Am I at my fish limit?

[DIZZLE808]

Currently in my 55g I have:

2 occy clowns
2 BG Chromis
1 flame angel
1 bartletts anthias
And 1 lawnmower Blenny

I was hoping that I would be able to get an engineer goby in here but seeing as they get about a foot long I'm not too sure.

I use a eheim canister fliter rated @ 250gph and a reef octopus BH2000 HOB skimmer and 2 850gph hydor PH's. I got around 50lbs of LR and my sand bed is anywhere between 2-2 1/2" deep.

 

[Rmckoy]

There is no rule saying so many fish per tank cause every system us different .
It all depends on the bio load they produce combined .
Your population of beneficial bacteria and how fast your system can transform ammonia to nitrite then to nitrate
My only concern is the canister filter may cause trouble later for you if you don't keep a eye on nitrates .
They trap nitrates and need to be need be cleaned very good on a weekly basis

 

[DIZZLE808]

I hear ya... Since adding my skimmer my trates have been less than 5 and my canister filter gets cleaned every Saturday in an effort to keep them at bay. Seems to be working for the most part.

 

[Rmckoy]

I as well do my maintenance Saturdays .

 

[jeremy upshir]

fI to would be concerned with the canister... I know from experience I had one for a while and it became a nightmare with nitrates, I found myself cleaning the filter twice a week just to keep up with it and changing carbon way to much. however I would think that if you have a good skimmer and all your levels are perfect then I personally wouldn't see any issues with it. just have to keep an eye on your perimeters

 

[DIZZLE808]

Speaking of carbon...what exactly are the pros and cons of using it? I have activated carbon pads I can put in my canister but I haven't, I don't even know why I bought it honestly.

 

[Rmckoy]

Well said
I wash mine out once a week ,
And my nitrates seam to sit around 10 ppm

 

[jeremy upshir]

main reason it helps with removing ammonia and helps make water clear, I would def use it if you have them.

 

[jeremy upshir]

what kind of skimmer are you using?

 

[jeremy upshir]

my bad I missed it above..good skimmer

 

[Rmckoy]

I have a cheap hob corallife 125 super skimmer .
All I can say is it doesn't owe me anything , all the waste it has taken out is good .

 

[jeremy upshir]

If you put that carbon in just remember to rinse it