[shewe]

i am planning to set up a 45 gal corner tank with live rock and live sand. if i go with small reef compatable fish how many can i safely have for that size tank? i also plan to have a small "cleaning crew" so that has to figure into the equation. ty in advance.

[darkwolf29a]

I'm going to tag along with this one, because I would like to see this answer. I asked a question about this awhile ago. The answer I received is 12 in for a 55 gallon tank. I'm not sure how that relates to inches per gallon though.

So...this has left me curious.

[glampka]

From what I've seen it's 1 inch of fish for every 3 to 5 gallons of water.

[Danakor]

I was actually told that its 2 gallons of water per 1 inch of fish....

[shewe]

ty much guys.

[kwilliamskw]

one fish per two to three gallons of water is usually pretty good. Keep in mind that is at the fish' maximum length. And as far as the cleanup crew, I've heard that you need 1 snail and 1 crab per gallon of water.

[pogodzib]

You cleanup crew doesn't change how many fish you can keep. They break down nutrients, but so your skimmer can pull them out of the water better, eat algae, stir your substrate, etc...

If your planning on keeping corals, most people say only one fish per 10 gallons or one inch of fish per 3-5 gallons. Without corals, you can go a little higher, but I still wouldn't put more than 6-7 small fish in a 45 gallon tank.