Invert Stocking Limits

[iamjero]

I have heard that one inch of fish per gallon is a good limit to follow as far as stocking fish in a marine tank.

I am not planning on stocking any fish other than ones to help clean so I was wondering if there was a similar rule of thumb to go by as far as stocking shrooms, zoas, softies, and similar inverts.

[saline solution]

Not so much a rule of thumb, but a guide. You can put as many inverts in your tank as you can keep healthy and growing. The higher the load, to more demand it will put on your ability and your equipments ability to keep your tank clean and healthy. Frequent water changes and testing are a good way to tell the load you have. If you have to do 20% changes every couple of days just to keep nitrates down, your load may be too high, and skimming/filter inadequit(assuming nothing is dead in your tank)Depending on what you have in there and your exact setup this could vary greatly. I have found that those with a small buget tend to stock their tanks slowly, and appropriatly. By doing this and only adding one new coral every paycheck(or slower) you may be able to load your tank just the right amount.

[iamjero]

Excellient!

So if I do find that my nitrates are increasing too fast despite frequent water changes I have a few options as far as remediation.... Bigger better skimmer/filter, or adjust load.

Thanks