Bioload for 2ft Tank

[lauep]

Hi there good people,

I just joined the reefing culture hobby. I currently have these critters in my 2ft tank:

- 2 x Sebae Clowns

- 2 x Blue Tangs

- 1 Spotted Mandarin

- 1 x Camel Shrimp

- 1 x Sailfin Tang

- 1 x Green Wrasse

- 3 SPS corals

I would like to know from you good people if its ok for me to add in:

- 2 more cleaner shrimps

- 1 Royal Gamma

Would the bioload be too over-crowded?

Many thanks for your advice..

[Solo77]

yr green wrasse if established may not like royal gamma. For shrimp, if you put 2 cleaners of similar or bigger size than your camel shrimp, it should be ok. For over crowding, let your SPS tell u....lol.

[albinosage]

Bro, it sounds like you should hold back on your purchases for the time being. Your tank is smaller than 2ft x 1ft x 1ft, it should be around 60 litres or 15 gallons without sump. 7 fishes, especially with 3 of them being tangs (massive bioload), is definitely overcrowded. For reference, the most fishes I ever had at any one time was 8 small fishes in a 90L tank, and I found that a little too crowded.

[lauep]

yr green wrasse if established may not like royal gamma. For shrimp, if you put 2 cleaners of similar or bigger size than your camel shrimp, it should be ok. For over crowding, let your SPS tell u....lol.

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I just got my green wrasse yesterday so I assume that its still not established yet (but I dun buy it lah just in case). It hid in the sand once I released into the tank. I thought

I accidently threw it away with the plastic bag. Haha!!

Bro, why my SPS tell me that its over crowding in the tank?

[Solo77]

super high bioload, your sps will turn brown and then white.....lol

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I just got my green wrasse yesterday so I assume that its still not established yet (but I dun buy it lah just in case). It hid in the sand once I released into the tank. I thought

I accidently threw it away with the plastic bag. Haha!!

Bro, why my SPS tell me that its over crowding in the tank?

[lauep]

super high bioload, your sps will turn brown and then white.....lol

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Woah~! I see.... ok noted.

I will just get 2 cleaner shrimps instead then.. I'll be going to Pinnacle to get them later.

Thanks so much for the advice.

[Solo77]

Bro, as mentioned by Bro Binosage, there is some guidelines to the number of fishes kept within certain tank size. Hence, do note. Do acclimatise your shrimps slowly as they can get shock and die instantly infront of you. All the best.

[comycus]

Bro your 3 tangs will not do well in such a small tank. I don't know how big they are now, regardless how small they are now, in no time they will be out of swimming space in a 2ft tank. Strongly suggest you either sell them off or upgrade to a bigger tank.

I do hope you have cycled your tank, and have read all the basic reefing stuff.

[lauep]

Bro your 3 tangs will not do well in such a small tank. I don't know how big they are now, regardless how small they are now, in no time they will be out of swimming space in a 2ft tank. Strongly suggest you either sell them off or upgrade to a bigger tank.

I do hope you have cycled your tank, and have read all the basic reefing stuff.

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Hi Bro, my blue tangs only 4cm each (or smaller). Me sailfin tang is about 8cm.

They still have swimming space thou. I only feed them once a day to control their growth.

Yeah, I have already cycled my tank and have done my research homework.

Btw, when I reached home earlier this evening, one of my Sebae clown died. The body was covered with a white membrane (dunno is it "frozen" due to the chiller or is it killed by virus?)hmm.....

I'm looking out for a "big brother" to teach me more about marine reefing as I am very very keen in sustaining this hobby.

Dunno if I can learn more from ya all (Solo77, Comycus & Binosage)?

[peacemaker]

Yeah, I have already cycled my tank and have done my research homework.

What is your spotted mandarin feeding on?

[comycus]

Good to know that you have done some research.

I'm not really an expert here, so my 2 cents worth...

1. Tangs like your blue tangs and sailfin tangs will grow rapidly and require lots of swimming space. That's why they are normally recommended to be kept in at least 4 ft tanks and above.

2. Even if your tangs seem to have enough swimming space, it doesn't mean they are not stressed as these fishes travel miles in the ocean everyday. Not to mention you have 3 of them squeezed in a 2ft tank, they will be fighting for territory. Highly stressed environment can result in many things, from torn fins to white spot outbreak in your fishes.

3. As peacemaker has mentioned, your tank's pretty new, so it will lack pods for your mandarin fish to feed on. Mandarins are known to be finicky feeders, and most don't wean to processed food. What this means is your mandarin is probably going to starve to death unless it is already feeding on processed food.

4. Your clownfish sounds like it died from Brooklynella. Common in clownfish and can spread to your other fishes. Suggest Formalin dips for your fishes. Pls do a search on the forum first to find out the ABCs.

hope it helps!

[jackywongto]

Hey hi there clam chowder, welcome to SRC

hmmm your tank size is not suitale for tangs. Would suggest you sell them off and target gobies instead. These fishes need large tanks. For your tank size, just target 4 - 5 small fishes max. when I say Small fishes, I am not referring to the size. I am referring to small bioload fishes. As for SPS, try to skip them - quite unsustainable for a beginner especially in a small tank. Go for more hardy corals like mushrooms and zoas.

Happy reefing!

[Solo77]

Bro, we are all here learning and exchange pointers. In general, there are recommended guideline where most reefers experienced success but there are reefers who don't follow and succeed also. There is always 2 school of thoughts and i am seen to differ from most when come to fishes. However, i do agree there will be a saturation point. For your clown, it should be brook. which seems common. Not sure whether it is due to the fish or your tank. I personally experience this when i first started. If the clown is in the farm or shop for more than a week, it is rather safe to buy but if after gotten and kena, it will be your tank, not mature enough. If it is new and you just buy back, usually the symptom will come 2 to 3 days after you got them. Happy exploring. Just control and be patience, passion at time will cause more sorrow if your beloved fish died because of some "irrational" act...and you will have heavy heart for days...... Good Day and welcome to this never ending hobby.

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Hi Bro, my blue tangs only 4cm each (or smaller). Me sailfin tang is about 8cm.

They still have swimming space thou. I only feed them once a day to control their growth.

Yeah, I have already cycled my tank and have done my research homework.

Btw, when I reached home earlier this evening, one of my Sebae clown died. The body was covered with a white membrane (dunno is it "frozen" due to the chiller or is it killed by virus?)hmm.....

I'm looking out for a "big brother" to teach me more about marine reefing as I am very very keen in sustaining this hobby.

Dunno if I can learn more from ya all (Solo77, Comycus & Binosage)?

[lauep]

What is your spotted mandarin feeding on?

_________________

My tank happens to have copepods when I stared onto the tank wall.

Beginner's luck I guess...

You have mandarin fishes in your aquarium too?

[lauep]

Good to know that you have done some research.

I'm not really an expert here, so my 2 cents worth...

1. Tangs like your blue tangs and sailfin tangs will grow rapidly and require lots of swimming space. That's why they are normally recommended to be kept in at least 4 ft tanks and above.

2. Even if your tangs seem to have enough swimming space, it doesn't mean they are not stressed as these fishes travel miles in the ocean everyday. Not to mention you have 3 of them squeezed in a 2ft tank, they will be fighting for territory. Highly stressed environment can result in many things, from torn fins to white spot outbreak in your fishes.

3. As peacemaker has mentioned, your tank's pretty new, so it will lack pods for your mandarin fish to feed on. Mandarins are known to be finicky feeders, and most don't wean to processed food. What this means is your mandarin is probably going to starve to death unless it is already feeding on processed food.

4. Your clownfish sounds like it died from Brooklynella. Common in clownfish and can spread to your other fishes. Suggest Formalin dips for your fishes. Pls do a search on the forum first to find out the ABCs.

hope it helps!

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Oh man... I will keep a lookout for these few days on the tangs' behaviour in the aquarium. See if they are experiencing any disorder behaviours.

Bro, regarging pt4. Where can I get Formalin for the clown? Understand that Formalin (aka Formaldehyde) is a chemical that preserves the dead...

[jackywongto]

Bro, we are all here learning and exchange pointers. In general, there are recommended guideline where most reefers experienced success but there are reefers who don't follow and succeed also. There is always 2 school of thoughts and i am seen to differ from most when come to fishes. However, i do agree there will be a saturation point.

*nod agree. There were times when people said that you cannot keep too many angels in a tank. Well I had 7.

So I guess all roads lead to Rome. Just that some are easier, while others are more difficult....

you just have to find one that suit you best at this point of time.

[lauep]

*nod agree. There were times when people said that you cannot keep too many angels in a tank. Well I had 7.

So I guess all roads lead to Rome. Just that some are easier, while others are more difficult....

you just have to find one that suit you best at this point of time.

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Yeap!! I agree with ya all. We must slowly explore this hobby and the characteristics of these

critters.

Now that's the fun part of this hobby!

[lauep]

*nod agree. There were times when people said that you cannot keep too many angels in a tank. Well I had 7.

So I guess all roads lead to Rome. Just that some are easier, while others are more difficult....

you just have to find one that suit you best at this point of time.

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Woah!! U had 7 tangs in a 2ft tank??

[pokmingsheng]

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Woah!! U had 7 tangs in a 2ft tank??

i think he meant 7 angels.. haha..

[peacemaker]

_________________

My tank happens to have copepods when I stared onto the tank wall.

Beginner's luck I guess...

You have mandarin fishes in your aquarium too?

I used to keep one, thinking I have sufficient pods in my nano tank to sustain it, till I watch it grow thinner day by day and it died eventually. It lived for 2 months, and I had a fuge in my IOS with cheato too (pod cultivation area).

So learning from experience (which isn't a good thing in this case), I wouldn't advice on keeping a mandarin unless you have a stable, continuous food source to sustain it (with the exception of pellet or mysis feeding ones), hence the reason for posting the feeding question to you.

Here's a link from Nano-reef on keeping Mandarin fishes in a nano tank.

[jackywongto]

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Woah!! U had 7 tangs in a 2ft tank??

no lah... 7 angels and 3 tangs in a 6 footer.

[Fuzzy]

Bro, to be brutally honest (and because no one else has said it yet,) your tank is way overcrowded,

I would not add anything else to the tank, and would definitely contemplate selling or giving away the Tangs as it is.

Even in a 3ft tank this is a very high bioload to be attempting SPS in.

What kind of filtration, sump size and protein skimmer are you running?

[lauep]

Bro, to be brutally honest (and because no one else has said it yet,) your tank is way overcrowded,

I would not add anything else to the tank, and would definitely contemplate selling or giving away the Tangs as it is.

Even in a 3ft tank this is a very high bioload to be attempting SPS in.

What kind of filtration, sump size and protein skimmer are you running?

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My thoughts exactly too.... but so far still ok (I hope)

As at today, both of my clowns have already died, due to brooklynella.

Now in my tank, these are the only residents:

- 2 x Blue Tangs

- 1 x Sailfin Tang

- 1 x Spotted Mandarin

- 1 x Camel Shrimp

- 1 x Cleaner Shrimp

- 3 x SPS

I have attached a pic for easy reference on my tank layout.

As for filter, I use a Eheim Canister 2215. No sump and no skimmer.

But I have a chiller for the SPS.

To be honest, I still dunno how does a sump works in a marine tank despite all my reading.

Fuzzy Bro - would you be able to help me on this?

[jackywongto]

poor sailfin..... so confined. let it go lah bro.....

[FuEl]

The camel shrimp will end up eating your SPS. I would recommend that you get a skimmer before attempting SPS. I have a friend who is keeping his SPS without the skimmer but his tank had been stable for years and has a very large water volume of above 500 gallons. He employs other form of nutrient export like a refugium with chaetomorpha algae and mangroves. Currently as I see it if there are no means of nutrient export and you do not engage in frequent water changes to keep nutrient levels low, all you will end up with is brown sps.