Does anyone think having A LOT of fish aids in having a successful SPS dominant/only reef? Weigh in...

[Blacktip]

Where, in this thread?

How many fish do you have in your system?

Hello - Hello

Welcome. It's not true if there are no pics lol I have one better:

www.reef2reef.com

 

[SeaDweller]

Hello - Hello

Welcome. It's not true if there are no pics lol I have one better:

www.reef2reef.com

Nice. There’s at least 20 fish there, that I could count. That may be all you need to keep your reef happy. You’ve found that balance with the number and feeding for your tank.

 

[EMeyer]

This thread is reminding me that its been a few days since I fed the fish.

Still amazed at this six times a day thing The more I think about it, the more I think: if I'm gonna commit to feeding six times a day I'm just gonna go back to raising cuttlefish, cause they only needed two feedings.

 

[maroun.c]

I run a 400G tank connected to a basement setup with 4 more tanks and a total volume of 800G.
A key factor in tanks with heavy fish load, heavy sps load and colourful sps is the total water volume compared to the tank volume for example David saxbys tank which has a total system volume of 16000 litres for a 4000litres tank with around 400 fish. That allows u to feed heavy but then the nutrient levels gets diluted before its removed. Also this allows some more stability in how fast many elements other than the nig 3 get depleted.
I have around 70 fish most of which are in the 400 G display tank up home. I feed 4-5 times a day with smaller amounts but sometimes I only do couple heavy feedings which allow slower fish to feed before food is consumed.
My colors are usually nice except during and after issues where unfortunately my system has frequent different issues that affect colors for some time, luckily no.major crashes ever happened.
Also major coral farms do have excessive number of fish in their systems and feed fish and corals heavily. It is a fact that corals feed on nutrients and heavy coral load helps with low nutrients issues.
Finally I get my nicest colors at a phosphate of 0.06-0.1 and a nitrate level of 10.

 

[SeaDweller]

This thread is reminding me that its been a few days since I fed the fish.

Still amazed at this six times a day thing The more I think about it, the more I think: if I'm gonna commit to feeding six times a day I'm just gonna go back to raising cuttlefish, cause they only needed two feedings.

I mean, I like fat rotund fish. Anthias that look like torpedos are dope!

 

[SeaDweller]

I run a 400G tank connected to a basement setup with 4 more tanks and a total volume of 800G.
A key factor in tanks with heavy fish load, heavy sps load and colourful sps is the total water volume compared to the tank volume for example David saxbys tank which has a total system volume of 16000 litres for a 4000litres tank with around 400 fish. That allows u to feed heavy but then the nutrient levels gets diluted before its removed. Also this allows some more stability in how fast many elements other than the nig 3 get depleted.
I have around 70 fish most of which are in the 400 G display tank up home. I feed 4-5 times a day with smaller amounts but sometimes I only do couple heavy feedings which allow slower fish to feed before food is consumed.
My colors are usually nice except during and after issues where unfortunately my system has frequent different issues that affect colors for some time, luckily no.major crashes ever happened.
Also major coral farms do have excessive number of fish in their systems and feed fish and corals heavily. It is a fact that corals feed on nutrients and heavy coral load helps with low nutrients issues.
Finally I get my nicest colors at a phosphate of 0.06-0.1 and a nitrate level of 10.

I'm at those numbers myself and I'm happy where my acros are at. I think the throughput of the system is the most important, as you state.

 

[Ashish Patel]

I have 3 yellow tangs, 1 hippo, pair of clown, and 2 anthias in a 115 gallon. Yellow tangs sometimes to fight but I knew I was planning for a much larger system so got them when they where juveniles. I think 2 tangs per 100 gallon is a good rule of thumb and maybe 3-5 smaller fish per 100 gallons. This bio load has served me well over the year and anything in excess tend to result in fish fighting or dieing off from stress. In my 400 gallon I think i'll have max 8 tangs and a bunch of smaller reef fish. Not sure if this is considered heavy but I feel its plenty to provide a balance system for SPS

 

[ScottB]

Flying tang turds are a stick's best friend (I said for the hundredth time).

 

[Rick5]

Flying tang turds are a stick's best friend (I said for the hundredth time).

With respect to the turds, do things like consistency, texture and buoyancy matter, though? Asking for a friend.

@SeaDweller didn’t want to ask so he paid me $5 via PayPal to ask the above.

Thanks

 

[ScottB]

With respect to the turds, do things like consistency, texture and buoyancy matter, though? Asking for a friend.

@SeaDweller didn’t want to ask so he paid me $5 via PayPal to ask the above.

Thanks

Density. Always density. Secondarily color, a dark, British, racing green.

 

[SeaDweller]

With respect to the turds, do things like consistency, texture and buoyancy matter, though? Asking for a friend.

@SeaDweller didn’t want to ask so he paid me $5 via PayPal to ask the above.

Thanks

WOWWW, luckily i didn't pay you FF so I can dispute it for violating our privacy agreement!!!

 

[Rick5]

WOWWW, luckily i didn't pay you FF so I can dispute it for violating our privacy agreement!!!

That’s precisely why I violated our privacy agreement. I’m out ~3%.

 

[mayday0237]

I bet the ones struggling will be more successful with well fed, rotund fish.
say one only has 5-6 fish in a 50 gallon tank. Maybe add one more or just feed an extra time or two during the day. Just make sure the excess nutrients and waste aren’t causing a problem to said reefer.
This is where testing diligently and setting a baseline helps to know what one can do, to me at least.

She's not fat she's big boned ...I love feeding

 

[ScottB]

I just appreciate the opportunity to contribute this immensely valuable information regarding my deeply held belief in the correlation between stick health and dense, dark green tang turds. Mission Accomplished.

Happy New Year everybody in reefworld.

 

[mayday0237]

She's not fat she's big boned ...I love feeding

Also in the interest of full disclosure... I feed 2x per day no matter what, and they get more than 1 cube( 2 cubes+lrs chunks), my nitrate is too high right now ..20ppm, so I am doing 40g water changes every 5-7 days. I just started buying corals and don't know Jack about them except they like nitrates. I have 28 fish in a 7' long 180g with 45g sumps. We added a pellet reactor to up the consumption of nitrate. Hoping the bacteria will catch up to the bioload. The stuff I have seems to like the nitrate

 

[SeaDweller]

Also in the interest of full disclosure... I feed 2x per day no matter what, and they get more than 1 cube( 2 cubes+lrs chunks), my nitrate is too high right now ..20ppm, so I am doing 40g water changes every 5-7 days. I just started buying corals and don't know Jack about them except they like nitrates. I have 28 fish in a 7' long 180g with 45g sumps. We added a pellet reactor to up the consumption of nitrate. Hoping the bacteria will catch up to the bioload. The stuff I have seems to like the nitrate

20's not that high, if your corals are doing ok, then leave things be. LPS and softies prefer slightly turd-y water anyway.

 

[mayday0237]

I'll be following this one with interest. I'm blown away at the notion of feeding fish six+ times per day. I am doing really good if I manage once a day. I often miss a day, but do try to never miss two in a row. But six+ times a day??

Please note I'm not disputing your proposition - you may be right, I have heard similar things here and there from very successful SPS keepers especially.

Just chiming in to say that even when I raised cuttlefish, which were the most labor intensive animal I've ever kept in an aquarium, I only had to feed them once or twice a day.

If your proposition turns out to be true, I will have to investigate automatic feeders as a required piece of equipment.

How did you not lose it every time you had one get to the end of their life cycle...don't they only live like 4 years??? they are so cute and puppy like

 

[mayday0237]

20's not that high, if your corals are doing ok, then leave things be. LPS and softies prefer slightly turd-y water anyway.

My anemone is unhappy...and my large angel seems a bit stressed... everything else is zeros except nitrate phos is .25...I don't know what else to "fix"

 

[SeaDweller]

My anemone is unhappy...and my large angel seems a bit stressed... everything else is zeros except nitrate phos is .25...I don't know what else to "fix"

I've had my nem from 2006 survive in 300+ PPM NO3 and 3.0+ PO4 waters up until about a year ago. Don't ask. Yes those numbers are accurate.

 

[mayday0237]

I've had my nem from 2006 survive in 300+ PPM NO3 and 3.0+ PO4 waters up until about a year ago. Don't ask. Yes those numbers are accurate.

Hubbie thinks its light that has the nem grumpy...the seneye showed up today it would be great if it was light we can fix that easier. My nem loves to eat he likes LRS chunks.