My first thread, am I over stocking?

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Donnie2112

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Aug 5, 2009
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27
Location
Anchorage, AK
So I currently have a 55 gallon tank with about 90 lbs of rock in it, an overflow/sump setup a protein skimmer, with sand, mud, another 10 or so lbs of rock and a kalerpa. I've also got some impressive fluorescent lighting (the guy at the fish store said I can grow anything I want).

As far as fish go I have a nice sized yellow tang, a royal gramma, a green coris wrasse and 7 blue green chromis. Other then the tang chasing my royal gramma every once in a while everybody seems to get along really well. For Motile invertebrates I have two peppermint shrimp, two cleaner shrimp (my tang loves my cleaner shrimp), 5 hermit crabs, 4 emerald crabs and 5 turbo snails. On the sessile invertebrate side of the house I don't have that much just a couple types of star polyps, three purple mushrooms and my latest addition a really nice green zoo colony.

I was hoping to add a LOT more coral and at the max 4 more fish and hopefully a tridacna.

Here's what I had in mind. I wanted to add some acropora's up top, perhaps an open brain, maybe a montipora, a leather or two, maybe a spaghetti, a bubble and I without fail want an anemone with a couple of little clowns hosting (I know that I should be cautious about multiple clowns.)

Other then the clowns I've thought about a couple of gobies (I really want a psychedelic) and that'll do it for fish.

I also have 50 more little snails and 50 hermit crabs on order for my tank.

I guess my question is, am I being too ambitious? Do I already have too many fish in my little 55? Should I have thought of this before hand and just gotten a 100 gallon tank? Thus far my water quality has been really good and all of my life stock have been playing nice but I don't want to over do it.
 
Welcome to AA! :)

Sorry, but in my opinion you are grossly overstocked. Define "flourescent" lighting? Do you have a sump? Skimmer? I'm afraid you may have been getting some terrible advice.
 
I wouldn't get the goby, which is not a goby. It's a dragonet (mandarin). They can be a pain to train to substitute foods. Their main diet is copepods, and they eat them constantly. You hve to many snails and hermits on order IMO. I think you may be a tad overstocked.
 
I'd have to agree with HN1, that's pretty stuffed. Everyone has different opinions on tank size, but that tang alone needs a larger tank.
 
rats

they are 48 inch compact fluorescents and yes I have a protein skimmer. My tang seems pretty happy though. I really would like a lot more on the coral side of the house.
 
How many bulbs are in your fixture? I have yet to see a 4' power compact fixture that would be able to sustain clams, anemones, or acropora in a 55 gallon. You'll need a lighting upgrade to be able to keep any of these IMO.
 
interesting

4 bulbs in the fixture, two blue and two white and then it's got some little LED moonlights, the lighting set up cost me 400 bucks.
 
I'm afraid that won't be nearly enough light for anemones, clams, or sps. HO T5 or MH would be the way to go for those animals.
 
so why's this a problem?

Yeah I looked up the T5 and I guess that's what I got (or something extremely similar). I'm friends with my reef store owner and I trust his judgement (he has AMAZING tanks). I also would like to emphasize that all of the fish seem to be doing very well and my nitrate levels are extremely low. And all of the fish are playing nice. I've seen many tanks that are far more crowded then mine. If water quality and territorial fish issues are not the problem with how many fish I have then what is? If you guys are thinking that it's going to be water quality do you think I can get away with just doing more frequent water changes?
 
I wouldnt say your "grossly" overstocked. Depending on your sump size. The chromis are a schooling fish so territory shouldnt be an issue, and they are not a bully fish to other species. The yellow tang would probably prefer a bigger enclosure though. The gramma and wrasse can be territorial but wont do too much to the school. And in my opinion the "reef cleaner packages" you see online are a little overkill. In the end I would say dont go any further, which is hard to do, so much too buy yet so little space.
 
I thought they were power compacts...
Are the bulbs straight or curved? Do you have 4 2 foot bulbs, or 4 4 foot bulbs?
 
define no further

Would you say "go no further" you're just talking about fish right? I certainly want more coral And although 50 and 50 might be excessive I still think I need more crabs and snails. BTW the wrasse is still just a little guy maybe an inch and a half. I guess I'm just confused because my reefer friends seem to have much more crowded tanks then I do. I kind of still want clowns too, but perhaps it might be a bad plan. I was kind of expecting to hear not to go "much further" and maybe all the coral I want might be a little ambitious. My fish seem so happy.

Also am not sure of the capacity of my sump system but I had to add about 15 gallons of water, a gallon of mud, 10 lbs of sand and about 10 lbs of live rock.
 
lighting

I thought they were power compacts. I don't know much about lighting, I just asked my buddy to hook me up with a light that would allow me to grow whatever I want. And it's four four foot bulbs.
 
Sounds like HO T5 to me. That's much better. I'm still not quite sure it's enough for clams or anemones, but you can keep some of the easier sps corals.
 
I was talking about the fish. I dont know carrying capacities for sessile inverts or corals. But you have more in your 55 than I have in my 120 and Im trying to sale some to get another fish.
 
So what should I be watching for? Should I just keep an eye on my nitrate levels? Should it become a problem I can always take some back to the store for credit. What other problems might I be causing do to my grossly or slightly crowded tank?
 
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I wouldnt say your "grossly" overstocked. Depending on your sump size. The chromis are a schooling fish so territory shouldnt be an issue, and they are not a bully fish to other species. The yellow tang would probably prefer a bigger enclosure though. The gramma and wrasse can be territorial but wont do too much to the school. And in my opinion the "reef cleaner packages" you see online are a little overkill. In the end I would say dont go any further, which is hard to do, so much too buy yet so little space.

I'm afraid that I disagree. It's about swimming space, not total water volume so I don't care if there is a 200G sump. 7 Chromis in a 55G with 90# of rock have to be cramped. Not to mention the inverts....
 
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