Too many fish?

[steelerguy]

I just know this has to be in the FAQ or something but I can't seem to find it. This is one of those how many fish can I put in my tank questions. I am going to keep it specific though so it is not so generic.

I have a 50 gallon tank (36x15x20) with 60 lbs. of live rock (lots of caves), I also have a 15 gallon sump that probably contains 9-10 or gallons of water when the pumps are on. I am running an AquaC EV-120 skimmer. Tank has been up for a few months and currently has 2 fish, a McCosker's Wrasse and a Flame Hawkfish, each about 2.5". I plan on putting in a pair of Ocellaris Clowns.

Should I call it quits at this point? I would really like to put in one more smallish fish, like a Royal Gramma Basslet, Fairy Wrasse, or even a Purple Firefish to add some blue/purple color. Would this be over doing it?

[dsn112]

Everyone will have an opinion on this, and I have read alot of them. I currently have 5 fish in my 29g. I am going for FOWLR with one Zoanthid and one mushroom frag. I also added a canister filter to help with the bio-load. All my fish are tiny. By the time they get much larger, I will have my new 210g tank and can move them. I think with that large of a tank you can handle atleast one more small one

[kdoodlie]

You should be okay adding another fish- go with the Purple fire fish! We had a royal gramma, and it definately wasn't as interesting.

I currently have 1 clown, 1 Carpenter Wrass, 1 Purple fire fish and a small Goby in a 29gal. I'm maxed out!

[steelerguy]

Ya, I know this is one of those topics that there are lots of opinions about. This is a reef tank so there will also be corals in there (LPS and SPS) contributing to the bioload..right now I only have a few corals. I do like to error on the side of caution though so I don't have a crash or anything.

Thanks for the tip on the Firefish. Right now my hawkfish and wrasse are pretty reclusive. Some more time and a couple dither fish may help get them out.

[Dingo Dog]

Remember that for every action there is a reaction. Relatively speaking, increasing your bio increases your water changes.