need to reduce fish load....

[SouthernReefer]

hey all...
it seems i have to many swimmers in my 75gl. tank for sps corals to be happy.....
Scopas Tang
Blood Red Hawkfish
flame angelfish
6line wrasse
yellow watchman goby
green mandarin
8 green chromis
which ones should i get rid of????

a: green chromis
b: green chromis
c: green chromis
d: green chromis
e: all of the above?

[tdwyatt]

Originally posted by SouthernReefer
...it seems i have to many swimmers in my 75gl. tank for sps corals to be happy... ...which ones should i get rid of????

e. all of the above

... with the exception of the scopas tang (he can work for a living), and the mandarin, as they are just too kewl...

The watchman gody will compete to some extent with the mandarin for food, the hawk will eat any shrimps (esp peppermints), the angel is an angel, just hope you don't get any LPS. If you can catch the 6 line, then take it out, although it will eat any flatworms that might show up (as will the mandarin, but you may need to read this post to it first... ), and the chromis, well they're green, so there.

That should lower your level to what a 75 and SPS inhabitants will do well with.

...a little drastic, huh???

[Geoff]

yep that is a lot!!

i would loose 3-4 chromis, sorry i like them. the watchman, the 6-line, and the hawkfish. the flame you can keep if it plays fair, it is just pretty.

G~

[SouthernReefer]

yes... but.....

tomarrow i'm picking up a used 110gl tank, stand, hood, parts included as a freebie from a co-worker. i'm thinking 110gl hob refugium, which would give me the water volume i needs to fit my bioload.... chromis still gotta go anyhow.

[ruhspolostar]

-aww I guess I am a looser, could never part with my chromis, they've been their from day one, still have all ten of them, minus four .............., Mine would be to hard to catch as my tank is big and their small

[SouthernReefer]

i guess i had misread my tank condition. the clam, softies, zoathid colonies, and lps's are doing great.
the water parameters are:
no3 7 (need another clam!)
nh3 0
no3 7
no2 <.05
po4 <.02
ca 350~380 (may need a boost)
alk reads normal (may need a boost)
ph 8.31
temp 78~81
hopefully tomarrow i'll pick up my kalkmixer. i ran the litermeterIII dry for an hour today to condition the pump, and picked up a 400ml pyrex beaker for calibrating the dosage.

[salt creepette]

i vote keep the scopas and the mandarin. i love chromis so I'd say keep at least three or four, but if you hate 'em, take 'em out. and keep the 6-line too. just my opinion!

[salt creepette]

and, since youre so close, you can give them all to me! hah! just kidding. but if you do decide to get rid of your 6 line, I'd be interested.

[tdwyatt]

Originally posted by SouthernReefer
i guess i had misread my tank condition. the clam, softies, zoathid colonies, and lps's are doing great.
the water parameters are:
no3 7 (need another clam!)
nh3 0
no3 7...

All of these are nitrate utilizers (and can absorb the nitrates directly from the water). All these will benefit from nitrates in the water column (borderline issue for the LPS, but that is their nature). Rapid growth and calcification by the SPS and related reef top creatures is usually inhibited by nitrates in this range. In addition, when nitrates go up, coloration will go down in most SPS (read as Acroporiids and Pocilloporiids). The presence of a significant number of octocorals will inhibit growth as well, via the long term accumulation of terpenes and other allopathic agents in the water column (that also inhibit calcification and skeletalization, and if high enough, will inhibit tissue growth in SPS as well.) There are a few species of SPS corals that are fairly resistant to these competitive agents, but for the most part, they will stunt or kill the stonies you want to grow.

Heavy Heavy skimming helps, as does Carbon, and regular water changes on the scale of 20% each 2 weeks, but for the most part, unless you're making a commitment to this type of husbandry schedule, you will always have SPS corals that die after a year or so for no apparent reason.

[SouthernReefer]

thanks tom!
i think i will set up another smaller tank and house the 6line and hawkfish in it, along with a few softies and the lps corals. the ywgoby was returned, and i have 2 chromis left, that i still can't net. time for a soda bottle fishtrap.....

[CAT]

I'll admit that I'm not an sps fan to begin with, but If you've got a spare tank why not set it up for sps instead of tearing apart the one you have?

Sounds like you'd have to get rid of many of your softies as well as some fish

[SouthernReefer]

well, the spare tank i was planning on getting, a used 55gl cube, was dropped, by the owner on the way to my pick up today. it chipped the edge off one of the side corners. kinda bumms me out. $150 for tank, stand, hood, and in good shape. i asked if there was any damaged, he said "no"..... i said "great". we put in the back of my truck, went back to get the stand, and i saw this very large chunk of chipped glass. i would still like a 55gl cube, they are nice, and with a large hid, would make a nice prop tank too!

[CAT]

What a shame, a 55 gallon cube sounds really cool.

I guess it's a good thing he was the one who dropped it.

[SouthernReefer]

the bottom edge molding nailed him pretty good too, just above the ankles on both shin bones...... yeouwch!

[Reefdude5]

Ouch! Sorry for the loss!