How many fish

[paulkai]

How many fish can you technically put in a reef tank? I've heard 1 inch per 2.5 gallons, including inverts like starfish. Not including corals. Fact or fiction?

 

[mlm]

I don't think that inverts add to the bioload of the tank.

 

[kris walker]

Hi Paulkai, IMO, it depends on the capacity of your bio filters. The larger your biomedia (lr, ls, filter media, etc), the more you can put in your tank. But make sure your reef tank is matured before adding any fish. Many, including myself, made the mistake of buying some fish 2 weeks after their initial cycle is over, and they all died over several weeks due to health problems. IMO, that simply is not enough time to ensure your fishes health. Things are still unstable in your tank for some time after the cycle. I would wait anywhere from 3-6 months after any changes where made to your tank before adding fish. BUt that is only my $0.02. And I bet there are some people out there who have had absolutely no problems with fish they bought right after the initial cycle.
And I don't know much about inverts, but it seems to me that they would also add to the bioload because they breathe O2, emitt CO2, and poop.
sam

 

[paulkai]

Thanks for the reply Sam. I already have my reef tank cycled for a year now. Have 6 fish in there now. Just didn't know how much more I can add. Thanks for the input though.

 

[hondo]

theres more to it than inches per gal, and how much filtering you have. The biggest problem is that most of these fish are very territorial. Even the non aggressive fish need a place to call home. You may end up with a major case of ich due to too much stress from overcrowed fish (even in a heavily filtered tank). bottom line go slow and be more concerned about what type of fish are in your tank and what their behaivior is like.