Stocking and Bioload Help

[jeff60gcube]

Currently I have just two captive bred clowns and clean up crew that makes up an emerald crab that lives hair algae, tiger conch, cleaner shrimp, mixture of 100+ snails variety and variety of hermits. My clowns have been in the tank for 2.5 weeks now. I’m looking to decide when to add my next fish(s).

Ideally I’d like to add (not all at the same time)
Biota hippo
Biota yellow tang
Yellow watchman or jawfish (I have a 5in sanded)
Mandarin

150g display with 36g sump.
Mixed reef but mainly softies, shrooms and zoas

What order should they be added in your experience? Would this list max me out bioload wise?

 

[JumboShrimp]

With a 150 gallon tank and 36 gallon sump, I would say that you can add all of those new fish (spaced out, of course), and not have bioload problems; assuming adequate filtration.

 

[fishywishy]

That list is fine. Stocking order doesn’t matter to much but I would add the mandarin last.

You have room for a lot more fish if you wanted.

 

[brandon429]

You will not max out bioload carry in a reef tank that size, disease and behavioral losses will come before surpassing the ability of your surface area.


Your plan includes the highest likelihood of disease fish available, tangs. Fallow and qt is the determinant for success in a tank that size.

At no time is a reef tanks cycle in peril of fail, it's a warning we get but nobody reading can link an example of it happening where fish died from it

All proofs of a failed cycle to the masses are just a greenish api ammonia reading: that means failed to them but the whole tank lives as normal.

A dying reef tank doesn't run normally, so a slight green api isn't a fail, even if your brothers tank runs yellow zero all minutes of the day. That disparity IS api, both are tanks not in cycle fail. True cycle loss is a crashed tank, nobody can link a crashed cycle causing a dead tank it's a rumor we've been taught though.

 

[brandon429]

Jumbo shrimp

We were posting at the same time.

After reading your post/ agreed/ wanted to add: even if you didn't have a filter, just a powerhead and the live rock is the sole surface area (not even a sandbed is needed)

That cycle would still hold.

Nobody in reefing can reliably link a cycle fail from any angle check this poll out (which lasted total 48 hours due to anger revolt at me having asked for non test kit proof of failed cycles: true crashes, nobody has seen it they've only heard about the warning from others)

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/r...f-tank-cycles-from-resident-advisors.1093593/
The reason the rule is important: cycle concerns outpace disease prep concerns always, yet disease is the killer and cycling issues never are. Knowing that distinction lets you anticipate the true killer of your fish, and avoid the herring.

How you plan on stocking is what matters, all the corals, clean up crew, wet things coming in for the next 5 years+ are disease vectors. Plan accordingly. Cycle or bioload carry ability doesn't factor, but coming disease sure does, that's the only killer of fish we can find on the site. That or hardware crashes, but there's never a cycle crash.

All claimed crashed cycles are really tanks living just fine and some api kit was a little too green that day. They're test kit misreads.

 

[Fish Styx]

That stocking list is just fine, with lots of room for additional fish. My two pieces of advice here are 1) add the tangs at the same time; and 2) stay away from blue spot jawfish. They are interesting and pretty, but are a colder water species that are best left to appropriately designed systems. I would suggest a pearly / yellow headed jawfish as an alternative.

 

[jeff60gcube]

Thanks for the feedback, I know buying from biota doesn’t prevent diseases for the tangs but thought the captive bred and eating of frozen would be a good starting point.

Good to know on the jawfish.

I appreciate everyone’s comments and advice