How many fish in a 46 gallon?

[Sheni Angel]

I have 5 small fish in my 46 gallon reef tank but I really crave to have 2 more favorites. They are all full grown at no more than 4 inches. Is it okay to have 7 "4" inchers if you are keeping very good water and have the equipment to handle it, or is that too many? Thanks~ Sheni

 

[sir_dudeguy]

IMO you're already at the limit if all of them are 4 inches. 7 of them would be a bad idea imo. Not that the bioload would be too much to handle, but because thats not enough room for the fish

 

[McCrary]

What fish do you have in your 46 gallon and what fish were you hoping to add?

 

[Sheni Angel]

Right now I have

*Flame Angel

*LawnMower Blenny

*Pearly Headed Jawfish (of course lives in his burrow)

*Black Cap Gramma (mostly in his cave)

*False Percula (pretty small)


I am going to add a Mandarin when my Copepod population is built up and please don't flame me but I'm going to be honest.....

I was HOPING to add one of the "tiny 1 inch Hippo Tangs" for maybe a year until I upgrade to the bigger tank.. Thought it'd be cute if I got a baby baby one. I respect that Tangs need a lot of room which is why I said a TINY one and than make sure the bigger tank comes later or I would let him go to the LFS.

 

[McCrary]

Good going with the Black Cap Gramma you don't see them very often (mine has a personality all his own). I think a tang would be out of the question, "tiny" Pacific Blue tangs tend to not fare very well and seem prone to HLLE. At the LFS I used to work at we had high mortality rates with very small tangs. The mandarin should be fine, I have a pair and they have been switched to brine, if you can't get them switched to prepared foods there are always copepods available for purchase. Your tank ihas a nice balance and I'm sure if you watch the aggression closely you might even be able to get another fish or two. My 110 is ridiculously stuffed, but I like it that way and the extra work is well worth the aesthetic.

Matt's 110 Stocking List:
1- Regal Angel
1- Purple Tang
2- Mandarin
1- Purple Firefish
1- Regular Firefish
1- Dispar Anthia
1- Black Cap Gramma
2- Clownfish
1- Orchid Pseudochromis
1- Cleaner wrasse
7- Green Chromis
1- Canary Fang Blenny

 

[Duddly01]

NO on the tang, yes on the mandarin. That is if you can find one that eats prepared foods or you have an established refugium hooked to your system. I have 6 in my 50 gal. similar loadout to yours, I am not adding any more. I had 7 but my firefish jumped, through the egg crate and was found cooked by the lights on top of it.

2- Clarkii clowns
1- Coral Beauty
1- Midas Blenny
1- Blotched sand goby
1- Green mandarin

Ask your LFS to test their Mandarins to see if they eat prepared foods. If they wont move on to the next store, Mandarins are never in short supply, ones that eat prepared food on the other hand are very rare. I picked one up last weekend that loves mysis. The owner of my local fish store was nice enough to test the 20+ she had and we found two that ate prepared foods readily.

 

[Sheni Angel]

Thanks for your comments and information on your tanks and stocking lists. I really figured the Tang was a bad idea but didn't know that they didn't even fare well when small. Figured it'd be the opposite with the adults more stressed out. :eek1: That's true that I could be looking into a Mandarin that accepts prepared foods. Great thought, thanks! I have wanted one for SO MANY YEARS and I'm tired of waiting!