6' tank, how many fish?

[mojo]

Hi

I am moving house in a few weeks and the person I am moving with is leaving his tank for us. It is a 6' marine settup. How many fish can I keep in a tank of this size?

[nivek]

Hi mojo. First thing first : WELCOME!!!!!!!!!
Secondly how many gallons is the 6 footer? Any current livestock in there?

[wooddood]

give us a little more info on the tank and the inhabitants and equipment that will us give you a better idea.and welcome to the sanctuary.

[Gina]

mojo

How many gallons is your tank? Alot would depend on your filtration and what type of fish you plan on keeping.

[Scooterman]

Welcome!

6 footer seems big, take measurments of the tank, that way we can figure the size. Also list all of your equipment & we can go from there.

[BoomerD]

Yep, total dimensions of the tank, and what type of fish you want, and how it will be filtered . All these questions will make a big difference in your stocking levels. the "rule of thumb" that most of us go by is 1" of ADULT fish per 5 gallons of saltwater. In the Freshwater side of the hobby it's 1" of asult fish per 1 gallon, but marine fish require more room, and better water quality, so the 1/5 rule is usually more appropriate. Now, that doesn't mean you should go out & get a 36" shark for a 180, because you don't want any fish that it's adult length will exceed the width (front/back). Too crowded. You might be able to house a family of 4 in a 1 room apartment, but no one's gonna be happy, nor will they thrive in that environment, and there's likely to be quite a bit of aggression as everyone encroaches on the other's "space". Similar sort of thing with fish. Many are very territorial, and will defend their space very vigoriously, often to the death. Less NOT more!

[Maxx]

Very nice bonus! Also Welcome aboard!!
Couple of things.......is the tank currently set up? If so what is in it?
Things we will need to know in order to help you out:
1...Does it have a protein skimmer?
2...Does it have a sump?
3...What sort of water circulation does this tank have, (in detail)?
4...What sort of lighting does this tank have?
5...Most important of all, what do you want to keep, a fish tank or a reef tank? To explain the difference, a fish tank has only fish and some hardy invertebrates in it such as shrimp and crabs. Thes tanks are less maintenance involved, can be very beautiful, and are usually less expensive. Reef aquariums contain living corals and sometimes anemones, are much more challenging, and to many much more rewarding, are more maintenance involved, and are by definition, more expensive. The corals in a reef tank are much more delicate and require precise water conditions, (which is where all the extra money goes to..maintaining those precise water conditions). Many people, (myself included) feel that a properly set up and maintained reef tank, is more entertaining than television. Thats not to say a FO, (Fish Only) tank cant be similarly appealing, its all up to you.
If you can answer these questions we can help you out quite a bit more.
Also I reccomend purchasing a copy of "The Concinetious Marine Aquarist", by Robert Fenner. Its a great book for both beginners and intermediate aquarists alike. You can usually find a copy on Amazon for about 35$ US.
Hope that helps,
Nick

[MojosReef]

Welcome, This is all we need is another mojo to confuse everything even more. Ha Ha. I agree with everone else, a little more detail would be more helpful.