How many fish is too many?

[kpoj9]

I have 2 clowns for my 32g. I’m wondering how many more fish I can add moving forward. I’ve seen videos that discuss this and say 1 fish per 5g to 10g. 1 fish x 10g seems very conservative. Thinking 6-8 is realistic.

 

[CrayHawk]

Many responses are going to say 6-8 is too many. You are looking more at 4-5 if you have a good skimmer.

 

[Scott1071]

I have 2 clowns for my 32g. I’m wondering how many more fish I can add moving forward. I’ve seen videos that discuss this and say 1 fish per 5g to 10g. 1 fish x 10g seems very conservative. Thinking 6-8 is realistic.

I just started my 32 gal biocube and have done a lot of research and I would say that 3 to 5 small fish would work. You don't want to over load the system. I plan on doing a pair of clowns maybe a blenny or goby, a dotty back and a 6 line wrasse. Also plan on doing some corals. Hope this helps. Maybe some others will chime in as well. Happy Reefing.

 

[WVNed]

I kept 5 successfully in 30 gallons. Every time I added a 6th one would die.

 

[ReeferWarrant]

5 is what I have in my 32, but its all relative to biomass and how they affect your balances in nutrients.

Bicolor Blenny
2 Clowns
Fire Fish
Pink Streaked Wrasse
Neon Goby

 

[Paul B]

It depends on the size of the fish and type. You can put one halibut or maybe 10 small clowns.

 

[Nick Steele]

I’m planning 4-6 in my 20G

pair of clowns
1-2 neon gobys
Possum wrasse
Green clown goby (not sure on this guy)

I believe it has a lot with your maintenance and export methods.

 

[|Tom the Bomb|]

I’m planning 4-6 in my 20G

pair of clowns
1-2 neon gobys
Possum wrasse
Green clown goby (not sure on this guy)

I believe it has a lot with your maintenance and export methods.

unless u have supreme over filtration and time to do that lots of maintenance
6 is too much for a 20. 4 is a good number with ur clown pair a goby and a wrasse with inverts as cleanup crew even 5 is a lot so u if u get 5 youll need lots of filtraion like good skimming and a five 6 is just way too much

 

[Scott1071]

I will suggest as I know a lot of the seasoned people on here will to, is add them slowly over time not all at once. Say add a new one now and let your tank adjust to the bio-load for 3 to 4 weeks then add your next addition. This way your system can adjust and level out.

 

[Semper.Reefing]

I’ve got 8 in my 75 gallon and it already feels like I’ve hit my limit.

 

[Krzydmnd]

factor in what kind of fish you'd like to keep, as well. The FpG (fish per gallon) isn't really accurate these days IMO... A 32g Saltwater aquarium is pretty small on the saltwater side of things, and your choices are limited due to lack of territory, swimming space, and species aggression, and potentially utility (as in a sand-sifting goby of some sort)

I'd suggest researching what kind of fish you are drawn to, and see what their min. tank requirements are, aggression levels, compatibility, and care requirements. Make a list of 4-5 fish as a long-term goal, and start adding based on aggression levels (most aggressive go in last)

Here was my stock list for my first tank, a 32g Biocube. It was a good balance for me and my system, but YMMV...

Clowns x 2 (first fish I got, wish I hadn't, lol. Look great but man, are they jerks!)
Pygmy White Spotted Filefish (awesome, my favorite fish I've owned to date before the Mystery Wrasse I just picked up)
2x Purple Firefish (very pretty, static most of the time. Don't move around a lot but hover in the water column)
Yasha Goby (beautiful fish, just hid most of the time, lol)
Pygmy Cherub Angel (swims ALL over the place! only about 2" long, but easily the most active fish I have)

good luck and have fun!

 

[Scott1071]

factor in what kind of fish you'd like to keep, as well. The FpG (fish per gallon) isn't really accurate these days IMO... A 32g Saltwater aquarium is pretty small on the saltwater side of things, and your choices are limited due to lack of territory, swimming space, and species aggression, and potentially utility (as in a sand-sifting goby of some sort)

I'd suggest researching what kind of fish you are drawn to, and see what their min. tank requirements are, aggression levels, compatibility, and care requirements. Make a list of 4-5 fish as a long-term goal, and start adding based on aggression levels (most aggressive go in last)

Here was my stock list for my first tank, a 32g Biocube. It was a good balance for me and my system, but YMMV...

Clowns x 2 (first fish I got, wish I hadn't, lol. Look great but man, are they jerks!)
Pygmy White Spotted Filefish (awesome, my favorite fish I've owned to date before the Mystery Wrasse I just picked up)
2x Purple Firefish (very pretty, static most of the time. Don't move around a lot but hover in the water column)
Yasha Goby (beautiful fish, just hid most of the time, lol)
Pygmy Cherub Angel (swims ALL over the place! only about 2" long, but easily the most active fish I have)

good luck and have fun!

Do you have corals in your tank with your angelfish? If so does it leave them alone?

 

[Krzydmnd]

i do, all kinds, and he's never bothered anything. The first few weeks I watched him like a hawk because he was SOO interested in everything, and I thought he was going to nip, but he never has. Just likes to check everything out.

He's the ADHD kid in the tank for sure, though.

 

[Tamberav]

I have 2 clowns for my 32g. I’m wondering how many more fish I can add moving forward. I’ve seen videos that discuss this and say 1 fish per 5g to 10g. 1 fish x 10g seems very conservative. Thinking 6-8 is realistic.

4-5 in a 32g unless you plan to add just tiny gobies or such.

Fish need enough space or there can be aggression issues and you end up with some hiding or dying and such.

 

[wolfthefallen]

How many fish should you have in a tank is always a question that gets asked a lot. Here is food for thought and things to consider when stalking the tank. Remember there is no "magic number" as each tank setup is different, stocked with different creatures, and provides different homes based off the aquascape.

1) Remember that your local fish store (LFS) has "Holding tanks". They have a lot of fish in each tank as they are trying to sell them off before the bio load starts to kill them off. Yes some LFS will have display tanks and move fish around according to help spread the bio loads they hold, but generally speaking they buy what they know will sell with in a week or two so they can order more fish. The number of fish in a LFS tanks is a not a reasonable expectation for long term inhabitants of our home aquariums. Lots of health problems, bio loads, and stress will occur and deaths will start to manifest.

2) Bio load.. What is this? Will its the amount of food waste and fish waste (poop) is generated in a given time period, and what the tank has to handle this. Skimmers, Filtration (biological and mechanical), Micro Algae, all play a role in this. When people talk about tank age, a lot of times this is in reference to biological filtration of how established bacteria is in the system to break down all the bad stuff, general rule of thumb older the better. Just know that when you add in a pet aquatic friend you increase the bio load, and it will take time for the tank to adjust to the new load. Eventually you will hit a cap where you generate ammonia faster then your tank can process it nuking the tank, or you will have so much nitrogen in the water it slowly poison all of your friends.

3) Stress.. To many people in a small places causes stress, this is even true with fish and other creatures we place in our tanks. Top it off reefs are not "peaceful" places to live someone is always fighting someone or trying to clam a home on the rocks and in the caves or some corner. We do our best to make sure all of the creatures we put in are "peaceful" when put together, but if there is not enough room for all the creatures to have room they will fight.

My suggestion is look what fish you want and research to figure out where they live or spend most of there time. Are they bottom dwellers, middle, top? what type of food do they go after? is there enough to sustain them and others? Are there spots in the tank that have not been "claimed"? If these are yes, then you can probably add another fish if your your setup can handle the bio load

I always recommend adding fish slowly, One or two here a couple of months later one or two more and watch your parameters.. Mainly those in the nitrogen cycle, if they stable out and are manageable then you can try adding another fish if there is "unclaimed space" for the area the fish will want to live. Just know territorial issues can and will arise.. prime example: Clowns and Damsel fish are very very territorial and always try to tank up the whole tank. I had a pair of clowns that ran my 40g gallon tank and would try to kill anything that went in. So go slow and watch, give it a few days and if fins are being eaten separate the fish.

Just my two cents and how I approach stocking my tanks

 

[Krzydmnd]

great info! I also wanted to add that the desire to have lots of pretty fish is ours alone, not the fish's. those two clowns would LOVE having that entire tank to themselves, ;however I understand that isn't the reason you likely got into aquariums. so keep in mind the fishes needs come first, and shop for additions with that in mind!

 

[PatW]

Depends on the fish, their size, your husbandry and also how mean your fish are. One aggressive damsel means 1 fish in the tank unless the other fish are beneath its notice. Go for peaceful, small fish.

 

[fish farmer]

I have a 29 gallon standard sized tank. I have three fish total, pair of clowns and a sixline wrasse. They are full grown perculas that spawn about once a month so that adds to the aggressiveness. When it was them and a royal gramma, they would bicker a bit. The wrasse is constantly swimming so not many altercations.

I always think about one more fish like a small goby since my filtration is adequate, but I don't want to upset the balance.

 

[Nick Steele]

unless u have supreme over filtration and time to do that lots of maintenance
6 is too much for a 20. 4 is a good number with ur clown pair a goby and a wrasse with inverts as cleanup crew even 5 is a lot so u if u get 5 youll need lots of filtraion like good skimming and a five 6 is just way too much

I had 5 fish before an ich outbreak
Pair of clowns
2 neon gobys
Green clown goby

Also I did a 25% water change once a week.

Never had any nutrient issues. All 3 gobys stay small (under 2”) and don’t produce much waste. Only filtration I had was filter floss and close to 20-25lbs of rock. People over complicate things way too much in my opinion see what works for you and go from there.

 

[Flashover49]

I have 2 clowns for my 32g. I’m wondering how many more fish I can add moving forward. I’ve seen videos that discuss this and say 1 fish per 5g to 10g. 1 fish x 10g seems very conservative. Thinking 6-8 is realistic.

I have a yellow tang, 6 line wrasse and a mates pair of clowns. Lots of inverts and corals and everything now that’s my lighting issue is fixed is doing very well. I’m going to add a flame dwarf angle soon. But my Quarantine tank isn’t set up yet. Old one was to big so went with a 5 gallon and doing 1 fish at a time now.