# Best way to stock new tank



## BacktoFresh (Aug 21, 2007)

I know people like to kind of overstock to keep aggression down but how do you do it?

If, for example, I have four different species that I want and plan on putting, say, 25 fish in my 90g, and I put only 1/2 now and 1/2 later, what is the best way to do it?

Would I get three fish of each species or put 12 labs first, followed by 12 demasoni, etc.? Or 3 labs, 3 dems, 3 aecies and 3 rusties?


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## GoofBoy (Jul 3, 2007)

First, I will assume you did a fishless cycle with the 4-5ppm ammonia. If so you have a a bio-filter more than capable of supporting a full tank of new juvi fish.

If you are doing all juvi's to start - throw them all in together. I would strongly recommend this approach, the fish are way cheaper and mbuna grow so fast, I don't see the value in starting new with all adult fish.

If gets trickier when dealing with adults. I always add the entire group of a species together but then again, I have always bought juvi's then gave/sold the extras after I knew what I had to end up with 1M:3F etc.

I would definetely say if doing adults - start with your calmest species first then add. Though I am not sure about the bio-load if doubling your stocking from 12-24 fish, maybe throw some Bio-Spira in when adding that many new fish. I am certain others will have better advice as far as adding adults.

Of the species you picked, if going adults, I think I would go Ps. Acei first simply because they swim out in the water column a lot more than the others and will make it easier on the other groups when you add them - in order Lab, then Rusty, then the lil' Demons.

Hope this makes sense.

Good Luck.


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## Kanorin (Apr 8, 2008)

I second Goofboy's advice. If your tank is fully cycled such that it can process 4-5 ppm of ammonia per day, then I would try to add them all at once. If this is not an option (maybe they are coming from different sources) add them in species groups. I would add the Dems last if you do it this way. Acei, rusties, and labs are all pretty chill.


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## BacktoFresh (Aug 21, 2007)

the main thing is money 

I'm not going to be able to afford putting a full tank worths of fish and I wanted to get some of all of the species in. So you're saying I should just add one species at a time, with whatever number of that particular species I plan on keeping?

and for the record, I do intend on adding the fish when they're juvvies.


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## BacktoFresh (Aug 21, 2007)

Also, I didn't do the fishless cycle. I put the Tetra Safe Start and added six danios (3 large, 3 small). I've checked my parameters for a week and they've been the same all week:

am 0-.25
trites 0-.25
trates apprx. 20

Still not sure if I have enough bio-load to handle a big influx of new fish. Should I slowly add the fish so as not to shock the system?

Just so everyone knows, so far all I have in there are six danios.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

The problem is that even when you add fish in stages, you should not wait longer than two weeks until you add the next batch. Not a lot of time for the money to accumulate!

They don't stay juvies together if you add them over a really long period (say four months).

You are better to add an entire species at once, and the least aggressive first so they can acclimate and find the hiding places before the more aggressive ones descend!


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## BacktoFresh (Aug 21, 2007)

Oh no, not that long :lol:

I just wasn't prepared, monetarily, to add, say, 25 fish all at once. But 1/2 one week and the other 1/2 when I got paid two weeks later. :thumb:

DJ, did you come up with the two week time frame based on paychecks?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

No but nice coincidence. One or two weeks for the bacteria population to increase.


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## Kanorin (Apr 8, 2008)

Yeah, you should be able to add 2 species, then the remaining 2 species 2 weeks later. I'd do the dems in the second batch.

Two things you might be able to do to get your bacteria ramped up a bit before the addition of the first batch are 1) raising the temperature of your tank about 2-3 degrees and 2) overfeeding those zebrafish. This will increase their metabolism a bit, simulating the waste of extra fish. But bring the temperature back to normal before adding your Malawis.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I'm a little worried about the 0-.25 though. Does the test kit have a straight 0 reading? If not, I'd get another test kit.

You could add 3 large and 3 small to replace the danios (remove them), and another 3 large and 3 small to push your bacteria to grow on the first addition. Then make sure ammonia etc. is back to zero for a week before you add any more.


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## BacktoFresh (Aug 21, 2007)

The test kit does have a "Zero" reading, but its hard to tell if the tested water color is reading zero. It's kind of inbetween the zero and .25.

For what it's worth, I've read in a saltwater forum that for the cheaper test kits, it's harder for it to read as true zero. People on that forum have said if the test reads between 0 and .25, it's probably good. Not saying right or wrong, it is what it is.

I've taken a sample to the lfs and they use the same test kit and they came up with the same reading.

And when I say "large" and "small" danios, the large ones are about 2 inches and the small ones are about 1.5 inches. The larger ones are also "meatier."

But I hear what you're saying, DJ.


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## Cardiff (Jun 2, 2008)

i would be concerned putting them all in in very close succession i.e.two weeks. It may take a few weeks for the first batch to push the ammonia levels but if then its on the edge and you double the stock you may come home to a load of dead fish.I would try and so one loand then leave a month before adding more thats what i do now anyway.


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## Cardiff (Jun 2, 2008)

double post


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

I'm a bit concerned over the ammonia and nitrite readings, as well. I don't really put alot of stock in the "bacteria in a bottle" stuff, and in reality, your bacterial load is only ready for the amount of fish it is currently supporting, even if the readings are both zero.

I would add one species group at a time, starting with the most peaceful, and ending with the most aggressive. Once you add a group, monitor your water and don't add the next group until the levels are where you need them to be. Watch for spikes in ammonia, nitrite and nitrates and do water changes as necessary. Feed minimally until you get the tank fully stocked. Keeping the waste down will be on your side while getting your stock where you want it.

Patience is the key here...I know it's hard to do at times, but you'll have alot less problems a few weeks from now if you take it slowly. :thumb:


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## BacktoFresh (Aug 21, 2007)

Holic,

Yeah, I learned the hard way about the cycle about 10 years ago. One lfs told me to add the de-chlroinator and I could add my fish.

After about 1/2 died, I talked to another lfs.

"Did you cycle the tank?"
"Huh?"
"That's why 1/2 your fish died."

So I agree. I'm guessing even though I have 6 danios, the bioload is so light, it may not have much of an impact on a 90g tank.

As the Beastie Boys once said, "Low and slow, that is the tempo" :thumb: :dancing:


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## GoofBoy (Jul 3, 2007)

> Patience is the key here...I know it's hard to do at times, but you'll have alot less problems a few weeks from now if you take it slowly.


 :thumb: I would really think about taking the danios out and doing a fishless cycle.

You can save up money while waiting. It there really is bacteria in there from the Danios and Tetra Safe Start - then the fishless cycle will be done in under two weeks.

If it takes longer then you really needed to do it anyway or you would have had serious problems down the road.

TO me, you are putting too much money into the tank to not be sure, just my humble opinion, but I wouldn't risk the investment on Tetra Safe Start and just one week.

Good Luck, please keep us updated.


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## exasperatus2002 (Jul 5, 2003)

I break in the tank with cheap fish and a used filter from someone elses tanks. Then add the fish in groups. When adding new fish, I'll also rearrange the tanks to break up the territories again hoping to give the newbies a chance.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

You can also use some established filter media from another tank to "jump start" the new tank, but I still don't know if I'd add all those new fish at once!

Good luck, and post pics, it should look great when you're done!


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## BacktoFresh (Aug 21, 2007)

whether I do a fishless cycle or not, the ammonia is going to spike when I add a bunch of new fish, correct? Maybe I'm confused on the bio-spira/tetra safe start stuff. Isn't it supposed to add the bacteria I would get from adding the filter from an established tank? If I'm correct, I need to make sure there is enough "food" for the bacteria to eat (which comes in the form of either straight cleaning ammonia or fish waste). Is this right?

So regardless of where I get the bacteria, it needs to be fed, right? Maybe the small fish I have are not producing enough "food" for the bacteria?

Trust me, at this point I was not planning on adding two dozen fish at one time! Goofboy, you're right. I'm not going to waste money on fish until I know for sure the tank is cycled properly.

In fact, I'm still trying to track down where to get the fish :roll: The lfs I want to use doesn't have enough of what I want. And checking on aquabid, the shipping costs almost don't justify buying online :?


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## GoofBoy (Jul 3, 2007)

> whether I do a fishless cycle or not, the ammonia is going to spike when I add a bunch of new fish, correct?


No.

If you do the cycle with starting out at 4-5pmm amonia you will actually get a die-off of bacteria.

There will be changes in amonmia level but nothing one could call a spike.

Being an Enginerd, I really spent a lot of time researching before I trusted doing a fishless cycle, I looked into how much amonia was produced in a tank etc., I forget the details - but basically discovered that is a very heavy load, adding the juvies will not come close to the amount of load that you introduced when fishless cycling.

Do your Fishless cycle, then add amonia each day until - the day of the delivery - drain the tank down to an inch or so to get rid of the insane amont of nitrates that built up, add your prime/water conditioner and buffer (if using and fill the tank up). I would swirl the water around a little while and let it sit for about 15minutes then start the pumps. You are ready for your fish once the temp gets in range. You can test everything - but it is a little late and I am certain you will find things look great. (Don't add Amonia the day of receiveing fish - do it the night before).

Do NOT let the tank go more than 24hrs without amonia if doing the fishless cycle!



> Maybe I'm confused on the bio-spira/tetra safe start stuff. Isn't it supposed to add the bacteria I would get from adding the filter from an established tank?


Supposed to, you are correct. I have heard too many stories to trust it.



> If I'm correct, I need to make sure there is enough "food" for the bacteria to eat (which comes in the form of either straight cleaning ammonia or fish waste). Is this right?


Yes. The 'staight' amonia gets added each day - until the day the fish arrive. I fishless cycled a 90gallon tank and added 3 tablespoons of my generic ammonia each day until the nitrates took off - then 1 tbl a day. Putting your nose over the amonia as you put it in helps you understand the kind of load you are creating for bio-filtration. The amount to add depends on the concentration of your amonia - amonia you get in the store will go from 2% - 6% or so - so your milage may vary.



> In fact, I'm still trying to track down where to get the fish The lfs I want to use doesn't have enough of what I want. And checking on aquabid, the shipping costs almost don't justify buying online


I will PM a link.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I trust the "established tank" bacteria before bio spira, and bio spira before any of the other products. I've never had an ammonia spike when adding fish.


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