# finally adding fish



## RylandVT (Jan 1, 2012)

After 11 weeks, my tank is finally cycled! I will be adding fish on Wed since that is my only free day this week. My question is: do I add the entire stock at once or split into smaller groups? I will be getting 8 cardinal tetras, 3 honey gouramis and 5 glass cats from the pet store. I will be ordering online 2 bolivian rams, 4 corys and 1 bn pleco, hopefully in a single shipment. My tank is 40g and is processing 4 ppm ammonia in 24 hrs. thanks!


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## Summer (Oct 3, 2011)

I suppose you technically could stock it all at once, but i wouldnt. I would start with one group of fish at a time. Also dont forget to still give the tank ammonia until you're ready to stock, then do a big wc right before.


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## SuckMyCichlids (Nov 5, 2011)

In a sense you could because you've built up quite a bit of bb but I would probably try to space it out over a few weeks personally anyway, congrats on getting cycled and watch your gouramis if you do add 3 try to get 2 females and 1 male or they will fight sooner or later, you still might get aggro problems but I don't think it'll be nearly as bad, my opinion would just be to avoid that and only add 1 period but its your tank, give it a shot


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## clep.berry (Mar 4, 2012)

*Food for thought...*



RylandVT said:


> After 11 weeks, my tank is finally cycled! I will be adding fish on Wed since that is my only free day this week. My question is: do I add the entire stock at once or split into smaller groups? I will be getting 8 cardinal tetras, 3 honey gouramis and 5 glass cats from the pet store. I will be ordering online 2 bolivian rams, 4 corys and 1 bn pleco, hopefully in a single shipment. My tank is 40g and is processing 4 ppm ammonia in 24 hrs. thanks!


I've no experience in this but I do have a brain that works.
I'd operate on the assumption that all fish have the common diseases that go with the species - just to be safe and not sorry.
If I were adding them one at a time, I'd be thinking about quarantine - but that's not your situation - just helpful to understand my train of thought.
Assuming you're going to experience Ick and maybe a few other problems... what meds would you be using and which fish do not tolerate them? 
Compatibility-wise, which fish are territorial and don't like strangers being added to their environment? 
What likely fights might you experience? Gourami I've found out can be killers?
Say two or more fish start fighting over territory/females - do you have any backup tanks if something goes wrong?

I'm not saying it will go wrong - just thinking of the information I would want (and don't have) with which to approach this problem.

Having that information would help me formulate a plan - the plan would only be as good as the flexibility that I'd build into it.

The above statement has made me realize that the locally bought fish also have a better chance of being returned to the store if there are "personality disorders".

Say you don't like planning - then light some incense, pray to Neptune, sacrifice a carrot stick, drip 3 drops of blood into the tank from your earlobe and go all Nike on it... "Just do it"

cb


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## SuckMyCichlids (Nov 5, 2011)

*Re: Food for thought...*



> Say you don't like planning - then light some incense, pray to Neptune, sacrifice a carrot stick, drip 3 drops of blood into the tank from your earlobe and go all Nike on it... "Just do it"
> 
> cb


Absolutly hillarious lol


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## seaecho (Jan 31, 2012)

Good grief! It took you 11 weeks to cycle it? I am going to start cycling a 40 gallon sometime in the next week. Is it going to take that long? I thought cycling my 10 gallon for just over a month was torture!


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

seaecho said:


> Good grief! It took you 11 weeks to cycle it? I am going to start cycling a 40 gallon sometime in the next week. Is it going to take that long? I thought cycling my 10 gallon for just over a month was torture!


Every cycle is different and it seems we all have slightly different methods for fishless cycles, where even a slight difference in the amount of ammonia you use can mean something different time-wise. I have heard of fishless cycles going for 1wk and seen others take much longer. The quickest I have been able to do it is 1 month. If you already have one established tank, time can be seriously reduced using seeded material.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

RylandVT said:


> After 11 weeks, my tank is finally cycled! I will be adding fish on Wed since that is my only free day this week. My question is: do I add the entire stock at once or split into smaller groups? I will be getting 8 cardinal tetras, 3 honey gouramis and 5 glass cats from the pet store. I will be ordering online 2 bolivian rams, 4 corys and 1 bn pleco, hopefully in a single shipment. My tank is 40g and is processing 4 ppm ammonia in 24 hrs. thanks!


I think if you added no more than 4-5 per time with a little separation in between you'd be playing it safe. No need to get spikes if you can avoid it, even if they are short-lived. Male Dwarf Gouramis do not get along with each other. If you get 3 you will end up with one eventually.


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