How much fish is too much?

marie · #1 05-06-2007, 05:34 PM

I don't think going by inches per gallon is a good way to figure out how many fish to have. A lot depends on the system and the type of fish.
You have fish that produce lots of waste and they will reach a relatively large adult size. The sailfin tang alone is supposed to reach 16" when it is full grown and would probably produce a lot more waste then 8 2" chromis (as an example).
All that said I personally think you have too many large fish for a 120g tank. The sailfin, regal and probably the lavender are going to be to big to fit comfortably in a 4ft, 120g even if they were by themselves and I do see nutrient problems in your future if you keep all those fish

fishoholic · #2 05-06-2007, 05:49 PM

What size tank do you think we should upgrade too?

marie · #3 05-06-2007, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fishoholic

What size tank do you think we should upgrade too?

At least a 6ft long, 180g... as long as you don't add any more large fish when you upgrade

*Edit* How about this one

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=32609

fishoholic · #4 05-06-2007, 06:04 PM

No more fish are planned, just trying to convince my boyfriend that I think we need a bigger tank. There is a great deal on a 230g that I'd love to get but it won't fit down the hall to the basement

and I don't think I can convince him to figure out a way to brace the flooring better so that it could go upstairs

Plus it would mean upgrades to lighting etc.

fishoholic · #5 05-06-2007, 06:05 PM

That's the one I want!!!!!

andsoitgoes · #6 05-06-2007, 06:36 PM

LOL - never ask another reefer "Do you think I should upgrade?"

You should ALWAYS upgrade!!!

Seriously though - you have to look at the metabolism of each fish in the system - I had 3 fish at one time in my nano (7g) and I was fine, they were all "light" swimmers, blennies, gobies, etc - and one firefish.

But if you have highly active fish in your tanks, you're going to run into problems no matter what.

However, the best way I've found to figure out if you're overloading is to look at your tank - what is it telling you? Do you have Cyano issues? Do you struggle with other algae?

Also - if you worry, do more frequent water changes, that'll help remove the crap and keep it at a normal level of being.