Cycle done..but always something

AquaDummy

AquaDummy

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Sep 26, 2004
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Kamloops, BC
Okay, my fishless cycle is done (46x16x24 77gal no plants). Of course after all this waiting and anticipation of finally getting my fish, now the LFS's around here don't have the fish I want. I just got transfered to this small city (in Canada) and there are only 3 small LFS. One of the shops (Petland) seems to really be trying to help me out. Their usual suppliers are in Florida and things are not coming in as they were before the hurricanes. They are looking for other sources elsewhere.

Anyway, if I don't fully stock my tank I will basically have wasted all my time on the fishless cycle and will then have to go through mini fishy cycles down the road (I'm pretty sure anyway). Maybe you can help me with some possible alternative stocking options?

My plans were/are

6 platies or swordtails (these I can get)
1 Bristlenose cat (they don't have one but they do have other Ancistrus)
2 Blue Rams (they had some but I missed em - not sure they were what I want anyway?)
8 Cories (should be able to get them)
5 Emperor Tetra (do not have)
4 cherry barb (should have)
15 Harlequin Rasbora (do not have. They are the ones I really wanted to build around)

So first off, if I can't get the Bristlenose will another ancistrus be just the same?

What are some good options to the rasbora and emperors that I can look for? They have lots of various tetra but I just don't seem to like them.

Any other nice looking, fun to watch fish like the ram I could get?

I really want to fully stock my tank after all the watching, testing and waiting. So I would appreciate any advice or favorite fish you might have to recommend that I can check out as alternatives for my community. I'm looking for a nice peaceful tank with one or two nice schooling fish.

Thank you for all the great advice and help - you've all been great.
 
Why don't you continue supplying your tank with ammonia until you are ready to add the fish? From what I've read, if you don't start adding fish within 2 hours, the bio bugs start to starve to death anyway, so adding the ammonia will keep the tank cycled. Then you can wait to get the fish you really want for the tank. ;)
 
If you can have all the fish at your location within a couple of weeks, I'd go ahead and start stocking. If it will take longer, I'd hold off adding fish and feed the biofilter with ammonia. The biofilter won't die after a couple of hours, but if you exceed a couple of weeks without a significant source of food (ammonia) the filter will be substantially reduced.

You probably want to stock at least 50% of the bioload, with the rest in a week or two. Otherwise, many of the advantages of fishless cycling will be lost.

HTH,
Jim
 
Thanks.... I understand that I can continue to feed with ammonia until the LFS has all the fish I want. However, I would really like to hear what others may feel are some nice fish that I may want to consider.

I have limited knowledge of the various fish out there and maybe I would enjoy other species than the ones I have identified. I just wanted to hear what others think are interesting fish to keep and then I could spend more time researching and watching my LFS tanks.
 
i like pearl gourami a lot. and also a school of red-eyed tetra or black neon tetra (both of which should be available at your LFS). i also like clown loaches, but i can't keep them in my tank - they'll get too big. just some of my favorite fish.
 
What about Kissing Gouramis? What about Sailfin Mollies? Or 4 Clown Loaches instead of 8 Cories? Very fun fish to watch. What about a Pleco? The colored ones tend to be real pretty.

Swordtail males tend to be slighty aggressive, expect them to chase other specie types away!

Just make sure to have a small 2nd tank (5-10G) take these in these new fish before adding them into the actual tank after 2 weeks. This will protect your fish that are in the tank from most health problems.
 
I don't know- every time I have ever compromised on a fish I really wanted I was sorry down the road.
I would wait for what I wanted- however I had to.

Couldn't you just add them as you find them, and maybe overfeed a bit to keep a full load of biobugs?

Jim- would this work?
Even a little?
 
I think you could use fish food to feed the bacteria, as it will be broken down and contribute to the bioload. The problems are that dosing is pretty hard to figure out, and there's a real risk the fish will overeat and get sick.

Jim
 
I'd add the fish you have access to now, now. Then just take it slower with the rest--with a biofilter well established from fishless cycling it will respond quickly to a new food source. Overfeeding a tad, in my opinion, is kind of risky. Most people overfeed anyway, so deliberately adding more is likely to result in way, way too much uneaten food, and risks the existing fish.

I do agree with Toni--taking a second choice just because you can get it now, if your heart is set on that fish, is less than pleasing. I've ended up setting up more tanks just because I bought an alternate, then later found my first choice and couldn't put it in the original tank. Not a bad thing ;) , but your situation may vary.

For ancistrus--bristlenose are ancistrus, ancistrus are bristlenose. The common name applies to all of them. Most LFS don't distinguish between the types very much, and when they do, it's usually readily apparent on the price tag. I have 3-4 different types in my tank, and they are all pretty similar in behavior, just variations in color, markings, size and bristle size. They varied in price from about $4 up to about $20. All are at least a year old now, some are 3 inches long and others are up to about 5 inches.
 
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