MrLang Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 I realize this is possible but how likely is it to be problematic? When I look into tank crashes they are predominantly equipment or chemical failures, or overstocking of animals. What about overstocking of corals? My tank has been up for over a month and cycled pretty quick in the first 10 days. Since then I've added quite a bit of coral. I know patience is key in this hobby but I have found a way to apply flawed logic to my purchasing pattern and wondering how badly it could potentially backfire. I have a local guy with very good prices and convinced myself that if I was going to buy X from the LFS for a certain cost, I can't be too afraid of the risk of spending the same amount but on much more coral. So how much is too much? Here's what I've got in my 20L: 5 or 6 plugs of zoa and paly (4-8 heads each) 1 Ricordea that looks to be most of the way to becoming 2 2 small birdsnest frags 1 small monti cap 1 small chalice 1 small green slimer frag 6 head frogspawn a tonga branch crusted in purple mushrooms (15-25?) and gold dust palys (30?) heads a big very lively piece of live rock with more palys, sponges, a little macro algae 3 head hammer 3 head candy cane 3 nerite 3 nassarius 3 cerith 1 turbo the live rock had maybe 4 1" brittle sea stars I'm doing 20% changes weekly and using instant ocean salt. I plan to slowly transition to reef crystals or red sea pro to get more minterals going but was told that given the size of the water changes I would be OK for now. 65w 10k/65w actinic PC light, got the SPS up high with a lot of flow and light. Everything has been doing well for the limited time it has been in there - frogspawn grew another head, ricordea split, colors are bright Parameters have been very stable Salinity 1.024-025 Ammonia, Nitrites undetectable since cycle finished Nitrate steady between 5-10 ppm phosphorous hasn't broken .25 calcium ~360 alk 8 temp 78-79 So, please bash away if bashing is needed. If I just need to be diligent about testing and water changes I can live with that. I don't plan to add any fish for a while and when I do, maybe 1-2 only. Please assess my risk Link to comment
Eisernes Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 As long as the corals don't start fighting each other it will be fine. Eventually some of them will overgrow and kill their neighbors. CA could be a little higher and I'd think about upgrading the pc lights if you want SPS in there. Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 There is no such thing as overstocking, just under filtering. Like eisernes mentioned, you can basically pack in as many corals as you can, but they will do what they've evolved to do and that is to KILL KILL KILL anything next to them to give them a better shot lol Link to comment
Axiomatic Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 A picture is worth a thousand words....got any pics of the tank? Link to comment
MrLang Posted February 19, 2015 Author Share Posted February 19, 2015 I will take an updated picture tonight. I tried to place the more aggressive corals strategically, so the frogspawn is at the top of an island, hammer as well, the candy cane is actually below the hammer on the same island ~5 inches below the hammer heads. SPS is more of an experiment right now. At $5 a frag I figure if they're 6" from the PC they might be OK. The guy I got them from has over 1000g of tank space and gives speeches on lighting. He seems to think that if they're high in the water column they will be OK. We'll see! If they kill their neighbors or fail to thrive, I assume a dead soft coral is just as bad as a dead fish or snail in terms of spiking ammonia or is that an ASSumption? Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 Mature tanks won't experience any fluctuations in ammonia level as they very quickly process it. Link to comment
Chris! Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 There is no such thing as overstocking, just under filtering. Like eisernes mentioned, you can basically pack in as many corals as you can, but they will do what they've evolved to do and that is to KILL KILL KILL anything next to them to give them a better shot lol +1 the only other "overstocking" thing would be if you don't keep up with the demands of the tank alk,cal,mag etc. wise.... and thats not really over stocking thats just not doing your part to take care of the animals you have Link to comment
jamescstein Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 I'd be worried about a cyno/algae bloom that gets out of hand quickly due to not having a mature system. Link to comment
MrLang Posted February 19, 2015 Author Share Posted February 19, 2015 +1 the only other "overstocking" thing would be if you don't keep up with the demands of the tank alk,cal,mag etc. wise.... and thats not really over stocking thats just not doing your part to take care of the animals you have So I should be fine without a dosing system by swapping to the higher quality salt (slowly, maybe 1g per 4g change, then 2g per 4g change, etc.) and keeping up with my changes? I'd be worried about a cyno/algae bloom that gets out of hand quickly due to not having a mature system. I was worried and still am a bit about this, but had one big bloom and the snails have done a killer job cleaning it up. I think not feeding the tank and not having any fish is keeping it under control. Definitely something I'm keeping a close eye on. Appreciate all of the input so far, you guys are going to help me sleep better at night! By the way, I only spent $300 on everything listed here. My flawed logic was that if I was going to spend that much on a handful of corals from the LFS and be OK with losing it all if I fail, why not spend the same amount and dive right in. Link to comment
Chris! Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 So I should be fine without a dosing system by swapping to the higher quality salt (slowly, maybe 1g per 4g change, then 2g per 4g change, etc.) and keeping up with my changes? For a while yes you can get away with water changes alone. However, when it matures and "fills in" you will likely find that it is more efficient (both time and $) to run a doser then trying to keep up with the demand through daily water changes alone.... and you will see more stabilization through dosing w/ an actual doser then doing water changes even daily. Link to comment
Nano sapiens Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 Photosynthetic corals with their zooxanthellae, in particular, are very efficient at using both external and internally produced substances. Waste products are much less of a concern than something like a fish only tank, so in this regard a high stocking density is feasable. However, a system packed with corals can cause a decreased flow scenerio, which is not good for the corals or the system in general. Keep this in mind as your corals grow out and maintain sufficient flow. Link to comment
MrLang Posted March 4, 2015 Author Share Posted March 4, 2015 A week later.... too much too soon or safe? Link to comment
VW_TDI_02 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 I see a good bit of sand that could hold some more corals... Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.