How Many Fish

[smarls]

Gretzky,
I am actually interested in what you are doing, and I would like to hear the results. Perhaps you can start a seperate post and give updates every now and then, and fully explain your method when you do it. Also, I would again be interested to see if the amount of fish affect the natural behaviours of the fish or not. It is intersting, and I do wish the best for your tank.
However, I think it is irresponsible to post your fish list in response to every question about how many fish you can put in a tank, especially wihtout detailing the extra effort you go to from a system perspective. I think it is going to lead a lot of people down the wrong track...even if you do put a disclaimer in your posts.
Just my two cents.
Stewart

 

[ctgretzky9]

Sorry, i read my last post, didnt mean it to read how it was written..i mean i really DONT care what anyone thinks...lol...but not in a mean way that their opinion doesnt COUNT. I just meant that its working for me so far based on really thinking about variables, what is usually done in a tank, and how can I improve it for my own wants and needs.
The reason I started thinking this way, was I was soooo tired of my tanks being so boring ( to me anyway) with just a few fish. I wanted a crapload of fish so that there is always something to look at. So I thought about tank shape...how can I create a current in a rectangle that would move water efficiently? So I decided on a hex. Then I thought, why do I need all of the regular bulky stuff, or a ref tank or protein skimmers etc etc etc...so I got a cascade pump with carbon that is easy to change, and different size mesh floss filter pads which I could "recycle" and move them through the biological process to season new pads as i threw away the oldest pads. Then i tried to think up what creatures would fufill certain duties in the tank...emerald crabs for getting into deep holes int the rock and under the rock, large hermits to stir up the crushed coral ( i even picked crushed coral for a reason vs. sand for reasons like this) smaller scarlets for hard to reach areas, 2 different sized snails, clowns to take care of the anemones, polyps to filter the water, etc...
Then there is the water i use. Better than RO, it incorportaes ozone, ultraviolet light, dual 1 micron solid carbon/floss filtration and is taken from a well as opposed to city water.
I adjust the Ph and add salt. It is pure, crystal water in its most neutral natural state as it is made the way nature makes and "filters" water.
So, in essence, i thought a lot about what I was doing, it is working to date, and I have a very well stocked tank that has a lot of activity to look at. NOT saying it will work for anyone or everyone, but it does for me, and I'm really the only one who probably cares lol

 

[ctgretzky9]

Originally posted by smarls
Gretzky,
However, I think it is irresponsible to post your fish list in response to every question about how many fish you can put in a tank, especially wihtout detailing the extra effort you go to from a system perspective. I think it is going to lead a lot of people down the wrong track...even if you do put a disclaimer in your posts.
Just my two cents.
Stewart
i totally agree, and wasn't really thinking about how someone new to the hobby may take it as the way it is. I will not post it anymore without a definitive explanation, or not at all if I think it may be taken incorrectly.
And yes, I had planned on wiritng it all down at some point in a post. It's been a year since I added my last few fish, but I still feel vulnerable enough that I dont want to say with 100% accuracy that the way I am doing it is foolproof. I keep good records of water changes/parameters etc and notes on health of fish and behavioral patters etc...part of the reason I was kinda glad I got rid of my 125 as that was not so interesting anymore! I have what I would consider a large nano-reef lol.
I plan on adding some coral other than polyps soon...we'll see