First fish after cycle

[korkus]

I have a 90g that finished its cycle a couple of weeks ago. I started cycling a quarantine tank(HOB powerfilter with ceramic rings) because I know I will need it running for the next 5 - 8 months as I stock fish. The QT tank is almost cycled. I am not sure what to add first.

My initial stocking list and order of adding is:

2 Flasher wrasses - either a harem or 2 different species
1 of the more colorful Wetmorellas
1 purple firefish
1 Cirrhilabrus filamentosus
1 clown goby
2 ocellaris
1 diamond watchman goby
1 royal gramma
1 kole tang

The problem is right now it is hard to find flasher wrasses. I also would like to try and quarantine 2 fish to start since its a 6 week process. If flasher wrasses were just not going to happen immediately what would be the second choice to add? The possums that have color are also hard to find.

Is the watchman so different than the rest of the fish that he could go in the quarantine tank at the same time as another species?

 

[amutti]

The first fish for me are always cheap and easy; so I'd go for the ocellaris or the warchman goby.

 

[DustyReefer]

IMO I would skip out on the possum, and possibly the clown goby. To me they are best suited in nano size tanks with other nano size fish. Whilst I don't have any experience with the wetmorella species I do currently have a pinkstreaked wrasse which are roughly the same when it comes to personality and compatibility. I used to have the pinkstreaked with larger wrasses and fish. Not aggressive fish, but leopards and flashers etc, and the little pinkstreaked was rarely out and about while the larger wrasses were. Also in a 90 gallon with a lot of caves and rockwork to hide around you won't probably see him as much either.

As far as the flashers and other wrasses being hard to find, generally the LFS will be able to special order more common species for you, but in the event that the particular wrasse you are trying to get your hands on eludes you then I would try online.

For the quarantine process with how much, and what you can quarantine at the same time depends on how big your QT is really, and be careful not to throw way too many fish in there at once regardless.

 

[wooden_reefer]

I have a 90g that finished its cycle a couple of weeks ago. I started cycling a quarantine tank(HOB powerfilter with ceramic rings) because I know I will need it running for the next 5 - 8 months as I stock fish. The QT tank is almost cycled. I am not sure what to add first.

My initial stocking list and order of adding is:

2 Flasher wrasses - either a harem or 2 different species
1 of the more colorful Wetmorellas
1 purple firefish
1 Cirrhilabrus filamentosus
1 clown goby
2 ocellaris
1 diamond watchman goby
1 royal gramma
1 kole tang

The problem is right now it is hard to find flasher wrasses. I also would like to try and quarantine 2 fish to start since its a 6 week process. If flasher wrasses were just not going to happen immediately what would be the second choice to add? The possums that have color are also hard to find.

Is the watchman so different than the rest of the fish that he could go in the quarantine tank at the same time as another species?

You should know that after ammonia or nitrite has dropped to balance with bioload, after many weeks, some nitrification bacteria (most?) after cycling will slowly die in the course of many weeks.

First, if there is varying bioload (more than the previous) for each QT session, and each QT session lasts 8 or more weeks, the nitrification capacity in QT may be too low for the next QT session. You may have to boost the nitrificaton bacteria population before the next QT session, in anticipation for greater bioload, or just the possibility of such. You do so by the QT processing a pulse of amminia in between QT sessions.

This is true also for the DT. If you stock slowly, some if not most of the bacteria would have died after many many weeks. It is better to not allow the bacteria population to have to catch up in DT, such is new tank syndrome. Better is to maintain peak bacteria population in a separate container and then add to DT as needed.

 

[korkus]

This is true also for the DT. If you stock slowly, some if not most of the bacteria would have died after many many weeks. It is better to not allow the bacteria population to have to catch up in DT, such is new tank syndrome. Better is to maintain peak bacteria population in a separate container and then add to DT as needed.

I am not sure I understand what you are saying. How do you maintain peak bacteria in a separate container?

Are you also suggesting that I regularly add ammonia to my display tank and QT a week or so before adding fish?

BTW my QT is 20g. I plan on getting small specimens. Could you quarantine a watchman and a flasher at the same time? Do watchman have a problem with no substrate in the QT?

 

[DustyReefer]

BTW my QT is 20g. I plan on getting small specimens. Could you quarantine a watchman and a flasher at the same time? Do watchman have a problem with no substrate in the QT?

You can QT the goby and the flasher at the same time, and you may quarantine the goby without substrate. But you will want to do frequent small feedings throughout the day to keep the fish happy and healthy since he will not be able to sift the sand for food. Which in turn means that you will need to keep up on water changes in the tank due to the lack of heavier filtration to keep up with the feedings.

 

[wooden_reefer]

I am not sure I understand what you are saying. How do you maintain peak bacteria in a separate container?

Are you also suggesting that I regularly add ammonia to my display tank and QT a week or so before adding fish?

BTW my QT is 20g. I plan on getting small specimens. Could you quarantine a watchman and a flasher at the same time? Do watchman have a problem with no substrate in the QT?

No No No

For the DT, you set aside a fraction of the LR (if that is what you use) after cycling in DT and place that portion in a separate container and feed pulses of ammonia. Take some of it out; after rinsing with clean salt water of the same salinity, put in DT as needed when you add fish after QT into DT.

For the QT, in between QT sessions, when there is no livestock in it, add a pulse of ammonia and wait a week or so before the next session. If you are commmited to getting a lower bioload for next QT session, you do not need to do so.

In the DT, going from one unit of bioload to two or more is the most critical time. In general, if you already have several fish (or one very large fish), the additional small bioload will likely be handled by restrictive feeding after introduction. usually, new tank sydrome is most import in early stages of stocking. 6 from 5 is smaller impact than 2 from 1, or even 3 from 1.