Am I maxed out on fish?

[dnledman]

Alright everyone, I’ll start by saying I believe I am maxed out. However I see some people listing what they have in their 100g reefs and I question myself.

72x24x24” tank, total volume is 220g
Mixed reef, SPS, euphillyia, zoas, and 3 types of anemones. Everything is thriving, I even have a fairly large maxima. Tank has been set up almost 2 years.

1 Achilles/gold rim hybrid
1 hippo
2 regal angels (pair bonded, still small, 3-4” max)
Blue line angel (still small, 3” max)
Joculator angel
Black backed wrasse
1 Tongan flame wrasse
1 cherry anthia
3 borbonus anthia
3 cranberyi anthia
2 ocellaris
2 mandarins, pair bonded.
4 green chromis

 

[wickedxreef]

I run the same size tank with a pretty heavy fish load. The real question is: can your biological filtration keep up with your current stock? For a long time, I was basically underfeeding my fish just to keep nutrients low and avoid massive water changes. Once I added a denitrator, everything changed for the better.

Bioload is always a controversial topic because everything in the tank keeps growing—both fish and corals. Personally, I love having a lot of both, so I full send it as long as I can keep parameters stable and nutrients in check.

I know this might not completely answer your question, but every system is so unique. A big factor to keep in mind is the max adult size of each fish. I have a bunch of fully grown anthias and most of my tangs are near full size (minus my hippo). Will I add more? Probably in the near future. Honestly, the hardest part at this stage isn't filtration—it's introducing new fish without them getting ripped apart by established residents. Aggression plays a huge role in future additions for me; for instance, I'm really wanting to add a harem of swallowtail angels next.

this is just my two cents though

 

[allof fish]

I think the amount of filtration and size of fish matters most too. You have a lot of small fish, the anthias chromis wrasses won’t produce as much waste as tangs and angels. If you have a large skimmer and lots of export you can have lots of import of nutrients. I wouldn’t go as far to say your maxed out yet.

 

[exnisstech]

I wouldn't worry too much about what other people are doing. Personally I wouldn't add more unless small. I moved out of a 72x24x24" 180g a few years ago because I felt my tangs were getting cramped. I've never kept an Achilles because they always strike me as a tank lapper that would be better in a tank larger than I can provide. I keep tangs not proned to pacing the tank. All it takes is a single large fish to start swimming laps back and forth to upset all the other fish.

 

[dnledman]

Yea these comments have reinforced my belief that I could add another fish or two.

Currently my filtration has no problem with the load. Phos at .1 and nitrate at 10-15.

Get an algae scrubber and add 3-4 fish!