Evaluate my bioload

[tchat]

I have a 4 month old setup, 36”x24”, 78 gal tank with a sump. Currently stocked with a watchman goby/pistol shrimp, clown pair, Midas blenny, firefish, royal gramma, a melanarus wrasse and a tomini tang. I have been battling low nutrients the entire time and just went through a bout of SCA dinoflagellates which seem to have been solved with a 5 day blackout and restoring nutrient levels (fingers crossed). My tank still feels a bit empty but the clowns and tomini are also not close to full grown. I have barely done any water changes since I have had no measurable alk consumption and consistently low nutrients. I would love to get in a groove of regular water changes, thriving refugeum, skimmer, etc. At the moment I’m not even running filter socks. Would you add fish to help the bioload? I could use some color and movement too - anthias, carpenter wrasse harem? Would love a yellow tang but afraid a 3’ tank isn’t large enough. Thanks for any advice!

 

[Baldyreef]

I have a 4 month old setup, 36”x24”, 78 gal tank with a sump. Currently stocked with a watchman goby/pistol shrimp, clown pair, Midas blenny, firefish, royal gramma, a melanarus wrasse and a tomini tang. I have been battling low nutrients the entire time and just went through a bout of SCA dinoflagellates which seem to have been solved with a 5 day blackout and restoring nutrient levels (fingers crossed). My tank still feels a bit empty but the clowns and tomini are also not close to full grown. I have barely done any water changes since I have had no measurable alk consumption and consistently low nutrients. I would love to get in a groove of regular water changes, thriving refugeum, skimmer, etc. At the moment I’m not even running filter socks. Would you add fish to help the bioload? I could use some color and movement too - anthias, carpenter wrasse harem? Would love a yellow tang but afraid a 3’ tank isn’t large enough. Thanks for any advice!

your bioload seems just fine, although depending on the pistol shrimp you have the melanarus wrasse could hunt and/or stress it out, I wouldn't recommend a yellow tang in a 3' tank because they're very active fish but also because they have a strong tendency to get very aggressive in tanks to cramped and in some occasions can be model citizens in a smaller tank and go aggressive out of no where.
I also would opt for a carpenter wrasse harem rather than anthias due to the tank size not being able to support a harem of anthias, if you opt out of melanarus wrasse a yellow coris wrasse would be a nice very bright substitute
if your willing to take a chance a dwarf angels would add nice color and movement as well

 

[tchat]

your bioload seems just fine, although depending on the pistol shrimp you have the melanarus wrasse could hunt and/or stress it out, I wouldn't recommend a yellow tang in a 3' tank because they're very active fish but also because they have a strong tendency to get very aggressive in tanks to cramped and in some occasions can be model citizens in a smaller tank and go aggressive out of no where.
I also would opt for a carpenter wrasse harem rather than anthias due to the tank size not being able to support a harem of anthias, if you opt out of melanarus wrasse a yellow coris wrasse would be a nice very bright substitute
if your willing to take a chance a dwarf angels would add nice color and movement as well

So even Bartlett anthias wouldn’t be a good fit for this size tank? I was planning to get a plank auto feeder either way so frequent micro feedings wouldn’t be an issue.

 

[Baldyreef]

So even Bartlett anthias wouldn’t be a good fit for this size tank? I was planning to get a plank auto feeder either way so frequent micro feedings wouldn’t be an issue.

Bartlett anthias can, for some reason my mind was completely stuck on the bigger species like lyretails