tailspot Wrasse, Bangaii Cardinal, Powder Blue Tang, Lined Blenny, 2x Vanderbilts Chromis, Scopas Tang, Royal Gramma, Neon Goby
Inverts: 2 Crocea clams, 2 Maxima clams, 1 squamosa clam, tuxedo urchin, various snails, abalone

Some days I'd say I was heavily stocked, other days I'd say moderate. Today I need 3 more vanderbilts chromis :razz:

[Snappy]

Like Steve I have 3 tanks (total water 270 gal) plumbed to a common sump with a reasonably high load at 40+:
regal tang,
chevron tang,
naso tang,
yellow tang,
sailfin tang,
coral beauty,
flame angels x2,
potters angel,
damsels x3,
chromis x3,
pipe fish,
banggai cardinals x2,
fairy wrasses x3,
foxface,
rabbit,
hawk,
niger trigger,
scooter blenny,
bi-colour blenny,
marine beta,
dottybacks x2,
royal grama,
firefish,
clown goby,
watchman gobies x4,
percula,
black/white ocileris x2,
false percs x2,
black cucumber & various inverts.
That's all I can think of right off.

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Very high bioload in my 210g reef: 7 yellow tangs, 1 Achilles, 1 Powderblue, 1 Regal tang; Potter's, African Flameback and Cherub dwarf angels; Blue Fairy, Cleaner and Yellow Wrasses; Midas and Red striped blennies. I used to have more fish in there but caught them out (actually, one jumped out so I put it into the 120g Fowlr)

The Fowlr has 1 med, 1 small porcupine puffer; 1 Snowflake moray; 1 Purple, 1 Powder Brown, 1 Regal tang; 1 Coral Beauty and 1 Lemonpeel dwarf angel; and 1 cleaner wrasse.

[Canuckgod420]

72g bow front
10g refugium
40g prop tank
20g sump

Approx 100lbs Jakarta and Fiji live rock

4" sand bed in display and refugium

1 yellow tang
1 kole tang
1 copperband butterfly
1 lyretail anthias
1 rabbitfish
2 false purcs(mating every month)
2 mandernfish(mating all the time)
1 dragonhead goby
20 snails
10-15 hermit crabs
1 seahare
1 lettuce slug
1 large anemone
1 3' BRISTTLEWORM!!!!
countless other worms

[fishoholic]

I have a very high bioload in my tank too, and I have to admit after reading some of the others I don't feel as bad anymore.

I have a 230g display and 110g sump. 200 pounds LR and lots of corals.

Tangs:
1 Lavender
1 Regal
1 Naso
1 Salfin
1 Yellow
1 Clown

Angelfish:
1 Queen
1 Emperor
1 Blueface
1 Coral beauty

Clowns:
2 Perc.'s
1 Saddleback

1 CBB

Gobies:
1 Mandarin
1 Green clown
1 Yellowhead sleeper

5 Chromis

1 Cleaner wrasse

1 Blueline pipefish (refugium)

1 G-smithi (small) mantis (sump)

1 pom pom crab

1 GBTA

1 Feather duster

Some snails and hermit crabs

One very large really good ASM skimmer

Ok so maybe I do feel bad, anyone want to set up a 1000g in my basement :redface: However I will say this: there is lots of swimming room as well as hiding places, all the fish are fairly healthy and they all get along really well together.

*Update: we added a 28g long zoa tank to our current system and it has 1 yellow clown goby, 1 bi-colour blenny, 1 sixline wrasse and 1 clam

[Lance]

90 gal with 70 gal sump.
FISH:
sailfin tang
foxface
coral beauty angel
ocellaris clown
pajama cardinal
green mandarin
yellow watchman goby
blue gudgeon
firefish.
INVERTS:
4 hermits
12 snails
3 feather dusters
scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp.

The SF tang, foxface and coral beauty will soon be going in the new 225 gal.

[Myka]

33g w/ 28lbs LR:

2 Bangaiis (breeding)
1 True Perc
1 Hector's Goby

1 Peppermint Shrimp
1 Brittle star

Less than 10 snails.

[EmilyB]

65g

Blackblotch Trigger
Blackback Butterfly
Saddleback clownfish
Six-line wrasse
One Spot Foxface

Chocolate chip Star
Tuxedo type Urchin (white)
2 BTA

SeaHorse, would love to see a video of 7 yellow tangs !

[banditpowdercoat]

My sig says it all

[tgoeujon]

55 gallon

powder brown tang
scopas tang
2 true percs
wheelers prawn goby
salarias blenny
citron goby
green chromis

2 blood shrimp
2 cleaners
sand sifting shrimp
peppermint shrimp
sand star
2 pom pom crabs
4 emerald crabs
too many snails and hermits to count
green brittle star

12 gallon

2 reiddi seahorses
yellow watchman goby

6 peppermint shrimp
coral banded shrimp
pom pom crab
8 porcelain crabs
2 large feather dusters
acro crab
lots of hermits and snails

[Drock169]

125g + model 2 sump Very high bioload
1 7" Metallic Foxface
1 5" Powder Blue
1 6" Red Sea Sailfin
1 5" Purple
1 5" Hippo
1 3" Copperband Butterfly
1 2" Sixline wrasse
1 2.5" Green Mandarin
1 2" Cleaner Wrasse
1 2" Clown

5 Large Cleaner shrimp,
1 Large Fire Shrimp
1 Large Pair of Harlequin Shrimp
1 4" Seahare
1 ~5" Abalone
5 Blue legs hermits
Not sure how many trochus snails are in there
2 Anemones
3 Crocea
2 Derasa
1 Maxima

I think thats everything, no wonder my nitrates and phosphates are so high :P

[sunce_22]

3 tanks: small bioload I think. I do not use sumps or skimmers or anything. Just LR and powerheads. I think they call it the Berlin system? Its all natural filtering. I do water changes once a month. Everything is happy and thriving.

20G:
2 one inch Naked Clownfish
1 Cleaner Shrimp
15 Blue Leg Hermit Crabs
8 Astrea snails
5 margarita snails

20G:
1 two inch black and white Clownfish
1 one inch percula
1 two inch sea urchin
1 three inch Mantis shrimp (inside a pastic container)
15 Hermit crabs
8 Margarita snails

10G:
2.5 inch Mantis shrimp
1.5 inch Three-stripe Damsel
4 hermit crabs (which the shrimp does not eat)
10 snails (which become the food of choice)

[Delphinus]

Wow really interesting reading here! :)

Here are my bioloads:

20g - two flame angels, small abalone, small spattering of various snails
40g - two S. gigantea anemones, 1 E. quadricolor anemone, CC star, tiger cowry, 2 A. ocellaris, small spattering of various snails, stomatella breeding ground, aiptasia hatchery
75g - Z. desjardini tang, Flame hawk, sixline wrasse, CBB, potters angel; 2 urchins (blue tuxedo and math), 10 (or so) clams
115g- H. magnifica anemone, 2 S. gigantea anemones, 2 two-barred rabbitfish, 1 orchid dottyback, (until this weekend) canary wrasse, 1 clam, cleaner shrimp, peppermint shrimp, large abalone, green urchin, sand dollar (at least I put one in there, I never see it), hedgehog urchin, 2 conchs, 1 cucumber

To be honest I thought MY bioload was high. No offense but holey man there's a lot of fish in people's tanks!!! I still feel *my* bioload is high, so I guess I won't say what I think your guys's bioloads are :lol: I guess I subscribe to a uncommon philosophy to husbandry.. for better or worse, I don't know..

[Der_Iron_Chef]

...aiptasia hatchery...

This made me literally L-O-L. :lol:

[Skimmerking]

120 gal with a 75 gal sump bio load med i guess
kole tang
2 clowns
algae blenny
sand goby
royaL Gramma
1 peppermint shrimp
3 blue linkia
1 red linkia
orange brittle star
leopard brittle star
2 chromis
1 red legged crab lol
assorted snails around 30+

that i can remember since i havent seen my tank in 3 months :S

[Pier Pressure]

My bioload is high but everyone is healthy and happy. We change out 15% of the water per week.

28 gallon bowfront reef containing:

1 blenny
1 chromis
2 clownfish

10 snails (approx.)
10 hermit crabs (approx.)
2 cleaner shrimp
3 peppermint shrimp (have not seen them in a while)
1 GBTA (1 inch)
1 RBTA (3 inch)

plus numerous corals.

[Whatigot]

72 gallon bowfront w 20 gallons in sump, 110 lbs LR/40 lbs mixed substrate and rs80.

3 x Royal Gramma
5 x Chalk Bass
Yellowtail Blue Damsel
11 x pistol shrimp and counting
Porcelain crab
5 hermits
30 snails
blue linkia star
Yellow Tang
Blue/Green Chromis
2 x sexy shrimp
2 x peppermint shrimp
fighting conch
orange shoe conch
devils hand leather
toadstool leather
gsp
anthelia
pom pom xenia
Mushrooms galore, some hairy some watermelon and some various
purple acro
palys and zoas all over
many kenya tree frags growing rapidy

[Aquattro]

90g
70# LR
1 Yellow Tang
2 false percs
2 cleaner shrimp
1 fire shrimp
sand sifting star
2 hermits
dozen or so snails
tuxedo urchin
2 clams

[Pier Pressure]

My bioload is high but everyone is healthy and happy. We change out 15% of the water per week.

28 gallon bowfront reef containing:

1 blenny
1 chromis
2 clownfish

10 snails (approx.)
10 hermit crabs (approx.)
2 cleaner shrimp
3 peppermint shrimp (have not seen them in a while)
1 GBTA (1 inch)
1 RBTA (3 inch)

plus numerous corals.

Oh, yeah - I forgot to mention I have roughly 35 pounds of live rock.

[Chowder]

105 gallon.
1 Scopas Tang
1 Reagal Tang
1 Eibli Tang
1 Copper band
3 Pajama Cardinals
1 Glass Cardinal
1 Possum Wrasse
2 Cromis
3 Damsels
1 Peppermint Goby
1 Convict Goby
1 Yellow Assessor
2 Cleaner Shrimp
1 Reef Lobster
2 Dozen Snails
Dozen Hermits
5 Clams
3 Brittle Stars
1 Urchin

[Jason McK]

WOW, OK maybe I need more fish

370G display, 90G sump, 30G frag all plumbed together for about 350G net water volume
300lbs LR
1 Sailfin Tang
1 Orange shoulder Tang
1 Cheveron Tang
1 Naso Tang
1 FoxFace Rabit fish
1 arc eye hawk fish
1 frogfish
2 small chromis living in my overflow (because of the nasty arc eye)

[mark]

Aquarium: 145g BB with 75g sump and 20g refugium (~200g water)
LR: guessing 120lbs
Fish: Purple and Regal Tangs, Foxface, 6-line wrasse, 3 clowns and 2 damsels
Others: mix LPS, SPS and softies, clam, few BL hermits and large snails

NO3 alway zero or the next lowest with Salifert.

[Oceanic]

150 Gallons bare bottom, 140+lbs of rock with 30 Gallon Sump.

2 anthias
1 unidentified dark brown/black tang
1 six-line wrasse
1 foxface
1 harlequin tusk
4 chromis
1 majestic angel
3 clowns
1 pajama cardinal

tons of SPS lots of LPS, hermits, snails, urchin, etc

too much? maybe! :mrgreen:

[Der_Iron_Chef]

So, I'm finding this very interesting indeed! This is what I was hoping would happen. I see some people have quite a few fish in their systems (relative to size), while others have very few. Some have oodles of snails and shrimp while others have very few (or none?).

What is the key to striking a healthy balance? Is it in determining what individual fish need, as far as territory, free space for swimming, etc? Is it in determining how many you can keep while still maintaining water quality?

Thoughts? Observations? Humorous anecdotes?

[Jason McK]

I love Tangs. But only wanted 1 from each family.
I have since thought it would be cool to have only small fish like Damsels in my tank.
So until my tangs live out their natural lives I will not buy any more fish. then I'll get 50 damsels LOL

J

[christyf5]

I think that in determining fish load you need to take all those things into account. Some fish require the whole tank to themselves because of their "personality" others are community fish and get along with everyone. Others start out great and get more aggressive as they get bigger. I think its a matter of knowing your tank and seeing how they all interact before you add another fish. For me I like to think I take those things into account but occasionally I make dumb moves that turn out okay...mostly.

Its unlikely that I'll be adding another fish anytime soon to my tank (although don't hold me to it :wink:) but I take into account how much the fish eats (and how much comes out the other end), max size, whether its a swimmer or a sitter/hoverer, color (I know this sounds stilly but no more blue fish, my regal gets quite ticked) also what the increased bioload may do to the tank. I do 10% water changes every week to suck out all the detritus and get some fresh water in there which I think has helped a lot in making my tank successful....mostly. Sure I've got to put up with wafer algae and caulerpa gluing my rocks together but I just don't look at it as much :razz:

[fkshiu]

135 gallon display + 55 gallon sump (~150 gallons total volume) - mixed reef

-regal tang
-purple tang
-royal gramma
-yellow coris wrasse
-six line wrasse
-clown goby
-oc. clown x2
-pink spotted watchman goby
-signal goby (MIA for the last few days)

-cleaner/fire/pistol/peppermint/sexy shrimpx2 (enough for a cocktail)
-abalone
-blue tux urchin
-various snails
-10 scarlet hermits
-pom pom crab
-crocea/maxima/squamosa clams
-fighting conch x2

[marie]

... Some have oodles of snails and shrimp while others have very few (or none?).


I guess I should of added "more snails then you can shake a stick at" they are breeding like rabbits in all 3 of my systems

[SeaShell]

I have a 140 gallon tank plus a 30 gallon sump with:
Yellow Watchman Goby
Fox Face
Yellow Tang
Dottyback
10 Blue Chromis (love, love, love these little guys!)
2 big evil Damsels

Oh, and some very large and scary blue leg crabs, a bunch of snails and a tuxedo urchin.

Rock..... um..... I dunno how many pounds are in there, 150 lbs sound about right?

[fishoholic]

What is the key to striking a healthy balance?

Is it in determining how many you can keep while still maintaining water quality?

Thoughts? Observations? Humorous anecdotes?

That works for me! LOL

I will admit I have a very strong addiction to the fish in this hobby, I have a hard time resisting "just one more"

[Pier Pressure]

My snails breed like crazy and so do my cleaner shrimp so lots of live food in the tank. I also find it hard to say no to "just one more" fish. This crazy little voice in my head is seductively whispering "upgrade" but so far I have managed to resist it!

[BC Mosaic]

80g with a 33g sump and a 30g refugium all looped together.
135 lbs. of LR between the 3 set ups.
100lbs of substrate between the 3 set ups
2 clowns
3 chromis
1 bi colour blenny
1 powder brown tang
2 bengaii (recent/todays addition :redface:)
1 cleaner shrimp
snails + crabs

I will upgrade - honest:mrgreen:

[Johnny Reefer]

180g Reef, with 135g sump. 336 lbs LR. Net 247g.

Fish
2 Green Mandarins (male & female)
2 Tasseled Filefish
1 Yellow Tang
1 Powder Blue Tang
2 False Percula Clownfish
1 Coral Beauty Dwarf Angel
I Eibl’s Dwarf Angel
5 Green Chromis

Inverts
15?, or so, Peppermint Shrimp
2 Sand Sifting Archaster Starfish
5 Blue Legged Hermit Crabs
1 Cowrie? (haven’t seen it in a long time)
5 Featherdusters
1 Coco Worm
1 Crocea Clam

180g FOWLR, with 70g sump. 265 lbs LR. Net 205g.
1 Pink Tail Trigger
1 Humuhumu Trigger
1 Blue Chin Trigger
(Recently lost 1 Clown Trigger. Plan on one more Trigger or an Angelfish).
No inverts.

[phillybean]

Well my tank is new, but...

75 Gallon with 15 gallon sump and 25 gallon fuge.

90lbs of rock in the tank, 10 pounds of live and 40 lbs of base in the fuge.
5 Hermits
1 Turbo Snail
2 True Percs
Sandsifting Star

I plan on a Powder Brown, Copperband, Lawnmower Blenny, Mandrin and Coral Beauty. Also a Mantis Shrimp in the fuge.

[Marlin65]

25 Gal main 22.5 Gallon fuge and 7.5 gallon Sump.
Total volume 55 Gallon total
One black clown, one green clown gobie, and soon to be added(In quarantine) Blue spot jaw fish.
Still want to add one more black clown, and a wrasse of some sort.

[bv_reefer]

33 display w/ 20 gallon sump
Sailfin tang
tomato clown
3 chromis
bluesided wrasse
yellow wrasse
scooter blenny
2 coral banded shrimp
medium bta

...not to shabby...i'd call it a moderate bioload

[fishytime]

110g mixed reef, 55g sump, 120lbs LR.

flame angel
bi-color angel
pair of ocellaris
royal gramma
talbots damsel

3 squamosa clams
3 cleaner shrimp
1 pep shrimp
couple left over hermits
2 feather dusters
coco worm
6 astrea snails
10 red stripe trochus snails
15 ish nassarius snails

1 maybe 2 small tangs in the future.

[Ephraim]

90 gal tank, 120 lbs live rock

Yellow Tang
Kole Tang
Blue Tang
Leuitenant Tang
Sebae Clown x 2
Dusky Jawfish
Yasha Shrimp Goby
Purple Fire Fish
Fire Fish
Lubbock's Wrasse
Pencil Wrasse
Lawnmower Blenny

Pistol Shrimp x 6
Rock Flower Anemone x 4
Seksy shrimp x 1

[KevinFJB]

112g reef wioth 40g sump/refugium:

Achilles Tang
Dwarf Golden Moray Eel
Golden Rhomboid Wrasse
Lineatus Wrasse
Laboutei Wrasse
Mystery Wrasse
Yellow Tail blue Damsel
Percula
Tomato Clown in RBTA
Copperband Butterfly
Flame Angel
clown Goby
Painted Frogfish (in refugium)
4-5 Astrea Snails
Brittle Star
2 Cleaner Shrimp

[Parker]

5.5 Gallon
6 lbs - Live Rock
1ea False Perc
1ea Cealner shrimp