Is 6 Fish Too Much For A 23 Gallon?

[rhysiboy]

ive just been over borwsing on reef central and theyve all said that 4 fish is probably the maximum bioload for a tank of my size but ive seen people with far more fish. Do you all think i can push it to adding a firefish and a sixline or will that be too much.

 

[ox5477]

Fropm what I've read, I think the wrasse may be too large for this tank but Im sure the firefish will make a wonderful addition to it as they can go in tanks down to 10 or 15G. this is of course depending on what is already stocked in your tank with the bioload question, I would agree that understocking is the way too go in marine as, the more fish, the bigger the amount of ammonia and hence the bigger the load and may create more nitrates than your phosphate/nitrate remover can handle. And as we know, nitrates=bad in marine so understocked is better than even a medium stocking IMO

 

[rhysiboy]

sixline wrase are sugested in tanks 20g and up.

 

[ox5477]

Well suggestions are always just suggestions. Like I said, I would think understocked is much better than even medium stocked. Just MO I guess you could have one, but maybe one or two other fish only, maybe a firefish and a clown or a small species of goby

 

[rhysiboy]

well i curently have 2 occ clowns, a clown goby and a bicolour pseudochromis but i need somehting more to fill the space. The tank has more than enough filteration (lots of macro algae, 11kg of live rock and a skimmer rated for 90 uk gallons) but i spose i will have to think. Hope i havnt come across like im not listining, i am really its just sometimes when you want something more youll always try to justify it

 

[ox5477]

I hear ya, i always try to justify things to my self and most of the time i convince myself..... bad habit haha. Don't let me necessarily convince you either. see if anybody else gives some other advice that may be more of concensus. Like I said, I like to keep things on the really light side of stocking ever since my first tank which I way over stocked and had alot of trouble with but I think i'm prob just too cautious about it.

 

[rhysiboy]

yar thanks for your help i think i will add a sixline wrasse but only because i have some flatworms that need eating (very small colony but i dont want to use chems really to kill) and then leave it at that. The space will be dfilled with soft corals and two LPS in each corner.

 

[enjoiskater158]

adding the sixline would normally IMO starting to go to the over stocked side but with such a big skimmer you should be fine

 

[steelhealr]

No...don't overload anymore and a sixline is a fish that needs lots of swimming space. please everyone...don't push your nano tanks to the brink.

Is it worth crashing your tank? Is it worth killing your fish? Do you want to take that risk?

I don't like blanket statements....but......SH

 

[ox5477]

Good, im glad SH came in to confirm what I was saying, its just not worth pushing it. glad to know im just not too cautious