SPS & fish

Mekaeel

Mekaeel

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howzit guys.
this thought crossed my mind earlier today.in a SPS dominated tank (which im planning by slowly getting rid of my LPS), the aim is to keep the system a nutrient low system.now feeding, obviously increases nutrients in a tank.take for eg. goldies,they have a high metabolism and need to be fed regularly which intern increases nutrients,correct? ofcourse skimming & regular water changes does help with lowering nutrient levels.what fishes would one suggest to put in an SPS dominated tank that have a low metabolism and do not need to be fed regularly therefore keeping nutrients low?

cool
 
Get some of that resin or PVC fish that's tied to a string. Then float it in the tank...:lol:

Just joking buddie :wink:

My general feeling is that smaller fish tend to consume less therefore shit less. But other than that sorry can't help you.
 
Mekaeel, the answer to your question is not an easy one, and there will have to be a certain amount of "give and take" involved.

As a rule of thumb, fish that consume a diet largely based on vegetable protein (tangs etc), will create less load on your system than fish that eat animal protein. This will only work though if you feed them their natural diet, no use in feeding them all Tetra Bits or my theory will be irrerevant.
 
I suppose you should look at some of the SPS dominated tanks people are running. Zeo seems to be a big plus as well as a Denitrator whether it is a natural form of reduction or a DSB with Cheato.

A good skimmer will also help as well as using kalk to increase the skimmers performance (Saponification), Phosphate remover of sorts.

Fish, I think I would keep some mid level and bottom feeding type fish. I also think a bare bottom would go a long way to help. But that also limits the type of fish. Wrasse as you know like to bury themselves, so that counts them out.

Maybe some clown fish, Surgeons/Tangs and a school of fire gobys and Decora's ?
 
Mmm, interesting question as it all depends on how good your nutrient export is. Skimmers play a hugh roll here as well as live rock and DSB's. I followed a high fish load theory from a few years ago and have had a fair amount of success with the SPS and i know Adriaan [Idol marine] also has a high fish load. But as stated when looking at this route please make sure you have hugh skimming.
 
Mekaeel, I think it will be a good couple of months still before the DSB will be effective though. But what Dober said about the vegetarian fish makes sense.
 
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