How much coral is too much coral
 

My nieces want me to get more coral but I feel my tank is at its maximum as it is a 33 gallon with 7 fish and 9 types of coral all of which are fairly large. How much coral is too much coral?

When there's no more places to put them? Lol.

Is that a trick question?

Nope just trying to figure out what the limitations on coral if there are any for a tank and will they tax the tank parameters

Set up another tank for them, depending on age have them contribute with maintenance and helping out! Cool that they are so interested, see if you can hook them on the hobby by making something their own. Helps them learn the value of money, pride of success and how challenging the hobby can be!

And reduce your disposable income! ;)

I wish I could but limited with space and the ever present need for that evil money.

I have like 40 different corals in my 20 gallon. I am adding about another 10 at the beginning of next month. So for now, I can say double the value of your gallons :P

So basically only limitation is space?

And the sweeper tentacles :P

I've tired of my Xenia already it's the only sweepers I really have at the moment and that stuff is driving me batty trying to keep it tamed

Xenia doesn't have sweeper tentacles, most of the LPS like torch, acans do.

I guess I'll start looking at some new corals then thank you

Just follow your instinct :mrgreen:

Just make sure that when you find something looking great, try to do some sort of research to find whether its suits your way of maintaining the tank and the specs of your tank :)

And types of corals you plan on mixing together, and skimmer/reactors/parameters/lighting ...
Lots to consider, and lots of reading on here recently about what I've mentioned
Some have success mixing corals, some not so much ...

You haven't told us what you have now, and what you want to add

I think that sooner or later the various corals will start producing inhibitators to each other and the growth rate will greatly be reduced while the fast growing ones will flourish (ie coral wars ). I think I had about 40 - 50 frag sized pieces in my 34 gallon tank at one point and am down to about 20 something due to some growing faster and creating a shaded canopy over the others and some anenomes which grow fairly fast and do sting; also some just slowly melted away ( ie some mushrooms, leathers). Also, a few SPS seem to have zero growth in the predominantly soft coral tank.

Checkout nano-reef.com; I recall some guy shoehorning in 80 -100 pieces i his 34 gallon red sea max but I am pretty sure his tanked crashed or he started to knock over stuff ever so frequently.


msjboy

Weren't you giving up because they're dying??

There is no limit. I have 35 sps 6 chalice 8 acans and a awesome blasto. In a 26g. Not to mention a frag rack full awaiting placement.

About 3 or 4 are acros...the ones I am giving up on :P Other's are doing spectacular :D

Take a look at Dennys tank (Reefwars), trying to count the number of types is a paradox in itself, as you get closer to to completion he just keeps adding more and more coral!!!

If memory serves me. You to had a collection of sorts

I don't think there is really a limit. You Just have to dose more and trim the corals back to keep them away from each other.

i have almost 200 pieces of coral in a 25g tank all nps,sps,lps and zoos/palys lol


heres a pic if it helps:)


http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps5dfdb1d9.jpg

http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps5a28cfb9.jpg

http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/a...nk/IMG3419.jpg

http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/a...tank/022-2.jpg

Sorry to derail from the topic but I just had to say.... Amazing tank shots denny! May I ask what that container at the back is for? :)

He litter trained his fishes :D

Container looks like sand for a wrasse to sleep in.

yes it is , i had a problem with pods and a fishless system so i had to add my yellow corris wrasse for a couple weeks and he gets stressed with no sand bed , same with my leopards.


the sand is now gone as the pic is a bit old and the wrasses moved back to the growtank:)

The answer to this question for me.. too much coral is when my bank account reads zero..

haha yeah same here lol even then im trying to sell or trade for new stuff lol

i think i have 15 frags on a small shelf and about 20-30 on my glassbed but have no room to actually mount them but couldnt pass them up lol im such a sucker lol

There always seems to be more room in the tank than in the bank.. :neutral: