How many?

[TwentyfiveCents]

have 75 gal with two wrasse a christmas and melanurus, 3 blue/green chromes and a yellow tang...how many is too many? I'd like to add maybe some more small fish enjoy being in groups, done some research and seems like its a real toss up on what people think should be the limit

 

[Phlynamjax]

I think it really depends on your experience level and choice of fishes.

 

[ChadLo]

I think it really depends on your experience level and choice of fishes.

The rule of thumb is half an inch of fish per gallon... now... you COULD exceed that however, if the fish are territorial, there may be fin nipping or worse. Make sure you are including their adult size and the amount of bio load that will be in the tank. More fish also = more frequent water changes. I'd be careful if you add any more tangs however. That's a new discussion. I hope that helps.

 

[TwentyfiveCents]

thanks for the replies and guess I can get a lot of small fish with that rule of thumb, not looking to add big fish would like to keep abuncha small fish that look nice in groups. Bought green/blue chromis without knowing there is a high chance of them killing each other off until one left. Running triton so don't do any water changes, the only issue I have is nitrate and phos are undetectable to the point I started to feed more often

 

[eatbreakfast]

The rule was an inch of fish per gallon, not half inch, but that is really an unhelpful metric. Fish have different activity levels, different O2 needs, different demeanors, different metabolisms. And each tank has different filtration, flow, surface area, surface agitation, and bacteria populations. All of those factors can cause wildly different stocking capacities.

 

[Jesterrace]

The rule was an inch of fish per gallon, not half inch, but that is really an unhelpful metric. Fish have different activity levels, different O2 needs, different demeanors, different metabolisms. And each tank has different filtration, flow, surface area, surface agitation, and bacteria populations. All of those factors can cause wildly different stocking capacities.

Agreed. It really is based on the individual needs/behavior of the fish. For example a Diamond Watchman Goby and a Melanurus Wrasse both get around 6 inches in length when fully grown. Anyone who has ever owned the two knows that the wrasse needs way more space/tank size than the Goby because the Wrasse is bulkier and a free swimmer while the goby spends most of it's time sifting the substrate.