How long did you wait between adding fish post-cycle?

[odst223]

Hello All, I was wondering once your cycle was complete how long you waited between adding fish, and if it was according to that fish's size?

 

[ChrisBWoodysRee]

Throw a green chromis in there maybe tomorrow if it lives you can add another fish dont add too many all at once take it slow

 

[odst223]

I've got a lemon peel angel and two Snow onyx clowns, I fishless cycled before getting them. But I was wondering how long between fish from people's personal experience.

 

[Meanmike]

Throw a green chromis in there maybe tomorrow if it lives you can add another fish dont add too many all at once take it slow

Please don't take this advice!

I always wait about two weeks depending on tank size and fish size/amount.

 

[ca1ore]

Most successful, long term, approach I have taken is to cycle tank with table shrimp (or ghost feed tank) until there is no ammonia or nitrite present (sometimes I will try to 'speed up' the process by using some established filter media from another tank). I then add an inexpensive fish (though not as a 'cycle' fish, but as a first inhabitant), and keep testing for a further two weeks to ensure parameters are stable. I then feel the tank is ready for further fish, though any new inhabitants ALWAYS go through QT first.

 

[peasofme]

QT then add, then watch for a month

 

[odst223]

Would there be like a fish that permanently lives in the QT tank to keep it cycled for new fish for the DT?

 

[Hzuiel]

Typically a qt tank is mostly bare so you can easily observe the fish's health and eating habits, which means it's difficult to keep a fish in it long term.

Usually you set up a qt tank before you plan to bring in new fish, wait for the qt to cycle, then qt the fish, put fish in display, and then break down and clean the qt to get out any medications you may have added, and set it back up again if you are going to add more fish in the future.

I don't know why anyone would add a fish they don't intend to keep, to the tank, just to see if it's stable. The clean up crew will add bio load and test the tank's readiness. Also if you put an un-quarantined fish into the tank, it can release things into the tank that can possibly infect future inhabitants after they go through qt and make it into the dt.

 

[MondoBongo]

i waited two weeks post cycle to add my pair of clownfish.

they were tiny little guys when i got them, only about 3/4" long. i should have QT'd them, but didn't luckily it worked out.

after that, my next addition was my yellow tang. he was QT'd for 6 weeks prior to addition.

 

[mikecc67548]

Everytime you add to population it takes a bit for biological filter to adjust. Little mini cycles.

 

[odst223]

Typically a qt tank is mostly bare so you can easily observe the fish's health and eating habits, which means it's difficult to keep a fish in it long term.

Usually you set up a qt tank before you plan to bring in new fish, wait for the qt to cycle, then qt the fish, put fish in display, and then break down and clean the qt to get out any medications you may have added, and set it back up again if you are going to add more fish in the future.

I don't know why anyone would add a fish they don't intend to keep, to the tank, just to see if it's stable. The clean up crew will add bio load and test the tank's readiness. Also if you put an un-quarantined fish into the tank, it can release things into the tank that can possibly infect future inhabitants after they go through qt and make it into the dt.

This makes sense, I guess my question was more along the lines of, do you do a fishless cycle every time to prepare the QT for the fish you QT? Sounds like extreme planning lol

 

[MondoBongo]

I leave my qt cycled. If I don't need to medicate then I dont bother tearing it down.