How much fish can I house

HB Fash · 04/14/2014, 08:46 AM

Hi all.
Just curious to the amount of fish that I could house in my tank?
Is there a rule of thumb to go by?

I don't have a huge tank, 15 gallons. Starting out small and if things go well then I will upgrade. The dimensions are about 24" x 12" x 12".

I have 17lbs of live rock and a live sand bed of nearly 2"
The tank has an internal filter and I have also an internal protein skimmer running.

I already have a few fish, 2 common clowns, 1 black and white clown and 1 yellow tail blue damsel. My CUC comprises of 1 cleaner shrimp, 3 small hermits and 2 turbo snails.

Bearing in mind I would like to add an anemone and some easy to keep corals am I at the limit of fish I can keep?

Would love some help and advice and am open to all suggestions recommendations.

Xavibear · 04/14/2014, 08:52 AM

There aren't any rules of thumb per se. Size, activity, aggressiveness & feeding all come into play when stocking a tank.

Your tank already has too many fish. A pair of clowns should be in 25+ gallons.

Luke Schnabel · 04/14/2014, 08:54 AM

My suggestion is if your going to plan on going bigger anyways, I would just do it and save the hassle and stress later. And when I had clowns in my old tank I had to take them out when I bought a new pair of black clowns. I'm surprised 3 get along in such a small tank.

thegrun · 04/14/2014, 08:55 AM

+1, with 2 clowns and a damsel you are already overstocked.

chicagoreefer20 · 04/14/2014, 10:16 AM

Corals wont add to the bioload, but an anemone is prob not a good idea in that small a tank.

Sugar Magnolia · 04/14/2014, 11:40 AM

You should only have two clowns per tank, especially that sized tank. Once a pair forms a bond they WILL kill off the other clown.

DrBoxedWine · 04/14/2014, 11:44 AM

I always hate it when i post a stocking question and people end up just telling me to get a larger tank, as if it's that simple!

However, i guess i'm going to do exactly what i don't like... If you're already thinking you want more fish, you might end up bored with the 15g pretty quickly. If you're still early in the process, it might be worth checking out Craigslist for a used, slightly larger, setup.

toothybugs · 04/14/2014, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrBoxedWine

I always hate it when i post a stocking question and people end up just telling me to get a larger tank, as if it's that simple!

To clarify, I'm not picking on you, I just really like this line because it says a lot. When I used to work at the pet shop as one of the aquatics guys, I loved these conversations after getting told what to pick by a customer. For some reason finding out someone's tank size was always the hardest part, it's like they knew they were overstocking the tank and didn't want me to know.

"But I want a tank full of pretty fish!" I'd hear.

"Are you a dog person or a cat person?" (They tell me which they prefer.)

"Would you lock 20 of them in a bed room and never let them out?"

"Why no that's terrible!! They need to run around!"

"....."

"Oh."

That said, to the op: I'd move at least one of those clowns out, you have territorial fish in there and it's not going to be pretty before long. Or look at something 40 gallons or better, especially if you want to go corals-n-anemone.

MrTuskfish · 04/14/2014, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sugar Magnolia

You should only have two clowns per tank, especially that sized tank. Once a pair forms a bond they WILL kill off the other clown.

I agree.
The word "kill" is not just for shock value. Don't take this lightly. When clowns form pairs and become sexually mature, they will not tolerate any other clowns, of any species, in the same tank. Obviously; the smaller the tank, the more important this becomes. Clownfish 101; Just one pair of clowns in a tank, and they need to be the same species.

scott3569 · 04/14/2014, 01:50 PM

I started this thread for people like you in mind..
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2400308

DrBoxedWine · 04/15/2014, 12:44 PM

I hear you, Toothy. I have a 75g and a 125 Freshwater right now (the 75 will be SW by the end of summer). And what i said came out wrong. I meant that in the sense of it can just be an obnoxious thing to say, in certain situations. When i got the 125g, people were telling me that some of the fish needed to be in a 180, so i should probably look into one of those. A.) I don't have $1000 lying around, and B.) 2" fish will often take several years (like 3-5) to reach their full 12" size. So instead of "Just know you know may have to rehome him in 3 years" (and c'mon, we all love trying new fish, in 3 years, deal with it then, you could be on a whole new setup by then) it was "buy a new tank, that's the only solution." Granted some fish grow quicker and this doesn't always apply.

Now, in the OP, i agree he's going to have some problems sooner than later, and he'd probably enjoy things a lot more if he took a couple fish out, or increased the size.

I was just saying people throw out the "buy a bigger tank" solution too quickly. There are other suggestions, as buying a new tank is often the least feasible solution, at least in the short term.

04/14/2014, 08:46 AM	#1
HB Fash Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: UK Posts: 32	How much fish can I house Hi all. Just curious to the amount of fish that I could house in my tank? Is there a rule of thumb to go by? I don't have a huge tank, 15 gallons. Starting out small and if things go well then I will upgrade. The dimensions are about 24" x 12" x 12". I have 17lbs of live rock and a live sand bed of nearly 2" The tank has an internal filter and I have also an internal protein skimmer running. I already have a few fish, 2 common clowns, 1 black and white clown and 1 yellow tail blue damsel. My CUC comprises of 1 cleaner shrimp, 3 small hermits and 2 turbo snails. Bearing in mind I would like to add an anemone and some easy to keep corals am I at the limit of fish I can keep? Would love some help and advice and am open to all suggestions recommendations.

04/14/2014, 08:54 AM	#3
Luke Schnabel Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Canton. Ohio Posts: 288	My suggestion is if your going to plan on going bigger anyways, I would just do it and save the hassle and stress later. And when I had clowns in my old tank I had to take them out when I bought a new pair of black clowns. I'm surprised 3 get along in such a small tank. __________________ In wall 125 gallon display and 48g frag tank w/ 75gallon sump Apex Controlled, 2xMP40, 1 MP10, Ecotech M1 return, reef octopus x5000, 4x Ecotech Radion G2 with T5 supplament(Display), 2x AI Hydras (fr

04/14/2014, 11:40 AM	#6
Sugar Magnolia Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Northern VA Posts: 17,691	You should only have two clowns per tank, especially that sized tank. Once a pair forms a bond they WILL kill off the other clown. __________________ Adrienne The only thing to fear is fear itself....and spiders.

04/14/2014, 01:50 PM	#10
scott3569 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Middletown,VA Posts: 929	I started this thread for people like you in mind.. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2400308 __________________ I'm in a fishy situation!!! Current Tank Info: 56 gallon 30 x 18 x 22 with a 40gal sump, SCA 302 skimmer, 10 gal QT tank, a hydror 600 power head, 2 enhiem 150 heaters, 49#'s of dry rock, 12#'s of life rock, 40#'s of sand

04/14/2014, 08:52 AM	#2
Xavibear Crazy Prophet Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Worcester, MA Posts: 1,008	There aren't any rules of thumb per se. Size, activity, aggressiveness & feeding all come into play when stocking a tank. Your tank already has too many fish. A pair of clowns should be in 25+ gallons.

04/14/2014, 08:55 AM	#4
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	+1, with 2 clowns and a damsel you are already overstocked.

04/14/2014, 10:16 AM	#5
chicagoreefer20 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 199	Corals wont add to the bioload, but an anemone is prob not a good idea in that small a tank.

04/14/2014, 11:44 AM	#7
DrBoxedWine Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 899	I always hate it when i post a stocking question and people end up just telling me to get a larger tank, as if it's that simple! However, i guess i'm going to do exactly what i don't like... If you're already thinking you want more fish, you might end up bored with the 15g pretty quickly. If you're still early in the process, it might be worth checking out Craigslist for a used, slightly larger, setup.

04/15/2014, 12:44 PM	#11
DrBoxedWine Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 899	I hear you, Toothy. I have a 75g and a 125 Freshwater right now (the 75 will be SW by the end of summer). And what i said came out wrong. I meant that in the sense of it can just be an obnoxious thing to say, in certain situations. When i got the 125g, people were telling me that some of the fish needed to be in a 180, so i should probably look into one of those. A.) I don't have $1000 lying around, and B.) 2" fish will often take several years (like 3-5) to reach their full 12" size. So instead of "Just know you know may have to rehome him in 3 years" (and c'mon, we all love trying new fish, in 3 years, deal with it then, you could be on a whole new setup by then) it was "buy a new tank, that's the only solution." Granted some fish grow quicker and this doesn't always apply. Now, in the OP, i agree he's going to have some problems sooner than later, and he'd probably enjoy things a lot more if he took a couple fish out, or increased the size. I was just saying people throw out the "buy a bigger tank" solution too quickly. There are other suggestions, as buying a new tank is often the least feasible solution, at least in the short term.