How many of you have self-proclaimed 'overstocked' tanks?

[JennM]

I accused no one of stupidity, but when contemplating the THEORETICAL...I wouldn't suggest doing what was done in this case.

It's great if it's working...I won't dispute that even if I'll wait and see what happens in the long term. I just wouldn't advocate someone else trying this same thing. I'm sure we can agree on that much?

esmithiii, I didn't comment on your list but since you asked again...

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>
1 naso tang
1 yellow tang
1 hippo tang
6 green chromis
3 yellow damsels (not aggressive)
1 tomato clown
1 percula clown
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

IMO two surgeons will tangle. I'm all for one tang or surgeon per tank in many cases. They can be high strung and agressive, and they are rather suceptible to ich, so you'll have better odds with one. I'd go with the hippo or naso. I don't LIKE Yellow Tangs (my personal opinion, not a criticism...they are very popular and reasonably hardy, and inexpensive).

Chromis are fine, but I'd pass on the damsels...If I had a buck for everybody who loves their damsels and 6-12 months later tears their tank apart to get rid of them....

I'm not as concerned about mixing clown species in a tank that sizethey will have lots of room to have their own respectine territories.

JMHO

Jenn

 

[Boogiechillin]

Hmmm...how about this:
30 gallon reef, 35# live rock, 3.5" DSB, lots of macroalgaes, Red Sea Prizm. Upgrading tank size to 75-90 in under 1 year.

1 juv. tomato clown
1 blue damsel
1 6-line wrasse
1 bicolor blenny

Would you consider this overstocked, and could I potentially add another small fish?

Just curious and looking for consensus

 

[danmhippo]

How is this for an answer: "Depends"

 

[fudge1]

Hi all,

1-regal tang
1-yellow tang
1-purple tang
1-sailfin tang
1-sixline wrasse
1-cleaner wrasse
1-true perc
2-false percs
4-bangaii cardinals

In a 150g with a 80g sump (25g refugium included)
Heavily stocked with sps.

Looks like i win heh..

Esmithii,
The tangs could be fine...ya never know their personalities,other than the original acclimation i havent had a problem at all.
A few scraps,then all was well.
(its my smaller percs that dont want to get along,ya know,they both want the lady

)

One thing good to remember is to add the least agressive first.

Marc.

 

[Boogiechillin]

Depends on what?

 

[Rich-n-poor]

Esmittie:

as a general rule if you want to combine clowns species in a tank you are better off with tank raised clowns as they are less agressive toward each other

perculas also have done best when kept in pairs in my expierence with clowns (about 5 years)

The tomato will probably become a little agressive when you add the percs if he is already in the tank and adding a pair will help to divert his agression until he adjusts i think

_________________
Honda Ruckus

 

[esmithiii]

Thanks for the replies. BTW- I have 270 lbs of fiji rock, so I think there will be plenty of hiding places.

Also, is the Hippo tang technically a sturgeon fish?

CanadaWest:

Do your chromis school?

E

 

[Bodine]

*Also, is the Hippo tang technically a sturgeon fish?*

Earlier in this thread tangs were refered to as surgeon fish. This is another name for tangs not to be confused with sturgeon the fresh water fish.

 

[esmithiii]

My mistake on the sturgeon... I looked it up and it is listed with the other surgeon fish. "Marine Fishes" states that is is compatible with most other fish except more aggrssive acanthurids. Yellow tangs and nasos I believe are not acanthurids...

E

 

[SeaHawk]

JennM

I do believe in following common sense. But rather than debate this tank because it is currently very healthy and thriving, I'll say that the fish were not placed in there out of stupidity and not following common sense. I am very happy with the success I have had with my fish, I have never had a fatality other than a fish or two that died a day or so after purchase from the LFS of some disease or another.

 

[schroom]

I have 15 damsels, 2 blennies and one unknown in a 29 gallon tank with a 20 gallon sump. I've had them for three months now, caught them in florida, and am planning to go trade them in tomorrow to the lfs for something to put in my 90 gallon. Wasn't planning on keeping them this long, but I kind of liked watching all of them in the tank. I would say I was a little overstocked, but I never lost one fish I caught.

 

[davelin315]

Hey Fudge, how do you win? I think danmhippo beats us all out at the point you post, although the 15 damsels in a 29 certainly beats all of us out without a doubt on being overstocked.

Addressing all the talk of mandarin dragonets, not meaning to start a flame (although many a great flame has been started with those words - I can see it going through people's heads right now - "them's fightin' words"

), but if everyone believes they are so difficult to keep and is so against the average hobbyist buying them, then why is the average hobbyist always allowed to buy them? If people who own stores are so concerned about them, why not make them a special order item only, and only order them for customers who have proven they can keep them? The majority of unhealthy mandarins I see are the ones in stores, and without a doubt, any hobbyist could provide a better home for a mandarin than a store could (unless the mandarin is not for sale and is in their reef display) since stores have to put them in a tank where they can catch them if they sell them, and who is going to display a mandarin for sale in a tank that you have to rip out all the coral and rock to catch it? The mandarins I have seen in stores are always in fish display tanks that have no rock, have no pod population, and they are often housed several to a tank (which for a conspecific aggressive fish - right word? - is a very bad idea), with the exception of one place that keeps them in the frag growout tank.

Anyways, back to the subject,

I think we need to requalify the subject and make it reasonably versus ridiculously overstocked tanks in light of schroom's contribution.

 

[danmhippo]

Oh, NOOOOOO!
Dave. Please don't stir up the debate over "concious selling of mandarin" stuff. I believe we have gone over this subject a thousand times (if not a million)!

BTW, I deleted my posts already, how do ya know I beat all of you?

(note to Chucker: Is there a feature like in MI2 to make the message self destruct in 5 seconds?)

 

[Laurie]

Well, my old 75 gal was overstocked with:

1 3" Hippo Tang
1 3" Black Tang (1 month only while setting up new tank)
1 3" Maroon Clown
3 1" Blue Damsels
2 1 1/2" Pajama Cardinals
1 1" Banggai Cardinal
1 3" Algae Blenny
1 1 1/2" Stawberry Pseudochromis

The only fish who really seemed antsy was the Hippo.

We moved the fish into our 200 gal. tank 2 months ago. We lost 1 damsel - her tail was damaged somehow, I think she got stuck in some rocks, and we had to euthanize her. We added a cleaner wrasse and a few weeks ago added a Copperband. That's it - no more fish will be added.

The difference in the behavior of the fish is amazing. The Hippo, Black Tang, and Copperband swim together peacefully and calmly. There is no dashing about, no territory squabbles. It's a whole different atmosphere because nobody is crowded anymore. I can see that the Hippo and Black Tang have grown in the past 2 months and everybody has gotten VERY fat, both tangs are easily a 1/2" across in the belly - lots of good grazing on new tank algae

. I won't be overstocking again even though there are loads of fish I would love to have.

Oh yeah, the corals are a lot happier, too!

Laurie

 

[Baalz]

75g, 20g sump, 20g refugium.

1 Yellow Tang
2 Ocellaris Clowns
2 firefish
1 Bangaii Cardinal
1 Algae Blenny
1 Flame Wrasse

3 peppermint shrimp
1 coral banded shrimp
1 cleaner shrimp
1 emerald crab
3 large brittle stars

I feel I have over stocked this tank.. but everyone is so happy and I would still like to add another flame wrasse though..

What ya think?

 

[canadawest]

Hey E,

I bought six of the Chromis in the hopes that they would school, as discussions here said that the more you keep, the more likely they would school. The LFS here was selling them 3 for $9, so I bought six of them (which they ended up selling to me for $15)

It's funny, one was smaller than all the rest, and ever since introduction has been a loner, a the preverbial "ugly duckling" outcast of the group. The other five pretty much swim together constantly.

But it's every Chromis for himself during feeding time!

 

[schroom]

He not to fear, I just got back from the lfs and traded in all 15 damsels from my 29 gallon for some corals and green chromis to put in my 90. I had not planned on keeping the damsels this long, but they had to go. They were eating way to much food!!! My 29 was just a holding tank until I could go trade in the fish. My 90 contains a mandarin, yellow tang, regal tang, 3 green chromis, and a pair of clowns, which by the way are now spawning and the eggs are located right in the front of the tank to watch. Any help on the raising of clowns would much be appreciated.

 

[danmhippo]

Son, Confess! Confess to the world (the board) that you are a coward! (and delete your post immediately!

)

 

[Mike106]

I have a 50g with only two clowns and a bangaii in my tank but I think it is overstocked. My problem is that I didn't consider growth and now that everything has grown my tank is crowded. I started with one richodea and now have maybe 50. GSP and Xenia are like weeds and a leather went from the size of a golf ball to a softball. SPS frags are always growing and a pipe organ went from one small piece to two big pieces that now live in my sump (65w LOA). Now I need a bigger tank just for the things I have. Learned a good lesson there.

later

 

[esmithiii]

Mike- do you mean you are overstocked on corals, or fish??

E