Stocking Advice

[Straasha]

I have a 55 gallon standard tank with a 15 gallon sump. Total water volume is around 48 gallons.

I currently have:
1 Onyx Clownfish
1 Snowflake Clownfish
1 Engineer Goby
1 Yellow Tang
1 Yellow Watchman Goby
1 Pistol Shrimp
1 Fairy Wrasse
1 Melanurus Wrasse
1 Green brittle starfish

I would Like to add a few more fish. In about 4-5 months I would like to get a mandarin. How many other fish do you think I can add?

 

[ichthyogeek]

Can you show us a picture of the setup? How much live rock do you have in the tank? Are you willing to culture copepods, add a refugium and/or devise a brine shrimp feeder?

I kind of think your tank is pretty well stocked. Especially with the yellow tang. The melanurus wrasse will probably outcompete the dragonet for pods and food, which is why I'm asking the above questions.

 

[Straasha]

Here is a picture of my setup. I have 50 lbs of live rock. I don't have room in my stand/stump for a refugium. I have added copepods several times but, as you stated, the melanurus wrasse I believe eats them all. I would hope to be able to find a captive bred mandarin that eats frozen foods.

 

[Lightspeed]

Stocking advice...........lol........fishnets;Wacky

 

[A sea K]

I agree your probably already at your max. I realize your fish are still small but between the YT, Engineer goby and Melanurus wrasse you have some fairly big fish for a 55

 

[am3gross]

I can t say you are at max or not, but you will have a battle between your wrasses and a dragonette like stated before.

I have seen a few genius ideas to adding a fuge tho. I have seen where someone put a plastic Tupperware container on the old emperor 400 filter and had a small pump feed it and gravity drain back into the display. Had a ton of algae growing and the pods were crazy! They were able to reproduce and gravity drain into the display. The hang on the back fuges are the same thing, just cost more money.

 

[JGT]

I have a 55 gallon standard tank with a 15 gallon sump. Total water volume is around 48 gallons.

I currently have:
1 Onyx Clownfish
1 Snowflake Clownfish
1 Engineer Goby
1 Yellow Tang
1 Yellow Watchman Goby
1 Pistol Shrimp
1 Fairy Wrasse
1 Melanurus Wrasse
1 Green brittle starfish

I would Like to add a few more fish. In about 4-5 months I would like to get a mandarin. How many other fish do you think I can add?

Unless you plan to offer live foods such as amphipods or can train your mandarin to eat frozen, the mandarin will be tough to keep alive. Blennies, pseodochromis, chemistry are all good options.