Bio loads for newbies - the idiots guide written by an idiot!

Catpicklesdog

Catpicklesdog

Hindsight is a wonderful thing!
Feb 25, 2007
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Telford, UK
Real Name
Alison
This thread is purely information, based on experience. I'm not looking for advice but looking to share my screw ups so others don't do the same :)

We often see recommended tank sizes for fish, but where do you stop filling your tank up. Is it after 2 fish, 4 fish or 10 fish etc.

The best place to start is at the beginning.

Everyone who is new to the hobby is told to cycle their tank, this is to prepare your tank for any future bioload by getting the nitrogen cycle up and running.

Everyone is told to add fish SLOWLY to a newly cycled tank, but how many of us can truthfully hold their hands up and say we waited:)

After every new addition, it's always advisable to test your water parameters. This will tell you how your tank is handling it's new additions and the bioload they naturally produce.

I've been there - got a tank up and running added a fish, and another, and another, etc and always wondered why I had high nitrate levels.

Then I upgraded to a larger tank (182gals) and all of a sudden zero nitrate. The first time in my 4years of marine keeping.

My stock:

8 chromis
1 cleaner wrasse
1 maroon clown
1 yellow tang
1 lawnmower blenny
1 lamarks angel
1 spotted mandarin dragonette

Not that many fish for such a big tank, I thought, so I did my research and found the perfect centrepiece as my last fish................

a pinktail trigger

Not a problem, 75 gal is the general minimum tank size, I can fit him in.

Then a few weeks later I tested my nitrates, result shows 50:swear: what a lovely shade of dark pink the test tube goes, shame it's supposed to be clear.

Let's look at the inhabitants again and see why:

Chromis - small poopers
Cleaner wrasse - small pooper
maroon clown - small/medium pooper
yellow tang - big pooper
lawnmower blenny - big pooper (for such a small fish they do big poops frequently:)
lamarks angel - small/medium pooper
spotted mandarin dragonette - tiny pooper
pinktail trigger - absolutely gigantic pooper!

That's a lot of poop!

I am now constantly battling with high nitrates and am starting to beat it, but it's been a slow process. So when you hear us go on about overstocking and cycling your tank properly - we've all been there!!!!

HTH:)
 
Not many ever do admit too their own screw ups, but we all done so at one time or another. As for the fish bio load, this does vary depending on species and size, but most not ever pay any attention on their fishes full maximum growth. Too often we read that one has a tang in a 55, that should have a 135 or larger tank. And so many,never take their sweet time to gain numbers in their live stock. Their tanks are stocked in just a matter of months, if not weeks. And not many do use a QT, and even that many are just as successful without one, what of those who aren't?
Four years, you are gaining yourself much needed knowledge just in your own acknowledgement. :thm:

Nitrates at 50 PPM! I could still remember when I was there and higher, in which seems to been so many years ago.

If you not mind me asking, how often you done a water change, and how many gals? What type of skimmer you have? have you a sump?

Buddy
 
Good thread CPD (though I think it's unfair to call yourself an idiot). Many don't realize the thin line of a balanced stocking vs. overstocking--it is a very easy thing to overlook. I, too, learned that the hard way with some of my older tanks. The one important thing to point out, though for people just starting the hobby, is that every tank is different. The natural processes, as well as the equipment on the tank will determine the stocking density, which is something that will vary for every single individual tank. My current tank can't support too many fish without getting nitrate readings, unfortunately. That may be the natural processes involved or it may just be the fact that the tank is plain old. Who knows. .
 
If you not mind me asking, how often you done a water change, and how many gals? What type of skimmer you have? have you a sump?

Buddy
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I don't mind you asking at all Buddy:)

I do a 17% water change every week at the moment which is helping bring them down. I do have a sump with a fuge with lots of live rock and macro algae (I've even put some oysters in to see if they will help). I run a TMC V2 1000 skimmer and have sump lights on a reverse cycle.

I have cut down on feedings (I'm an overfeeder!) and have added 20 snails and 10 more crabs as I lost many down my overflow (before we added the weir boxes)!

Nitrates, as of yesterday, are down to 25 so something is working. I use RO water and TDS is currently at zero and phosphates, nitrates etc read zero on the "brewed" water. I always mix at least 24hrs in advance.

I'm 99% sure that it's all down to Trigger. I upgraded the tank May 2007 and everything was fine until a month after he went in (June 2008)!!!:)

Good thread CPD (though I think it's unfair to call yourself an idiot).
Click to expand...

I am really for trying to push things just that little bit too far!! I'll never learn though:)
 
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To love is to learn the problems begin when you stop wanting to learn !

That said a centrepiece fish always take effort and hard work but always worth it keep up the the good work cpd
 
Nice post. I really like it.
I have never had either of the fish, but one thing that surprised me was the difference in the spotted mandarin and the lawnmower blenny. I thought they were about the same fish.

I hope this isn't too far off topic (if it is I will delete it), but I am a little confused about adding clowns. I have a 30g reef and the focus isn't going to be fish, but I was thinking about adding a pair of clowns for activity and because my tank will be mostly softies. They have to be added together right? won't two fish added at once mess up the bioload?

Edit: never mind about the mandarin and lawnmower blenny. I was thinking scooter blenny
 
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