too many softies?????

[han012]

i currently have the following:

20+ head frogspawn
20+ heads yellow polyps
40+ head various zoas
6 inch mat of GSP
6 mushrooms
& about 3-4 other various softie frags

i'm planning on adding 2 huge mushrooms & about 20 more mushrooms to my tank.

i currently have a 55 aga & my calcium's around 400-415 w/ alk 13 dkh

i don't have the money or knowledge to do alk & calcium supplementation.

when do i know if my tank is too overcrowded?

 

[Malum Argenteum]

If you are indeed only 3 months into the hobby, you might want to slow down a bit with adding the livestock. Read and learn. Too many folks go crazy for a year, then their tanks go downhill because they have too much money but not enough knowledge into their tanks, and they quit the hobby. Patience.

That said, concern yourself with contact aggression from the mushrooms. Shrooms touch your frogspawn, and it will be dead. Also, softies generally are allopathic as well -- they exude chemicals that check the growth of other organisms in the tank. Another reason to slow down, watch your livestock, and let what you have grow.

If it looks crowded, it is crowded. Look at other folks tanks to get a feel for this.

 

[han012]

1 thing's for sure, i don't have enough money!!! =D

the biggest coral i have is my frogspawn & it's in the center of the tank away from any of my other corals.

the main thing that concerns me is the chemicals all these corals will release. i haven't updated my signature-i actually have about 5 months of experience now. i haven't added any more corals for a month & my water seems stable. also, the corals that i do have area growing at a steady rate.

i figure if these corals get too bad, i'll just frag it out & sell them to try to get some $$$

any other opinions/advice?

 

[dendro982]

i don't have the money or knowledge to do alk & calcium supplementation.
when do i know if my tank is too overcrowded?

1. You already have high alkalinity, no need to raise it by adding alkalinity supplements, Ca is not bad too, and the corals are growing well. If you will need Ca supplement, $6 250 g bottle of the Seachem Reef Advantage Calcium lasts for a some time (teaspoon per 40g raises Ca on 12.5 mg/l, if memory serves right).

2. When no more place left
Sooner or later, you will run out of space... You may sell the frags, as corals grow, or bring them to LFS for a store credit - at least you can have the salt mix.