K
kevins
Guest
I am new to salt water, I have a 55 gal tank. What is a reasonable number of fish for this size of a tank. (tangs, clowns, etc.)
jsolomon
Member
I would say that if it were going to be a fish only tank then you would be safe with about 25 inches of fish. That is 1 inch of fish for every 2 gallons of water. I wouldnt put any tangs in a tank this size because they need alot of room to swim. I would get a pair of percula clowns, they are always fun to watch and they are fairly hardy fish. I would stick to smaller fish (about 3 inches). Just my opinion. It also depends on what you have for filtration, and if the bio load with be capable of handling that many fish.
thewolfman777
Member
i have heard time and time again that the rule is one inch per every five gallons of tank. like jsolomon said in his post, he mentioned 1 inch per 2 gallons in a FO. i honestly dont know if it makes a difference in a FO tank. just keep in mind your fish will eventually grow so you have to condider their max size when buying your fish. good luck! 
broomer5
Active Member
Whoa !!!!
Since you are new to the hobby .. I would not go with 25 inches of fish.
That could be TEN 2-1/2" fish in a 55 - no way.
A good number for a beginner to start with IMO would be maybe 2-3 two inch fish, not all added at once. Then as you gain experience, consider adding an additional fish or two down the road.
A lot more to it than just inches per gallon out of the gate.
Since you are new to the hobby .. I would not go with 25 inches of fish.
That could be TEN 2-1/2" fish in a 55 - no way.
A good number for a beginner to start with IMO would be maybe 2-3 two inch fish, not all added at once. Then as you gain experience, consider adding an additional fish or two down the road.
A lot more to it than just inches per gallon out of the gate.