Overstocked?

R

ReefGod

Good or bad, i've been told this by a few people who visited me recently, that my tank is overstocked. I count over 70 different SPS frags and colonies in addition to some softies, most of them are not visible in picture becuase they are hidden behind the larger colonies, will that give me trouble if they keep growing? Some of them are already being affected by the shadows of the neighboring corals. Might need to have a big coral garage sale one day. I was thinking of supplying a local store but none of them are really successful at keeping sps corals alive. My GF tells me I need a bigger tank.
 
Anton,

My advice would be to start making a mental note of what you like and what does really well in your tank, then start identifying those that you can unload. Just do it a bit at a time so you don't shock anything and your favorite stuff starts to fill in the spots they vacate.

While I don't think its overstocked as you are obviously keeping things well and its thriving, space will be an issue over time. So your choices are to prune and unload or go with a larger tank.
 
That's the problem, i don't want to get rid of anything :lol:, so I guess I should start to get rid of the ones that do really well since they are what's taking up most of the space, right?
 
JUST STOP buying corals Anton!!!!!!
btw I got some interesting montis
you might be interested: Red Hot Chilli Pepper, Sunset, and
the purple polyps with yellow base I spoke to you about last time. :lol:

Oh oh can I be the first on your garage sale list.

Regards,
gavin
 
As the late Johnnie Cochran would have said, "If you can still see rock then you're not overstocked." I know I'm going to run into the same problem as you. I'd trim every few months, and maybe even sell/give a few of your least favorite colonies away. Last night, I gave away an entire SPS colony that would only fit in a 1 gallon Zip Lock bag. Now my SPS have little more room.

Mark
 
I wouldn't stop buying corals, just start an "add-on tank" (if space does not matter) or you can go bigger tank. Your "add-on tank" could act as a grow-out/frag tank. But that would involve buying more fixtures (lights, plumbing, powerheads, maybe skimmer, etc.) also Electric bill will go up with the add-on too. (Going bigger would the right way to go in the long run, but the add-on would be a quick fix)

But with all your "higher end" corals you could trade for parts. You have a lot of NICE corals.

I have a 150 and would love to have as many corals as you have and have them thriving in my tank. Your tank is gorgeous.

Can you describe some of your success with some of these great pieces?
lighting (SE or DE), photo-period, wavemaker (if being used), water parameters, dosing, etc.

Did i mention, you got a gorgeous tank? :)
 
Looks like a good opportunity to flesh out the Co-op program!

Your tank is great to look at and very pretty but just like the ocean, corals grow on top of each other, crowd each other out and compete for space. That's how the reef grows.
 
Anton - as you know, I've seen your tank in person a couple times, and I don't really think it's overstocked. But, if you really think you need to thin it out, I'd be in line to buy some frags! :)
 
Thanks guys for all the positive comments,

I sort of have my own co-op program as I believe you have to ask at least a minimum fee for the frags otherwise people show up that have never had a single coral in their tank to take advatage of the generosity of others, so i think that's what our co-op program lacks, but i don't want to start any debate, i usually don't mind selling cheap I just don't like having to stay home all week and wait for tons of people.

Joel you haven't seen my tank after the shopping spree i went on this past week, which is what brought my concern in the first place.

Derek, adding another tank is not an option for me, I really don't want a larger one either. My maintanence is really nothing special, if you're in the area you're always welcome to stop and take a look.

I'm in the process of making a second frag rack, which I think is ugly and takes away the main view of the reef, but with this sized tank there's really no other option.

I guess the only rational way out is to get rid of some fast growing colonies and stop buying more. :roll:
 
i am in plano all the time checking Neptune's Cove. He's having a 20 or 25% off livestock this weekend (started last week of a 2 week sale) I would love to stop by and see this set up in the near future. My Bday is coming up next month so will see if the girlfriend will buy some of your stuff. Are you availible this weekend? PM adress and phone number.

Looking forward to see this in person.
 
@Anton M wrote:
Thanks guys for all the positive comments said:
I agree, I got a montipora frag at the meeting and it started dying fortunately I talked to Frank's (because that's where the club got it) and got the Iodine and Strontium/Moly it needed. I expected it but everything I tested was fine. I had even asked to get a piece from the coop but wanted to wait till I was sure I could give it a healthy existance.

If you're doing a tank tour my wife and I would like to see it :D
Click to expand...
 
I vote bigger tank. To me it looks beautiful like it is, but to keep things from growing over each other get a bigger tank. Only problem in you will fill the bigger one up to if your not careful.

To be honest, if that were my tank I wouldn't do a thing. It looks so pretty just like it is. Only thing I might do is get rid of some of the LPS because they generally win in boundry disputes and most put out stingers at night...or set up a small LPS tank plumbed in with this tank. That would give your SPS some breathing room.

Whatever your doing, keep doing it because they look very healthy.

Angela
 
Thanks Angela and Tim for the positive comments, yea you're right if I get a larger tank i'll just end up filling it up as well within a few months, whenever I see a free space I just have to fill it up with something. At this point i have to move the colonies around every month because they always grow over much more expansive smaller frags (which I'm terrified to touch), so its getting a bit unconfortable, but it's all a part of the joy that comes with caring for this hobby.

Sorry Tim I don't participate in the tank tour but you and your wife are always welcome to stop by and check it out.
 
what you need to do is bank some frags of your corals with a member with a big tank :) just in case something happens to your tank...Hint Hint
 
@BigJay wrote:
[I]@Anton M wrote:[/I][quote="My GF tells me I need a bigger tank. said:
What the heck are you waiting for?"]

you of should of just kept your original tank than you wouldnt of had this problem :D
Click to expand...
 
you can quote me on this

Reef aquariums are like closets; no mater how big they are, you will fill them up.

BTW looks great
 
Looks nice and full of frags to me... :) Let the corals get bigger and then you can determine if you want to take some out. To me the most impresive tanks are the ones that have full size colonies. Plus, I wouldn't recommend a bigger tank until the corals start growing on the front glass. :D Then you'll know it's time to upgrade.
 
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