How Many Is Too Many?

[BonnieB]

I posted a conversation between my boys and I ( you would assume by it they are 4-5 year olds but no they’re in their 20s and just think they’re funny!) see the link below, and it made me think…. How many tanks is too many and why? Weigh in here and share your own stories!

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/my-boys-have-lost-it.1128855/

 

[KrisReef]

I bought more coral last night. I don’t feel qualified to answer the question.

A similar question is often asked; @
“How many fishes can I add to my tank?”

The answer to the latter is often debated. The answer comes after a keeper adds “The Last fish” and the addition causes fighting and disease because the carrying capacity that the fish are willing to put up with has been exceeded, or the ecosystem just can’t support the last addition and it collapses from overpopulation or under filtration.

The root causes are not always clear, imo.

 

[BonnieB]

I bought more coral last night. I don’t feel qualified to answer the question.

A similar question is often asked; @
“How many fishes can I add to my tank?”

The answer to the latter is often debated. The answer comes after a keeper adds “The Last fish” and the addition causes fighting and disease because the carrying capacity that the fish are willing to put up with has been exceeded, or the ecosystem just can’t support the last addition and it collapses from overpopulation or under filtration.

The root causes are not always clear, imo.

I don’t think it’s a matter of being qualified. This is just a question of experience. Yes, the entire how many fish is too many has so many layers!

 

[UncommonSense]

I know I’ve got 475gallons of tanks/sumps within a 6ft radius of where I sit in my man cave…

Maybe I’ve got a problem?

 

[Biokabe]

The part of me that is addicted to this hobby says, "There's no such thing as too many."

The part of me that looks at bank accounts and floor plans says otherwise.

I'd say you have too many when maintaining the tanks impedes your ability to live the rest of your life, when supporting and stocking the tanks eats into necessary funding, or when you or other members of your family can't live life comfortably around the footprint of the tanks.

For me, I would say four tanks would be too many. Two is fine (and what I currently have). Three might work, but the third would almost certainly have to live in a room where water changes would be difficult, so I'm not sure how well it would actually work.

 

[exnisstech]

I have 6 total. 8g - 330g. 2 in the dining room, big one in the living room, one in the bedroom and 2 in the basement. One is just a 10g for emergencies or observation so all i do is top off. The others don't require a lot of work. Takes a few minutes to manually dose 3 and the other 2 have dosers. I only do routine WCs on the big tank and that takes about 30 minutes or so. I pump from the basement so I also top off all of the ATO container while the hose is out.
Sometimes I think it's too many but I'm retired and don't really have a social life (by choice) so they keep my mind occupied which is good for me.

 

[BonnieB]

I know I’ve got 475gallons of tanks/sumps within a 6ft radius of where I sit in my man cave…

Maybe I’ve got a problem?

I think this thread should be re-titled “For Those of Us who Have a Problem”!