Bioload Questions

[maxells]

I currently have a 55 gallon reef setup with the following:
2 Green Chromis
3 Yellow tail damsels
1 banggai cardinal
1 Neon goby
12 hermit crabs
20 snails
115 lbs. live rock
4 corals
Berlin Classic Skimmer
Wet Dry Filter - Sump with Bioballs (I think 5 gallon)
2 extra powerheads
Coralife Lunar Aqualight 48" 4x65W + 4 LED
It has been set up since August. I have been doing regular mainance and have had no issues with water parameters since the cycle.
I want to add some of the following but I don't want to add too much.
Orange Sea Star
Cleaner Shrimp
Purple Firefish
Bicolor Chromis
Multicolor Lubbock's Wrasse
Pincushion Urchin, Blue Tuxedo
More Corals
I have 2 questions:
What from the above list do you think I could add?
I have a 29 gallon tank that I am not using. Would I be able to add more to the 55 gallon if I set up the 29 gallon as a refugium?
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[danedodger]

Just add it all up using the expected maximum size of the fish and use that as a starting point. It sounds like you've got about 22" just in fish then add a little bit for the hermies and snails. If you want to do a reef tank, since it sounds like you do, I wouldn't add anymore fish. Putting in the 29 as a refugium would increase your total water volume but I'm not too sure if that'd make it safe to add too much really. I would think you could add another fish if you did that but wait for more opinions.
Orange Sea Star
Cleaner Shrimp
Purple Firefish
Bicolor Chromis
Multicolor Lubbock's Wrasse
Pincushion Urchin, Blue Tuxedo
More Corals
Of those listed for just the 55 I'd say stick with the cleaner shrimp and corals, maybe the urchin, but no more fish. The orange star you don't want no matter what you do. They need a lot more tank than you've got, are very hard to keep, and most end up starving to death even in larger, mature tanks.
(Yep, just looked him up. The blue tux urchins don't get very large and are supposedly reef safe but it sounds like they need their water conditions to be kept just so!)