tank size vs number of fish
- Thread starter goodisor
- Start date
You mentioned corals, so I'm assuming you're wanting to do a reef set-up. And while we're on corals, No, they do not count as fish.
There's no set-guideline for SW like there is for FW community fish (that 1" of fish per gallon nonsense). You could definitely end up with a fair number of fish in there though. If you were sticking to small fish that stay under 4-5", then I'd guess maybe 30-50 fish; definitely less if you had some larger fish like tangs and wrasses.
If you are going to have corals, I do not recommend any butterfly fish or angelfish, because they will eat at corals. The only exception I'm aware of is the Japanese Swallowtail angels.
I woud also recommend a large, quality protein-skimmer for a reff tank your size. I've never had a SW tank over 15 gallons, so I couldn't say from experience which brands are the best and which to avoid.
Are you going to use live rock?
There's no set-guideline for SW like there is for FW community fish (that 1" of fish per gallon nonsense). You could definitely end up with a fair number of fish in there though. If you were sticking to small fish that stay under 4-5", then I'd guess maybe 30-50 fish; definitely less if you had some larger fish like tangs and wrasses.
If you are going to have corals, I do not recommend any butterfly fish or angelfish, because they will eat at corals. The only exception I'm aware of is the Japanese Swallowtail angels.
I woud also recommend a large, quality protein-skimmer for a reff tank your size. I've never had a SW tank over 15 gallons, so I couldn't say from experience which brands are the best and which to avoid.
Are you going to use live rock?
Sorry but what the heck is with the MM measurements? hahahaha, Please tell me your dimensions in inches or how many gallons it is. It must be some big to house 40-50 fish even if they are under 4". You would have to have a tank of at least 200 gallons to house that many 4" fish.
Yeah, I have to admit 30-40 is still a lot. Probably half of that is more reasonable. And of course, that's not introducing all them at once.
I forget how to calculate it into gallons, but his tank is about 60x24x24 in inches. Here's a nice little site I found that may help you Justin in case millimeters stump you in the future:
http://www.onlineconversion.com/length_common.htm
I forget how to calculate it into gallons, but his tank is about 60x24x24 in inches. Here's a nice little site I found that may help you Justin in case millimeters stump you in the future:
http://www.onlineconversion.com/length_common.htm
That tank is around 180 gallons then. Thanks for the conversion site.
In a 180 you probably wont have all 4" and less fish. It highly depends on what species of fish you pick and what they eat.
In my 180 I only have 3 fish and it's full. I have 2 banded bamboo sharks and 1 marine betta.
No matter what species of fish you buy you will only fit around 20 small fish in there. If you get tangs, or triggers then that reduces it alot too.
In a 180 you probably wont have all 4" and less fish. It highly depends on what species of fish you pick and what they eat.
In my 180 I only have 3 fish and it's full. I have 2 banded bamboo sharks and 1 marine betta.
No matter what species of fish you buy you will only fit around 20 small fish in there. If you get tangs, or triggers then that reduces it alot too.
Sorry I'm from SA and here we are still in the metric mind set.We talk meters,liters and fish.So we do have a bit in common.
Ok.!!!Firstly I think I will obviously have to replace my "small no name brand chinese" skimmer.I have a bio filter(sump) about the same size as the tank(140gallon),two 150watt metal hallides,two blue flourescents and one white.I change 10% water every two weeks with new salt water from the sea.I don't have live rock as such but I have collected a few rocks with algae and stuff on from the rocky pools at low tide near our home.
What do you think so far?
Ok.!!!Firstly I think I will obviously have to replace my "small no name brand chinese" skimmer.I have a bio filter(sump) about the same size as the tank(140gallon),two 150watt metal hallides,two blue flourescents and one white.I change 10% water every two weeks with new salt water from the sea.I don't have live rock as such but I have collected a few rocks with algae and stuff on from the rocky pools at low tide near our home.
What do you think so far?
Well one, that rock you collected is live rock. I think you are on to a great start. with your sump your gallonage increases the amount of fish you can maintain in the tank. But most of the fish in a reef tank need lots of rockwork just to acclimate. Some will do fine in a small tank as long as they have a hidey hole. In a big tank with not enough hidey holes, some one will stress out. So I reccomend getting rock up to snuff b4 adding fish. And when you have about 1/4 the rock you need, add a couple small ones, unless your doing a predator reef. Then continue from there.
