Adding 10 new fish at once

[Myrphie]

It's never easy to say when your tank has reached its capacity, unfortunately.

As for the wrasses and gobies not being a lot to add at once, you have to keep in mind that right now your tank is sustaining 9 fish with it's current bacteria population. By adding 5 more fish, even if they are small, you are going to be increasing the ammount of ammonia being produced and there will be a gap in time between the fish being added and the bacteria catching up and it will stress the fish out until that mini-cycle has finished. This happens anytime you add a new fish to the tank, but obviously for a single fish the gap is usually so small that it isn't an issue.

 

[Jocko]

Oh lets not forget that the clown gobies will nip and your SPS. In fact I had one that actually stripped the flesh off half a frag within a couple of days. I know they are supposed to just mess with the bottom where they lay their eggs, but I can only go based on what I've seen.

Also remember that your existing fish will grow. And what's up with the mandarin in the refugium? Why not in the main display? I think if you have predators in your fuge its not technically a refugium.

 

[Sk8r]

What matters is adult size. I have a 52g, and have: a yellow watchman goby, a mandarin, 3 highfin redstripe gobies, 2 firefish, 1 chromis, a rainsford goby, and a tailspot blenny. The max girth on these fish doesn't change much, they're mostly cigar-shaped, and the length will stay between 2" to 4". I think of the measuring cup method for reckoning fish capacity: mine, at adult size, would all fit, mass-wise, into a half a measuring cup, if that.

It's not so much the number, it's the habits [do they use a 6 foot run to charge their system with oxygen: mine don't; tangs and anthias do.] And each gobylike fish will claim about 6 inches of bottom as territory. So I do the math and come out with something to compare with my tank size. And it's ok.

I know many of the species you propose, and feel that the one mandarin will do fine, maybe the pipefish in the fuge, too, if it's a small type. The clown gobies are tiny and cling to their territory; ditto the flasher wrasses and fairy wrasses. The regular-sized wrasses tend to grow huge, and would overpower that tank. Just take a look at their habits, how much they travel, plus how big they are, and strike off any fish that will max at a big body girth or a big body length, and you're fine.

 

[FelipeBastos]

Jocko,

I have heard of folks that say the same: a refugium cannot have any predators.

But I have found that, at least in my case, the mandarin is not depleting the population too badly. I can see tons of them on the glass, rocks, and because I never clean it, there is a slight film on the glass walls that house a lot of pods.

I put him there because I have never had a mandarin before and was worried he would not get enough pods on the main display.

Sk8r, I think most my fish, except the male clown and maybe the Fridmani, have reached max. size. They are all small fish.
the wrasse hasn't grown in the year I've had him.

Felipe

 

[FelipeBastos]

I know this may be an unfair question, and grossly oversimplified, but what would be a large number of fish in a 65G display, 3 feet long, hooked to a 100G system, while still being a comfortable home to all living init?

Felipe

 

[Sk8r]

I consider 6 inches of territory per very small fish, like a watchman, and calculate my display bottom area. Since territory 'moves' a bit in the evenings, this lets the whole system flex a bit, as I always leave a couple of slots vacant. You can technically sustain a big Pacific salmon in a 50g tank with a lot of flow and reserve tanks behind it, but that fish still won't be more than existing and unhappy, because he can't move, just swim in place all day long. Consider the empty zones in your tank as 'moving space' for your crew, and allow enough empty slots so the population can move around, sort of like a Rubik's Cube.

 

[zachstone13]

Phillipe, I have a 65 gallon, with almost a 100 gallons of total system volume also. I was wondering what you thought about me adding a rock beauty, sohal tang, purple tang, chevron tang, imperator angel, and queen angel all at once. Its only 6 more fish....

 

[FelipeBastos]

I think it's a great idea! I'd add a panther grouper to that list and maybe a stingray or shark

I was actually talkking to a friend about this last night. He has a 150 total system with 17 fish, about 9 of them tangs.

Super healthy system, everything is thriving, some fish even went in sick and now are doing well. No deaths in a while. But he runs a UV light, had a good skimmer, and has been reefing for a while.

Felipe

 

[eskymick]

I would skip the two pink skunk clowns (you already have an established pair of false percs) and add the rest as you planned. You obviously have a very well established tank and fuge.

The fish you're adding are very small .. and I doubt they would add much more to the bioload than if you added a single tang instead.

To be on the safe side, feed sparingly for a few days.