Is this overstocked??

drakken

drakken

Member
I got flamed somewhere else about my tank being overstocked. I disagree and value the opinions here more. The tank has been up for 2 weeks. Also, I got some very seasoned bio-balls from my LFS to help the bacteria colony. Please let me know if this is overstocked. BTW, I will be getting a bigger tank in about 5-6 months
Here's the specs and current chemistry.
35 hex tank
1 small dwarf lionfish no more than 3.5 inches
1 small yellow tang about 3 inches
3 green chromis 2 inches
ph 8.2
Ammonia .25 ppm (mg/L)
Nitrite less than .5 ppm (mg/L)
Nitrate about 20 ppm (mg/L)
Salinitiy 1.022
Temp 79
22 lbs LR
Fluval 305 canister
extra powerhead
 
full of questions

full of questions

Member
You know, i'am really starting to thing that some people
are so bored with and have no life,that they just post
some stupid question,just to get maybe even just 1
person all fired up,and sadly it usually works!! I quess
STUPIDITY in all forms just alway's get's our full attention.
 
drakken

drakken

Member

Originally posted by Full Of Questions
You know, i'am really starting to thing that some people
are so bored with and have no life,that they just post
some stupid question,just to get maybe even just 1
person all fired up,and sadly it usually works!! I quess
STUPIDITY in all forms just alway's get's our full attention.

Is that what you are doing?? :confused: :confused:
I'm asking a real question. How about instead of responding in an insulting manner you just help me.
 
wamp

wamp

Active Member
Drakken,
Well, you probably already konw what most answers will be. Yes, I am affraid it is overstocked for a young tank (Even with used bio-balls).
Your tank goes through many cycles, not just the nitrogen cycle. It has not even completed one of these but your bio-load is a bit high. I will not get into the tang or lion deal, but these two fish are messy eaters and have a big appetite.
I would definetly suggest those two fish be removed until the tank is much older. These fish both require stable chemistry and a mature tank.
Also, some things to avoid around these parts is to announce you will be getting a bigger tank. Not saying you will not, but it does not justify putting a large fish in a small tank. I am not flamming you on your fish choices or anything but I hear that alot. Just the other day someone got a shark for his 55 gal. and stated he would get a bigger tank when needed. Again, not saying he will not, but you never know what could happen between now and then. If something does happen, he would have to find a home for it and around here there are not any. So, he will more than likely, end up with a dead shark.
I always plan ahead but I always get what will forever fit in the tank. I never know what could happen.
Wamp
P.S. Your tank looks cool. Very nice start.
 
ty_05_f

ty_05_f

Active Member
Dude that was a little harsh. But take out the tang out b/c it grows too big and needs tons of swimming room. And it's recomended for 1 inch of fish for every 5 gallons. So you should only have about 6 1/2 inches of fish in there. Don't forget that is only a rule of thumb plus you want to take the fish's adult sizes not how they are now. Good luck take some fish back to the store and let it completly cycle. There shouldn't be any ammonia or nitrite.
 
slick

slick

Active Member
I too think the tank is overstocked. Just remember a big part of this hobby is patience.
 
drakken

drakken

Member

Originally posted by Ty_05_f
Whoops wamp posted before me. It was intended for the harshness of Full of questions.
I know, thanks.
OK, so I guess I messed this one up.
 
wamp

wamp

Active Member
But you did not mess it up beyond fixing it. Just go slow and be patient. Your tank will mature and your choices will be wider..
 
spanish dancer

spanish dancer

Member
A little more live rock in the future would look nice...
Ok, well I noticed that you may not have enough sand in your tank. Is that live sand you have now? You should have around
4-6 inches of sand in your tank and have maybe at least half of it live.
 
drakken

drakken

Member

Originally posted by Spanish Dancer
A little more live rock in the future would look nice...
Ok, well I noticed that you may not have enough sand in your tank. Is that live sand you have now? You should have around
4-6 inches of sand in your tank and have maybe at least half of it live.
The substrate is Carb-Sea argonite. Why does the sand need to be so deep?
Thanks!
 
richard rendos

richard rendos

Active Member
My opinion is there are too many fish in that tank no matter how new or old the setup. The thing about the sand...you don't have to have a deep sand bed. That is the new craze, but many of us have kept successful tanks without a deep sand bed for many years. That is an option but not a must. I would check for nitrites, ammonia, and nitrates daily to keep a close eye on them. If your fish seem to be stressed, do partial water changes.
 
drakken

drakken

Member

Originally posted by Richard Rendos
My opinion is there are too many fish in that tank no matter how new or old the setup. The thing about the sand...you don't have to have a deep sand bed. That is the new craze, but many of us have kept successful tanks without a deep sand bed for many years. That is an option but not a must. I would check for nitrites, ammonia, and nitrates daily to keep a close eye on them. If your fish seem to be stressed, do partial water changes.
I have been checking the water for nitrites, ammonia, and nitrates daily. So far no signs stress.
What is the opinion about deep sand? What is the advantage/disadvantage?
 
waterwolf

waterwolf

Member
Overstocked-yes possible to maintain this setup-yes currently your water quality is below standards try to keep the ammonia and nitrite at 0. Consider adding a sump to increase your overall volume. A 35 hex lacks the surface area you need. Deep sand bed is essential for completing the nitrogen cycle and is absolutely recomended in you situation. Your going to get alot of heat from people about keeping a tang in a 35hex. Also lions are messy eaters and can effect water quality. Damsels and clownfish are more suited to this setup than lions & tangs. Good Luck
 
drakken

drakken

Member

Originally posted by Waterwolf
Overstocked-yes possible to maintain this setup-yes currently your water quality is below standards try to keep the ammonia and nitrite at 0. Consider adding a sump to increase your overall volume. A 35 hex lacks the surface area you need. Deep sand bed is essential for completing the nitrogen cycle and is absolutely recomended in you situation. Your going to get alot of heat from people about keeping a tang in a 35hex. Also lions are messy eaters and can effect water quality. Damsels and clownfish are more suited to this setup than lions & tangs. Good Luck
Thanks for the info. I just checked the levels and ammonia is 0 and nitrite is just a tiny bit up from 0. Nitrate is 1 click up on the test strip.
I will add some livesand tomorrow.
I do have an extra powerhead behind the live rock to move the water around. Would it be a good idea to add a small bio-wheel filter like a Penguin mini??
 
killafins

killafins

Active Member
I think it is overstocked but nothing you can work around. Tangs like lots of swimming room and lionfish; well the ones that I have seen just like to lie around. IMO, I feel that your tank can be arranged so it fits. But just be careful.
I do feel that the tank is too new. I fear that the cycle has just begun and its going to his your tank HARD! I would almost recommend trying to bring them back to the LFS (the tang and lionfish) at least during the cycle period. Talk to him, mayb he or she can let you get those fish a little later in your tanks life.
PS... have a great time and a rule of thumb when buying fish for me is one per week. (except when tank is cycling where I add a few damsels or chromis at once)
 
waterwolf

waterwolf

Member
Bio-wheel is great at reducing ammonia & nitrite but is poor at nitrate control. Once your tank's cycling process is complete the benefits of the bio-wheel would not be that great. Consider adding more live rock instead.
 
spsfreak100

spsfreak100

Active Member
This is Pineapple House, off that other board :)
Yes, you're tank is quite overstocked.
I'm not going to say what everyone else said, but I would try to upgrade sooner rather than later to something around an 80 gallon to keep those fish at their best. If you cannot upgrade to something that large, I would get rid of the tang and the Lion. The hexagon aquariums do not have that much room for the fish to roam, as a long rectangle tank has. Your tank is still only 2 weeks old! You really should be going extremely slow here, this is not any type of race to see who can stock their tank fastest. I would really focus on cycling the tank, rather than with adding anything else to that tank (as far as livestock goes).
The bio balls also wouldn't help much with this situation. They just add nitrates to the aquarium. I would try to switch out those bio balls to liverock over the next couple of months. Raise the waterlevel in your sump, so that water doesn't trickle down. Having water trickle down the liverock is twice as worse than having the water trickle down with the bio balls. After raising the water level, take out some bioballs, and add a small peice of liverock. Make sure to do this extremely slow!
Graham :)
 
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