Red Sea Max 130D - Stocking the Aquarium; Stocking Rates and Species Introduction

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Red Sea MAX
These janitors play an important long-term role, keeping your
aquarium in good shape. They help control algae, remove detritus,
eliminate the occasional small dead fish trapped in the rockwork
and scavenge for scraps of food that fall to the bottom or between
rocks. They play an especially important role if your tank has
substrate, keeping it clean and aerated. We recommend starting
with the following species:
 Brittlestar starfish
 Pistol shrimp
 Detrital feeding sea cucumbers
Additionally, we recommend introducing herbivorous snails, such
as Asraea tuncta or Turbo snail. The blue-legged hermit crab,
Clibanarius tricolor, plays a similar role, as does the attractive
skunk cleaner shrimp, Lysmata grabhami.
When the ammonia and nitrite levels have peaked and
subsequently reach zero, you have finished the cycle.
Stocking the tank
After the Red Sea MAX has finished the cycle and the algae
blooms are under control, your aquarium is ready to be stocked
with fish and invertebrates. Here are some guidelines to help
you stock a healthy and successful aquarium:
 Compatibility of species: Before adding any fish or invertebrates,
familiarize yourself with any compatibility issues among the
desired species. Tank inhabitant compatibility is crucial to a
successful and healthy reef aquarium. Incompatible species
will increase stress in the fish and increase the risk of disease.
 Stocking rate: Stock your aquarium gradually to allow the
biological filtration to catch up with the bio-load of the new
inhabitants.
 Introducing species: Introduce the more docile species first.
This allows them to acclimate themselves to the aquarium
before you add larger, more active and aggressive species.
Stocking fish and invertebrates
Once you have selected the species, you need to determine how
many fish you can successfully keep in the MAX. While that
depends on many factors, as a general rule of thumb you should
stock no more than 1cm / 0.4" of fully grown fish per 4 liters /
1 gallon of free water volume. We recommend that you stock
no more than 35cm / 14" of fully grown fish.
Remember to consider the desired species' maximum sizes when
calculating this figure.