Too many fish

[McReef1]

In my experience, if you have too large a bio-load (too many fish), you would have a nitrate problem. Not a phosphate problem. Is this what you meant?

The # of fish you have seem quite right - as a general rule - for a 90 gallon tank. If you have a phosphate problem, I assume you are introducing them into the environment somehow and can eliminate the source with some investigation. In the meantime, use a phosphate sponge as directed to remove the phosphates.

If you have a nitrate problem, you could add more live rock, feed your fish less, add a denitrator...or any combination of things. I would need to know more about your system to really get in to it.

How much LR do you have and what type of additional filtration, if any, do you use?

Good luck,

McReef

 

[Abe]

I have a miracle mop system for filtration with caulerpa algae, and a protein skimmer. About 4 inches of live sand and 40lbs of LR.

I was just worried about having too many fish, because I just put in two brain corals this week, and want the water qulity to maintain at appropiate levels.

But if I wanted to remove some fish, should I build some kind of trap?

Abe

 

[McReef1]

Sure...but I do not have a suggestion as to how to do it. There is a DIY board here as well as on www.reefcentral.com that are bound to have some suggestions for you.

 

[Gatortailale1]

You can buy a trap here:
http://www.bigalsonline.com/cgi-bin/view.cgi

What kind of water do you add for evaporation. Phosphates usually are in tap water, that is why almost all use RO/DI water.

I also think you should be at 90+ lbs of rock. Most on board will advise 1.25 lbs per gallon of water.

 

[McReef1]

Exactly, Gator...at least 90 lbs of live rock for this tank! Your nitrates will dive. How long has the tank/filter system been set up?

Abe, did we determine it was a nitrate problem and not a phosphate problem?

McReef

 

[Abe]

I have a 90 gallon reef tank with:
2-fairy basslets
1-small queen angelfish
1-tomato clown fish
1-goby
3-blue head wrasse

I think thses are too many fish because it is difficult for me to maintain my water quality, especially phosphates. I have tryied to remove the fish, but they hide too quicly behind corals and live rock, which I dont want to move. Can annybody suggest an easy way of trappinng fish in a fish tank?

 

[slimy]

I've always been under the impression that a phosphate problem is indicative of overfeeding or poor-quality input water. A high bio-load should result in excess nitrates, not excess phosphates. Are you feeding heavy?

 

[Abe]

Yes, I actually found out that it was a nitrate problem. I'm going to get some more live rock.

If I get LR directly from the ocean (Panama, Caribbean)and introduce them into my already running tank, will it make the water quality alot wors?

Thanks for the help
Abe

 

[McReef1]

Slimy...phosphates have nothing to do with feeding (is that what you were saying?

) unless you are feeding something unusual that contains a lot of phosphates.

Abe, if you add LR that is not fully cured, you WILL make your life (and your aquarium inhabitants life) miserable. You can add fully cured LR with no ill effects.

You mentioned getting LR directly from the ocean. What do you mean by that? Do you or someone you know collect it from the ocean? If so, you could add it directly to the tank as long as you keep everything on the rock alive. If you keep the rock out of the water long enough for stuff living on the rock to start dying off, you will need to cycle this rock in a separate container. If you put it in your tank, your tank will go through another cycle and possibly kill some/all your fish.

Good luck,

McReef

 

[esmithiii]

Abe- Any problem w/ the angel nipping at corals?

E

 

[Anonymous]

With 4" of sand the extra live rock is unnecessary. The nitrate reduction will happen much faster in the sand bed than the rocks. as for the fish, right noe it may be ok, but the wrasses and the queen will out grow the tank in a year or two.

 

[Abe]

The queen angelfish does pick on corals. That is one of the reasons I want to take it out.

I live about 2 hours from where I can get the live rock directly from the ocean. Is that too long of a drive to take them dry. If it is, I can put them in a cooler with water. I live right near the Pacific ocean in the bay of Panama, but the water is poluted, so I have to drive to the Caribbean.

Abe

 

[McReef1]

A cooler with water would be fine. I know people who move a lot of tanks for a living and they have success with LR that they sometimes have out of water for 4-5 hours (but certainly not recommended)

. Given that, I am not an expert in removing LR from the ocean. No reason anything would die off, though.

Good luck!