ah! when can i add the fish!?!?

Question

ok so my new tank has been cycling for 24 hours right about now and i havnt boughten the fish yet, (i think im duing good so far)

now im starting to read about all this nitrogen cycle stuff
all about "starting" the cycle , all about getting expensive tests kits, writing down the data daily , blah blah

well do i really need to do this? im only thinking of having basic hardy fish in the tank, NOTHING FANCY

well what should i do, my local petstore just said "buy the fish now! everything should be just fine!" on the day i bought the tank, im not trusting them though, and plus you guys are like guiniesses!

PLEASE HELP
thanks so much guys

hahaha sorry guys, yes the tank has the clorinator in it, lol i used to have a betta bowl , so i know a little

Answer 1

To be honest, you can add a few fish now and do it the "old school" method. Add just 1-2 fish per 10 gallons of tank space and wait a few weeks before adding just a few more. Then wait a few more weeks before finishing stocking your tank. Do very regular 25% water changes every few days from week 2 - week 6 or so and you should be just fine.

If however you go buy a tank full of fish and pop them all in at once, you almost certainly will lose fish, that's just the facts of the matter.

So the shop is right, you can add them now, just not too many at the time, I'm sure you don't want to kill them all off in the first week, right?

If I can help further feel free to email me

MM

Answer 2

Ahhh... the ageless question!

A tank will not even begin to cycle unless there is some sort of organic matter in the water for bacteria to feed on and reproduce. And you desperately need this 'good' bacteria to have a stable environment.

You can cycle a tank in 2 methods... Fish or Fishless.

In very rough terms: To start a cycle you have to get ammonia production started in the tank.
Easiest ways are, either put some fish in & feed 'em (their urine, faeces, uneaten food, and even gill filtering action will eventually create ammonia - yes, fish do pee - a lot), or chuck a raw prawn in the tank and let it decompose for a day or 2, or add liquid ammonia (who ever came up with this method needs to be shot).
Big on-going debate on fish or fishless cycling. A cycle process (3 stages) really does knock the crap out of fish used for cycling and should possibly be deemed as animal cruelty. But every fish I have used for cycling has always out-lived all other fish i've kept.

Bottom-line: Use the net to research on 'cycling' a tank, and make your own choice. Regardless you CANNOT properly cycle a tank in 24hrs, 48hrs or even a week. It takes time for the multiple bacteria types to reproduce.

If your tank is salt-water then buy lots of "cured" live rock. If it's damn good stuff and your filtration is good you may even be able to somewhat avoid the cycle process. Even then you should leave the tank 'procuring' for at least a week or two.

Regardless of the cycle method you use, at least buy 3 water test kits. Ammonia (NH3/4), Nitrite (NO2), Nitrate (NO3).
When all the tests show zero (at least the first 2), then go buy fish!

Any fish store that sells a tank to a customer one day and then sells fish to them the next day should be reported to relevant animal protection authorities.

You have asked the right questions... Good Luck!

Answer 3

Your tank wont do anything until you either add fish or bottled ammonia,some people do a fishless cycle with ammonia but you can also add a few hardy fish to get the cycling process started.You don't have to have a test kit although that can help(I bought one and once I saw all the warning on it about burns and inhaling it I was really scared and ended up only using it once) but you will need to do more frequent water changes until your tank has cycled,you need to have a gravel siphon if you didn't get one yet and use that to remove about 20% of the water once a week when your tank has cycled until then you could change as much as 50% of the water every few days.

Answer 4

I do implore you to pleeaase go through the "fishless" cycling process... I know it can be a long wait, but in the end your fish will be so much happier and healthier! Ammonia (Which your fish secrete) and nitrite (Which is converted from ammonia) are VERY toxic to your fish, and if it doesn't kill them through the cycling process, it will severely hamper their way of life after the process is completed. Ammonia burns and scars the gills of ALL fish, no matter how hardy they are.

There is a wonderful page on the cycling process on www.aquahobby.com, under the "Articles" section that will talk about the whole process in detail and how to do it.

Also, there is a product called "Bio-Spira," which, when added to your tank, will allow you to completely surpass the cycling process by adding beneficial bacteria right from the start. :) You can add fish the same day as the Bio-Spira. It's what I use, and I can't be happier with it! When you go to pet stores, look for a refrigerator behind the counter, as this is typically where they keep it. I bought the 90 gallon package for $15, so price-wise it's not bad, and I can tell you now that your future pets will definitely thank you for it! :)

I hope this helps in your decision!

CG

Answer 5

you could add damisels they are good starter fish. but they tend to be very aggressive and later on will eat your other fish. but they help establish the tank. wait on anything expensive or fancy for a while. it look us about a year to establish a balanced tank. other hardy fish i found that do well are clown fish, they don't need anemonies. i though they did couse of nemo but they don't. i personally would just get the snails and hermits first. and get lots of live rock. our tank is mostly invertibrets. they will help keep your nitrates good. let the good alge spred and live rock establish itself. other good things for tanks that are fun and hardy shrimp. the fancy ones even are very hardy. brittle star fish. chocolate chip stars no matter what the store tells you will eat everything are not good for tanks. and if you plan to do coral the will eat that too. lobsters emerald crabs spider crabs areo crabs all good stuff and great cleaners. and yes you need all those kits and stuff. they are very important. the writing down blah blah blah is only to start after a while you'll get into a groove and it will be fine.saltwater tanks are tough but keep at it and all will be well. if it's fresh then black moores are my fave. and no you don't need the kits.contact me if you have any question, maybe i can help u further,. good luck!!

Answer 6

You have to add good bacteria or most of the fish you add will die. If you have accsess to another filter that has been running in a populated tank add it to the new tank for a couple of days then add a few fish. If you dont have accsess to a used filter you can buy water conditioners that simulate the bacteria required. If you are gong to add fish get cheap as possible such as tetra's ,sword tails, ect. Do not add delicate fish like angels, discuss, ect or they will not live long.

Answer 7

you don't have to write down data or have tests kits either! you also can buy the fish right know if you want to! your pet store was well kind of right but you should normally wait l day at least just to make sure!

Answer 8

Wait AT LEAST 2 more days, then you can buy the fish and out them in there. Have you added water conditioner? you should if you didn't.

~ZTM

Answer 9

You should let it filter for a a few more days...

Then you can add fish.

Good Luck

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