How many fishies should be in a 55?

[trina]

How many fish should go into a 55 gallon. I am under the assumption that I have overloaded my tank. I have a med. queen, a large percula, a small naso tank, a med. trigger, and a 5 inch lunar wrasse (longest fish in the tank)! I would love any feedback I can get...except for "You are an idiot, you overloaded your tank"! lol Thanks
PS Tank is 6 months old

 

[fshhub]

in a 55 gallon, i would say between 10 and 16 inches of fish(figure the adult sizes when calcualting), and definitely no more than 20 inches(at all)
IMO, i would agree wiht you here, all of them you listed are large fish(maybe not now, but will be), just about do it by them selves(except the clown)

 

[cap'n pete]

Just read your other post, and as you know by now that's a lot of fish for that tank. Do what you said at the end about cutting down at feeding time. You didn't mention RO water though. USE RO, that may be your nitrate problem, not your fish. Lots of tap water contains nitrate.

 

[fshhub]

ps
stocking like that defintitely could be a major portion of the problem, and the trigger is a messy eater that definitely also contributes to the equation too, i would reccommend a larger tank, as harsh as it may sound, this woudl mroe than likely be your best of options(i cant get rid of fish either, so i would get another or a larger tank)

 

[saltylake]

In my 55 I have one purple tang, one blue tang and a clown fish. I have currently had these fish over a year and feed once a day. Dry food and some reeef plus. To have a stable reef enviroment, you most limit the amount of fish.

 

[seaguru]

I agree that you are definitely maxed out on bio-load but many of us in the hobby have been there... I would not worry and just keep water quality prestine i.e. no overfeeding and religioous about regular water changes, etc. Additionally as your fish grow you may consider getting rid of one of them later on... if a new larger tank is not on the horizon. Good luck, Joe.

 

[bluemarlin]

Its been my experience here that no one would call you names for asking questions. Your tank is, in my opinion, overstocked and headed for trouble. The queen and the naso will probably be the first to go if you don't keep prestine water. The trigger may be in jeopardy too. Its all about the amount of waste these fish generate. The trigger alone is a huge waste generator and will probably throw your numbers off very quickly in such a small tank. I know, I thought the same thing when I bought my first 55 tank. I thought that it was HUGE! I was wrong.

 

[flamehawk]

Maximum 20-22 inches. You're way over as all have said. Need to gradually sell fish or upgrade to a 125g which is what you'll need to support this stocking level.