Overstocked?

Reef.Blue · Jan 18, 2023

My current livestock in my 40b:

- 2x Ocellaris clowns
- Tomini tang (juvenile)
-Flame Hawk
-Midas Blenny
-Green Mandarin Goby
-2x Banggai Cardinals

Do you think that I have hit my max? I was wondering if I could put a small watchman goby in, but I was unsure if I was overstocking my tank or not. The goby would be my final fish. Let me hear your opinion.

I have lot of filtration for the heavy bio load.
-Fiji cube drop in kit with filter sock and sponge.
-Tunze 9004 skimmer
-Lots of bio filtration balls
-Lots of live rock

JC1977 · Jan 18, 2023

Two things stick out to me one: a Tang in that 40 breeder is pushing it even a bristletooth tang. If he’s small you can maybe get away with it for awhile but in reality he’ll need more space eventually. And two: I would be concerned about the mandarin having enough pods in that small tank. Unless you’re restocking pods from a separate source the mandarin will most likely deplete your pods and starve. Everything else looks fine just my two cents though. Best of luck with the tank!

Sharkbait19 · Jan 18, 2023

JC1977 said:
Two things stick out to me one: a Tang in that 40 breeder is pushing it even a bristletooth tang. If he’s small you can maybe get away with it for awhile but in reality he’ll need more space eventually. And two: I would be concerned about the mandarin having enough pods in that small tank. Unless you’re restocking pods from a separate source the mandarin will most likely deplete your pods and starve. Everything else looks fine just my two cents though. Best of luck with the tank!

I was going to say the same thing. The mandarin can be managed with a lot of work, but eventually the tang really should be moved.

Cthulukelele · Jan 18, 2023

My tomini is only pushing 3 1/2 - 4 inches and even in my 120 sometimes I wish I could give it more room

Reef.Blue · Jan 18, 2023

JC1977 said:
Two things stick out to me one: a Tang in that 40 breeder is pushing it even a bristletooth tang. If he’s small you can maybe get away with it for awhile but in reality he’ll need more space eventually. And two: I would be concerned about the mandarin having enough pods in that small tank. Unless you’re restocking pods from a separate source the mandarin will most likely deplete your pods and starve. Everything else looks fine just my two cents though. Best of luck with the tank!

He has been eating lots of frozen foods, so I'm guessing that he will be ok. What are your thoughts.

Reef.Blue · Jan 18, 2023

Cthulukelele said:
My tomini is only pushing 3 1/2 - 4 inches and even in my 120 sometimes I wish I could give it more room

I'm just going off of what my lfs recommended to me. They said a tomini tang would be a good option for my tank.

Cthulukelele · Jan 18, 2023

Reef.Blue said:
I'm just going off of what my lfs recommended to me. They said a tomini tang would be a good option for my tank.

Sure. Tominis are also the smallest and least size requiring tang. I want to make it clear that you aren't doing anything "wrong." Just know that once it gets older it may become noticeably stressed in a tank that size and you might want to find it a new home/upgrade tanks.

Reef.Blue · Jan 18, 2023

Cthulukelele said:
Sure. Tominis are also the smallest and least size requiring tang. I want to make it clear that you aren't doing anything "wrong." Just know that once it gets older it may become noticeably stressed in a tank that size and you might want to find it a new home/upgrade tanks.

It is about 2’’ right now, and I’m planning to upgrade to a 120 or so towards the end of this year

Reef.Blue · Jan 18, 2023

Cthulukelele said:
Sure. Tominis are also the smallest and least size requiring tang. I want to make it clear that you aren't doing anything "wrong." Just know that once it gets older it may become noticeably stressed in a tank that size and you might want to find it a new home/upgrade tanks.

just getting away from the tang, what do you think about getting a watchman goby?

Cthulukelele · Jan 18, 2023

Reef.Blue said:
just getting away from the tang, what do you think about getting a watchman goby?

It wouldn't fight much with any of the fish you currently have most likely. I'd get a big one just in case with a hawkfish in the tank. You are pretty close to full on fish in a 40gallon though.

dedragon · Jan 18, 2023

Reef.Blue said:
just getting away from the tang, what do you think about getting a watchman goby?

that last one is probably gonna be max given the amount of filtration, I would actually say you have a pretty standard filtration setup especially because you arent running a sump and have a pretty tiny skimmer (tunze does make very nice nano skimmers). How are nitrates and phosphates in the tank right now (numbers in ppm please and which test kit used)?

Fishingandreefing · Jan 18, 2023

JC1977 · Jan 18, 2023

Reef.Blue said:
He has been eating lots of frozen foods, so I'm guessing that he will be ok. What are your thoughts.

Wow if your mandarin is taking prepared foods kudos to you lol mine wouldn’t touch anything but pods but yeah that’s awesome in that case he’s most likely fine!

Reef.Blue · Jan 18, 2023

dedragon said:
that last one is probably gonna be max given the amount of filtration, I would actually say you have a pretty standard filtration setup especially because you arent running a sump and have a pretty tiny skimmer (tunze does make very nice nano skimmers). How are nitrates and phosphates in the tank right now (numbers in ppm please and which test kit used)?

Nitrates - 3 ppm
Phosphates - 0.03 ppm
All Hanna kits

Anemone_Fanatic · Jan 18, 2023

There are three things that can make a tank "overstocked". The first is nutrient levels in the water. If nitrates are at 3 ppm, you have nothing to worry about there. I might even feed a little more, get them between 5 and 15. The second is behavior. It doesn't sound like you have issues there, but the tang may well be an issue when adding more fish. While small Zebrasoma and Ctenochaetus species can be maintained in tanks less than 4-5 feet if precautions are taken, they will be the rulers in that space. Other algae eaters and open-water fish may draw negative attention from it. The third is personal preference. I think that tanks with lots of fish look crowded, even if the fish are comfortable in the tank. Of course, if you are asking, then you probably want to add some. I'd personally keep it as is, but you would be fine with one or two more. Just avoid aggressive/large species and open-water swimmers, and you'll be good to go! A watchman goby would be an excellent choice, very under-appreciated fish that are quite appropriate for your setup. Good luck!

Reef.Blue · Jan 18, 2023

Anemone_Fanatic said:
There are three things that can make a tank "overstocked". The first is nutrient levels in the water. If nitrates are at 3 ppm, you have nothing to worry about there. I might even feed a little more, get them between 5 and 15. The second is behavior. It doesn't sound like you have issues there, but the tang may well be an issue when adding more fish. While small Zebrasoma and Ctenochaetus species can be maintained in tanks less than 4-5 feet if precautions are taken, they will be the rulers in that space. Other algae eaters and open-water fish may draw negative attention from it. The third is personal preference. I think that tanks with lots of fish look crowded, even if the fish are comfortable in the tank. Of course, if you are asking, then you probably want to add some. I'd personally keep it as is, but you would be fine with one or two more. Just avoid aggressive/large species and open-water swimmers, and you'll be good to go! A watchman goby would be an excellent choice, very under-appreciated fish that are quite appropriate for your setup. Good luck!

I appreciate all the advice. Do you think I go with the pistol shrimp pair or just keep it with the watchman

Anemone_Fanatic · Jan 18, 2023

Reef.Blue said:
I appreciate all the advice. Do you think I go with the pistol shrimp pair or just keep it with the watchman

Pistol shrimp should be fine. They add very little bioload, as they don't eat much and most of what they get is just food that would normally be missed by fish. Just know that they will dig burrows, and large ones can bulldoze frags on the sandbed. The noise they make is also very ominous, especially when you first hear it. Sounds somewhat like something breaking, and it can be heard across the room. I have a few in my tank (hitchhikers on rock, don't know how many), and the first time I heard them, I thought that the seams of the tank were breaking, or the stand was giving way.

fish farmer · Jan 18, 2023

Reef.Blue said:
My current livestock in my 40b:

- 2x Ocellaris clowns
- Tomini tang (juvenile)
-Flame Hawk
-Midas Blenny
-Green Mandarin Goby
-2x Banggai Cardinals

Do you think that I have hit my max? I was wondering if I could put a small watchman goby in, but I was unsure if I was overstocking my tank or not. The goby would be my final fish. Let me hear your opinion.

I have lot of filtration for the heavy bio load.
-Fiji cube drop in kit with filter sock and sponge.
-Tunze 9004 skimmer
-Lots of bio filtration balls
-Lots of live rock

I'm the guy who will say you are maxed, I like to give that advice on the future of this tank. Is this a forever home for these fish? How big will the current occupants grow? How much space is actually in there for the fish you have? Lots of rock and corals....could be read as lots of hiding spaces but could also be read as less total volume in your tank for fish to roam.