Too many fish in 44gal?

[MohrReefs]

A pinks streaked wrasse will be GREAT in that tank

I'll check them out

 

[Pbh-reef]

I would be wary of anything that eats pods with a Mandarin in a 44 g tank. I love my pink streaked wrasse and it’s very peaceful but it has made a noticeable difference in the pods I see in my tank. A planktavore is I think a better option.

 

[MohrReefs]

I would be wary of anything that eats pods with a Mandarin in a 44 g tank. I love my pink streaked wrasse and it’s very peaceful but it has made a noticeable difference in the pods I see in my tank. A planktavore is I think a better option.

Any examples?

 

[Pbh-reef]

Fang blennies, assessor, basslets like the rubre (will also hunt pods but less so), flasher wrasse although your tank is on the small side, I’ve seen the Lubbock flasher suggested as a smallish one, Cardinal fish like a pair of kauderns

 

[Pbh-reef]

also any of the 4 firefish species - can be shy but if they're not bullied they spend lots of time in the open and are beautiful. You need a lid w/NO gaps cause they are small and jump like crazy.

 

[Conrad Noto]

Current stock:

2 juvenile clowns
1 diamond goby large
1 small mandarin dragonet
1 very small lawnmower blenny

Looking to add 1 last fish, a splendid dottyback.

Would I be okay?

I'd say good depending what species of clowns, larger growing aggressive like Maroon might be a problem.

 

[Midrats]

Good call canceling the splendid, I think you would have regretted putting one in. They are quite a bellicose fish!

 

[MohrReefs]

Good call canceling the splendid, I think you would have regretted putting one in. They are quite a bellicose fish!

Yeah I feel better about that. I'd rather take my chance on a more difficult eating fish than an aggressive one

 

[Paulie069]

Current stock:

2 juvenile clowns
1 diamond goby large
1 small mandarin dragonet
1 very small lawnmower blenny

Looking to add 1 last fish, a splendid dottyback.

Would I be okay?

I’m thinking I’m way overloaded with life in my tank if ur worried about 5 fish in a 44 gallon tank. I have a 65gal tank with a 30gal sump and I have 10 fish and 12 seahorses plus a very large CUC. Honestly I haven’t had any problems really, everything seems happy n healthy so all good I guess, but what do I know I’m a reef virgin

 

[MohrReefs]

I’m thinking I’m way overloaded with life in my tank if ur worried about 5 fish in a 44 gallon tank. I have a 65gal tank with a 30gal sump and I have 10 fish and 12 seahorses plus a very large CUC. Honestly I haven’t had any problems really, everything seems happy n healthy so all good I guess, but what do I know I’m a reef virgin

Idk why I thought you could only have 1 fish per 10 gallons. Apparently it's one inch of fish per gallon. I get different info all the time. Figured it couldn't hurt to just ask lol.

 

[Paulie069]

Idk why I thought you could only have 1 fish per 10 gallons. Apparanelty it's one inch of fish per gallon. I get different info all the time. Figured it couldn't hurt to just ask lol.

I also have a dottyback in the mix with all this and have never had a problem if anything I feel he is very docile and shy Spends most of his time hiding in the rock

 

[Paulie069]

I also have a dottyback in the mix with all this and have never had a problem if anything I feel he is very docile and shy Spends most of his time hiding in the rock

The only one who acts like a jerk is the blue devil Denzel which is properly named

 

[Afterburner]

I right now I have 24 fish and 4 shrimp in my 90gal DT that has a 20 gal display fuge. My bangai is pregnant again and will spit out dozen or so babies in a couple of weeks so that number will go up by 50% but hardly affect my fish inches. All of my fish are relatively small so the load is about 20 fish inches right now, but I have 5 more 5 line cardinalfish and a small butterfly in my QT that I caught a couple of weeks ago that will go in the DT in a couple of weeks. If Nitrates spike I will start dosing NoPoX, if Phosphates jump, I will dose Lanthanum till it settles out and increase my water change schedule. I'm headed to the Keys at the end of the month, so I expect some serious loading after that. I think the key to loading a tank is doing it slowly, but sometimes opportunity knocks. I have also found that plenty of coral helps with your nitrates which is part of the reason for the display fuge (and a place for my baby bangai's).
One of my fish is a Royal Gramma, and it is pretty docile. When I first put it in, it sparred with my black blenny a few times and eventually gave up (the blenny always won from what I could tell). He found a nice spot under a chalice coral to hang out and everything is tranquil now. From looking at your tank, I would probably go for a small wrasse (the digging type). I have an ornate wrasse that is really cool and keeps my sand bed turned over, or a jawfish that will also keep your sand bed mixed. You might think about some inverts like a boxer shrimp or a cleaner shrimp to add some diversity. I really like your floating rock

 

[KTrevino]

I think it is important to note that aggressive or semi-aggressive fish added last can help, but at the end of the day it is still an aggressive fish. It was a good choice.

 

[MohrReefs]

I right now I have 24 fish and 4 shrimp in my 90gal DT that has a 20 gal display fuge. My bangai is pregnant again and will spit out dozen or so babies in a couple of weeks so that number will go up by 50% but hardly affect my fish inches. All of my fish are relatively small so the load is about 20 fish inches right now, but I have 5 more 5 line cardinalfish and a small butterfly in my QT that I caught a couple of weeks ago that will go in the DT in a couple of weeks. If Nitrates spike I will start dosing NoPoX, if Phosphates jump, I will dose Lanthanum till it settles out and increase my water change schedule. I'm headed to the Keys at the end of the month, so I expect some serious loading after that. I think the key to loading a tank is doing it slowly, but sometimes opportunity knocks. I have also found that plenty of coral helps with your nitrates which is part of the reason for the display fuge (and a place for my baby bangai's).
One of my fish is a Royal Gramma, and it is pretty docile. When I first put it in, it sparred with my black blenny a few times and eventually gave up (the blenny always won from what I could tell). He found a nice spot under a chalice coral to hang out and everything is tranquil now. From looking at your tank, I would probably go for a small wrasse (the digging type). I have an ornate wrasse that is really cool and keeps my sand bed turned over, or a jawfish that will also keep your sand bed mixed. You might think about some inverts like a boxer shrimp or a cleaner shrimp to add some diversity. I really like your floating rock

Thanks I got it from BRS, it's a floating frag rock.
I wound up getting a wrasse, colors were gorgeous and its eating prepared foods no problem.

 

[MohrReefs]

I think it is important to note that aggressive or semi-aggressive fish added last can help, but at the end of the day it is still an aggressive fish. It was a good choice.

Yeah everything in my tank is peaceful so i dont want to risk it.

 

[Afterburner]

Thanks I got it from BRS, it's a floating frag rock.
I wound up getting a wrasse, colors were gorgeous and its eating prepared foods no problem.

It is cool. I was thinking about making one with a real rock and magnets, but I had what it thought was a sealed magnet glued to the back of my algae scrubber to hold it in place and it corroded massive amounts of Tin that killed a lot of my corals (birds nests, torch, hammer, candy canes, etc.) so I may what for a better idea to come along. I should have done the ICP when the first coral died (my advice).

 

[JoshH]

Its disappointing but I literally wanted a salt tank to have the mandarin so its definitely worth finding good tank mates.

Lots of solid advice above so don't need to add anything there but I will add, Great job doing some research on your new addition and taking the appropriate steps based on the knowledge that has been shared here. Too often I see those ask for advice and not follow it, only to end up in frustration dealing with a situation they cannot handle or worse the death of a fish.

So coodos to you for putting the health and stability of your reef and the inhabitants in it first, over your own desires for a specific new fishy friend Awesome to see a new reefer taking the right steps on their reefing journey!