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How many 3-4 inch fish can I have in a 55 gallon tank?
The fish i was thinking of getting areWhat fish are you considering?
I have a 56 gallon column tank so different dimensions but similar volume.The fish i was thinking of getting are
2 Clownfish
Biota Green mandarin guppy
Kaudern's Cardinalfish
Coral beauty
Yellow watchmen Goby
Yellow tang or hippo tang until it gets too big then ill swap it out
Harley bass
Royal Grammy
Maybe a Indian Vegabond Butterflyfish if there’s anymore space
All the fish can get along and a lot of the fish dont swim much and are tiny so I thought it wouldn’t be so bad to have so many
What kind of filtration do you have and how many times a month do you do a water change?I have a 56 gallon column tank so different dimensions but similar volume.
1.I have an ocellaris clownfish and could've had two.
2. I have a pajama cardinalfish.
3. I have a Coral beauty angelfish
4. I have a yellow watchman goby
5. I have a tomini tang (which might be a better fit for your tank as well. Tominis are detrivores but pick at nuisance algae and do not get as large as the tangs you mentioned.
6. I have a royal Gramma
7. I have 2 neon cleaner gobies (although only 1 would have been a better choice)
8. I have 2-4 masked gobies, (their secretive nature makes it impossible for me to see them all at once).
My tank has lots of caves, ledges and crevices plus some open water to accommodate my fish. Anyway, other than the 2 neon cleaner gobies, everyone is happy and well adjusted.
What kind of filtration would i need for all the fish i want? Right now i only have a protein skimmer and a hob filterFiltration is crucial. Seen 100 adult yellow tangs in a 100 gallon six foot shallow tank at a wholesaler hooked up to the central system. Fish looked happy and swam as a swarm. One of the coolest things I've seen but wouldn't recommend that since those fish won't be there long but just pointing out the fact that filtration can stretch was is reasonable and in nature many fish do school in a very tight group.
In my experience, no such thing as an inch per gallon rule because not all inches are equal. For example, that four inch fix could be 50% heavier by mass than that three inch fish requiring that much more in food which will tax the filtration. Every system is different and therefore carrying capacity beyond what any fish will require as far as swimming space can change. Although most 3 to 4 inch fish will be content in that size tank but some being more territorial than others might cause issues or might benefit from being crowded to spread aggression. Only one way to know is start out with what must be added and then experiment but be ready to take something back to the store or forfeit to a fellow fish keeper. Although this isn't always practical because most aggressive often best left for last and that might be what was really wanted. Such as a purple tang for me.
My tank is primarily filtered by the biological filter consisting of live rock/sand, and macro algae. I do run carbon and filter floss passively in my overflow and I change them out weekly. I faithfully do a 5 gallon water change every week ago. My tank is 6 years old and it's maturity probably makes my water changes smaller.What kind of filtration do you have and how many times a month do you do a water change?
Do you have a protein skimmer?My tank is primarily filtered by the biological filter consisting of live rock/sand, and macro algae. I do run carbon and filter floss passively in my overflow and I change them out weekly. I faithfully do a 5 gallon water change every week ago. My tank is 6 years old and it's maturity probably makes my water changes smaller.
I have two power headsA HOB filter is probably not enough water flow for a tank that size. It's not filtration we worry about in reefs (except when stocking large predators/overstocking), it's flow. Get a powerhead or two.
Skimmer are great at removing that which hadn’t yet broken down yet can’t handle all in one pass. Old school live rock solved that because they were porous. Today one needs to go older school and run large biological filter to replace that porous rock no longer available in the trade because of collection restrictions.What kind of filtration would i need for all the fish i want? Right now i only have a protein skimmer and a hob filter