How mcuh can I stock after cycle complete?

ghart999

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Nov 28, 2006
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I am going to be cycling a 55G tank soon. Once I am done can I add fish like crazy or should I still start slow? How many fish at a time and how long before another addition?

This will be a community tank with danios, tetras, gouramies, cories and ottos. Thanks all.

Also any suggestion on what species to start with first?
 
And on the other side of the spectrum, I would recommend adding them slowly. If you add them a few at a time the bacteria will be able to grow and prevent a mini-cycle. If you do it slow, you don't have to depend on a product like biospira.

As far as which species first, I'm not sure. Although not the gourami. I don't know if you intend dwarf or non-dwarf gourami, but I believe they can be a bit agressive to fish added after them. Not 100% sure, but easier to start with fish you know for sure aren't agressive.
 
I like to start with the most peaceful species first, then work down to more territorial or aggressive species. That being said the fish you want are all peaceful, except maybe the gourami depending on species (as above). Also ottos do a lot better if there is already some algae in the tank. I would definately leave them till last.

Stock slowly. Adding a lot of fish at once can cause a spike in ammonia because the filter is not ready to handle the bio-load yet ie there is not enough bacteria in the system yet to cope with the waste. If you add fish slowly you won't need any 'stress' related additives.

I like to wait at least 10 days, ideally 2 weeks, between adding fish. This means if the fish you get have a disease you'll know about it (and can treat it) before adding the next lot.
 
thank you for the suggestions. I will start with one docile specieis first and work my way up with 2 week breaks in between
 
If you are doing a fishless cycle using ammonia, and doing it properly, you can fully stock the tank when the cycle is done. If you do not fully stock at this time, then you are essentially reverting the tank to cycling with fish and will have to add slowly over time.
 
TwoTankAmin said:
If you are doing a fishless cycle using ammonia, and doing it properly, you can fully stock the tank when the cycle is done. If you do not fully stock at this time, then you are essentially reverting the tank to cycling with fish and will have to add slowly over time.

I do plan a fishless cycle with ammonia. So I should fully stock at once? Any one else agree. Just want to be sure here that I don't start another minicycle if I start slow.
 
I would also stock slowly. Monitor your rate of nitrate increase and stop stocking well before your rate of nitrate buildup gets to a point where you are unwilling or unable to do frequent enough water changes to keep the water heathly for the fish. It's good to leave some room for error where you can skip a water change if you need to and still not create unhealthy conditions.

I'd suggest no more than 20ppm nitrate per week. Keep in mind that most fish you buy will grow and produce more waste as they get bigger, and some fish are more sensitive to waste than others.

Measuring Nitrate can be a very good indicator of water quality. Especially in fish only tanks (no plants).

Nitrate is not the only waste product that accumulates in tanks, but it is easy to measure and keep an eye on without having to test for everything all the time, and gives you a good idea how heavy your fish load is.

Slowly raising your stocking level also allows time for your biofilter to adapt to the load without overwhelming it and getting a minicycle.
 
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As iterated above, go slow. I'm thinking (for a 55), 5-6 sm. fish at a crack, fresh crack ea. 2 weeks 'till you're done. Add the least aggressive stuff first, more territorial stuff later... good luck.
 
OK. I will go slow such as 5-6 sm fish every 2 weeks. Starting with docile fish and moving the agreesive/territorial fish last. Thanks all.
 
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