how many fish for a 55 gallon tank?

[shjuho]

How many fish do you suggest for a 55 gallon fish only tank?

 

[fishfreek]

I wish I did not have to answer your question with another question but to get an accurate and correct answer we will need to.

WHat kind of fish are you wanting to keep?

The reason we need to ask this question is because a 55 can be the right size for 1 fish or 5 fish depending on the fish and the size of the fish.

 

[shjuho]

clown, royal gramma, yellow tang, flame angel, blue tang,scarlet hawk are all candidates.

 

[Guest]

Technically, I feel, regardless of the fish you want to keep, the general rule is 1" of fish not including the tail, for every 5 gallons of water. So just like fishfreek said, you could have 1) 11" fish, or 11) 1" fish, or 5) 2-1/5" fish, etc... This is all providing that you have proper filtration for the volume of water you have...

IMO, 2 tangs in a 55 is too many let alone 1 tang... I have an Atlantic Blue Tang in my 55, and he is out growing it rapidly...The Clown and Royal Gramma, the Flame angel and Scarlet Hawl are good candidates...though...

 

[KLN]

Do cleaner animals -- shrimp and snails, for instance -- add to the bilogical load? Do they limit the number of fish you can have in the tank?

 

[steve-s]

Do cleaner animals -- shrimp and snails, for instance -- add to the bilogical load? Do they limit the number of fish you can have in the tank?

No, sessile and mobile inverts will not detract from the available fish space or add to the waste producing bio-load, at least not in the beginning. The only time it will be a factor is when the coral density gets so high it interfers with usable swimming space for the fish. In which case you frag the corals and trade or sell them...

Cheers
Steve

 

[shjuho]

How many shrimp or snail cleaner fish would you suggest? Do they require any different care/feeding than Fish? Don't they multiply quickly?
Will they keep algae down?

 

[steve-s]

How many shrimp or snail cleaner fish would you suggest?

One or two cleaner shrimp would be fine for a 55 gal tank. They may also mate and produce some free foods for the fish and coral. Do not purchase a cleaner fish. They will most likley not survive. Please do not mistake these animals as an alternative to proper quarantine practices. They will not cure problems.

Do they require any different care/feeding than Fish? Don't they multiply quickly?
Will they keep algae down?

They do not require much in the way of care other than what you do for the fish. The main concern with mobile and sessile inverts is water quality. Fish can withstand less than optimum water conditions to a point but the inverts will not.

Algae will best be controlled by using a pure water source like RO and employing the use of snails. The shrimp will not eat the algeas but will clean up the foods that may help the algaes grow.. In the beginning, about 1 snail for every 2-3 gallons of tank would be good. As the waste producing bioload grows, more can be added. A good selection would be a mix of cerith, nassarius, nerite, margarita, turbo and trochus.

Cheers
Steve

 

[shjuho]

How do you keep the snails in control if they multiply quickly?

 

[steve-s]

How do you keep the snails in control if they multiply quickly?

They won't....

Actually, the snails will not multiply quickly if at all. They are not like their FW cousins and the odds of any eggs producing actual snails are stacked against them. With fish and other possible predators, it is very unlikely you will see many grow beyond the first few weeks if they do hatch out.

Cheers
Steve