Max FIsh

[iiinas]

What would be the max loading of fish for a 135 gallon 72X18X24 fish with 200 pounds live rock aquarium with no coral? Is there a simple formula of maybe counting inches? I was hoping to go with 16-18 total fish, 5-6 large, 5-6 Med, 5-8 small. The question is purely a bio-load question. I am aware of fish types and what works there. The tank has a 30 gallon sump - wet/dry, a euro reef skimmer, and a 20 gallon refugium.

thanks all,
Neil

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

It's not a matter of inches (within reason). Think of how messy they are, how much they eat, and how much waste they make to determine bio-load. It's a matter of personal opinion truthfully. There is no set rule. For example, a large trigger that tears up large meaty food will have a bigger bioload than a little mandarinfish that just picks on copepods.

Another determining factor is territory size and amount of room needed. Sure, you could fit a Sailfin Tang in there, but they grow 15" long. Not to mention they are probably a good 18-20" tall when they spread their fins. They would command a lot of territory, and like most surgeonfish and tangs, they enjoy lots of moving area with dashes of speed. But a Volitan Lionfish grows to be about the same size, but likes to not move much and doesn't really command a territory at all.

It's up to your best judgement

 

[techigirl78]

Can you list the fish you want? Its hard to say with just the numbers, but I think it would be too many. Is this a reef tank or FO?

 

[fishes2889]

techigirl- he said no corals

iiinas- the best thing you can do is go by your personal opinion just like travis said. I personally would go with 1 or 2 show fish (large) and build a stocking list around those two fish.=)

~Steve~

 

[techigirl78]

Guess I should read better. Still seems like too many fish, they'll run out of room as they get bigger. I'd agree, pick one or two show fish and then get a few other interesting fish that can be housed with them. On a side note, it still really depends on what fish we're talking about.

 

[The steven liu]

It is trickier to figure out fish capacity in salt than fresh. like these guys have suggested, size is not necessary the matter. It really depends on what you plan to keep. So it'll be the best if you give us a list of fishes you'd like to keep and we can all figure out together what goes well together and what not in whatever amount you'd like to keep.

 

[iiinas]

I bought a 135 gallon tank on ebay that came with 3 large fish: 1 blue tang, 1 Purple tang, and 1 Koran Angel. I want to add fish I have in another tank to make a fish only system, then turn my other to a reef. I would like to add 1 Vlamigi tang, 1 red coris wrass, a pair of false clowns, and a few green chromis for now. I was hoping to add a few more small fish later.

Thanks,
Neil

I figure the tang police might come after me on this one.

 

[McCrary]

Vlamingi is out, they just get too big.

 

[techigirl78]

I'd agree on not adding the Vlamingi tang, they need a 300 gallon tank.

What do you consider "small"? The two tangs, angel, and wrasse should be ok. I'd be concerned about the size of the wrasse in comparison to the "small fish", including the clowns and chromis. Once the wrasse is bigger, it may make a short meal of the small fish (1-2"). Also, adding smaller fish down the road may be asking for trouble as all coris wrasses can be territorial and aggressive once established. Here's a good article on them: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/fishes/wrasses/coris/gaimard.htm

 

[techigirl78]

Double post. Sorry.