how to calculate biload on a full marine tank

[BCReefer]

For a FOWLR tank you calculate the quantity of fish allowed as 2” per 10 gallons. How do you calculate your maximum load allowed when you have invertebrates? What happens when they have a growth explosion?

 

[imow]

I think there are too many variables in a reef environment to have any "equation" to find the biload. Some factors which would come into play will be porosity of rock, amount of rock, size/type/depth of sand, nutrient export, etc. etc. etc.etc

Ken

 

[BCReefer]

On another post a person has the following in a 65G tank and someone commented that it is overloaded.

Invertabrates :
1 x Blue Linkia
1 x Brittle Star
20 Snails
Fish :
1 x Marron Clown
1 x Yellow Tang Zebrasoma_flavensence
1 x Regal Tang (1.5") _Pygoplities_diacanthus_
1 x Scooter blennie
1 x Algae Blenny
1 x Bangai Cardinal
Corals :
Branching Octobuble (suffering )
Hairy Mushrooms
Red Mushrooms
Polyps
Xenia (suffering )
Green Carpet Anenome


I am not sure how this is an overload. The person with the tanks does have 50 lbs of rock and 15 lbs of live sand. And then on another forum someone had 19 fish and corals etc in a 90G tank. So there is no way to easy way to calculate how many corals you can have in a tank? I guess you add them 1 at a time and watch and wait?

 

[TampaReefer]

It really does not matter as long as you provide adequate filtration and vitamins/supplements. The more equipment you have to extract organic nutrients, the more your tank can accommodate.

 

[pathos]

I have a 65 gal and I consider it to be at about its maximum capacity. check out my website for the stocklist.

 

[Ben1]

As far as fish you must provide a tank siutable for there largest size and enough area for them to have there own territory.

As far as corals I always atempt to covor my live rock head to toe in coral growth. As long as they all have space to grow to large heads and not sting other corals. Some corals can be grown right next to each other while othes need inches of seperation. For instance a bubble coral can let out 8" stinging tentacles at night, while zooanthids and palythoa can be grown right next to each other.

HTH

 

[aesop]

Actually that person's tank looks very familiar (trouble tank).

I feel that, it is pretty much it for fish, anymore and they would probably kill each other off, or die from the stress.

As for corals?? No Idea... I've held off until I can fix whatever problems currently exists. (plus some more rocks another 50lbs or so)

[ October 19, 2001: Message edited by: aesop ]

 

[bashcraft]

The bioload of a tank is determined by the amount of food that is added each day.

If you add 5 grams of food each day, it doesn't matter if you have 1 fish or 10 fish, the biological filter still only has to process 5 grams of food by-products.

Although if a fish dies, it then becomes food and things change...

Bob

 

[esmithiii]

Bashcraft-

Good point. Also consider that light and CO2 become nutrients in the form of algae.

You need enough food to sustain the fish that are going to be in the tank. I typically don't include invertibrates when judging tank bioload unless I target feed them.

E