Ordering my first fish

J

JMorris271

New member
Today I am washing and adding sand to my 120 gal tank and beginning the cycle.
May I have your thoughts bout my order of operation.
I have one 20 gal. and three 10 gal qts.
I would like to order my cuc and 10 fish at the same time.
All will go through TTM and into qt. 2 fish per tank.
The tangs to go into in the 20 gal.
All others into the 10 gal tanks
Qt. time will be 42 days for the first 2 .
2 weeks later add the second 2 and the next 2 after that.
All the while adding some corals.
Anyone see an issue?
 
Are you saying 2 weeks after the 42 day QT you'll be adding 2 fish, then another 2 a couple weeks later?
 
I'd start out with smaller hardier fish and see how they do in the tank after QT.
 
Biggest issue I see is putting 10 fish into your QT at a time... QT are just like DT there needs to be a way to get waste out of the water or your fish will succumb to ammonia toxicity. How are you planning on handling the Biological filtration in the QT system? Are you ordering 10 fish to save on shipping costs?
 
Since these are your first fish I will assume you have not done a QT protocol before. It can be stressful on you the first time around doing a QT. I would suggest doing one or two at a time until you get a feel for the QT process. good luck

FWIW I have been doing QT's for awhile now and I would not do 10 at a time.
 
mcozad829 said:
Biggest issue I see is putting 10 fish into your QT at a time... QT are just like DT there needs to be a way to get waste out of the water or your fish will succumb to ammonia toxicity. How are you planning on handling the Biological filtration in the QT system? Are you ordering 10 fish to save on shipping costs?
Click to expand...
I am only putting 2 fish in each 10 gal tank with a badge in each.
Prime to handle ammonia until I can get HOB floss filters cycled in sync with the DT.
Shipping is only a part of the reason. I just retired and need to work my butt of a while.
 
gone fishin said:
Since these are your first fish I will assume you have not done a QT protocol before. It can be stressful on you the first time around doing a QT. I would suggest doing one or two at a time until you get a feel for the QT process. good luck

FWIW I have been doing QT's for awhile now and I would not do 10 at a time.
Click to expand...

Please correct me if I am wrong but isn't QT about observation and treatment if problems arise. I have enough time on my hands to check tank several times a day.
Thanks for the luck wish.
 
JMorris271 said:
Please correct me if I am wrong but isn't QT about observation and treatment if problems arise. I have enough time on my hands to check tank several times a day.
Thanks for the luck wish.
Click to expand...

For the most part yes. It seems a lot of folks stress over TTM and QT the first time or two around until they develop a routine. As far as observation goes folks seem to stress over that as well. I find it easier to devote my full attention on observing one or two fish at a time to look for signs of troubles.

I would also suggest to consider doing a couple rounds of prazipro at some point in the QT process. Flukes are another common issue with fishes and easily treated while in QT.
 
gone fishin said:
For the most part yes. It seems a lot of folks stress over TTM and QT the first time or two around until they develop a routine. As far as observation goes folks seem to stress over that as well. I find it easier to devote my full attention on observing one or two fish at a time to look for signs of troubles.

I would also suggest to consider doing a couple rounds of prazipro at some point in the QT process. Flukes are another common issue with fishes and easily treated while in QT.
Click to expand...

Thanks for mentioning the Prazipo. I have it in my supply closet but haven't worked out my schedule for dosing it.
 
When you begin to put fish into the tank, it is a good idea to be 4 weeks post-cycle, with a CUC having been living and poo'ing in there for 4 weeks before a fish goes in. The sandbed is not just magically ready to handle any and everything just after cycle: building up the strength of the response until it can handle a fish easily is what the CUC is there to do. People do push it. And stock lives. But some also run into trouble. And stock doesn't live. You've got an investment going---just go slow on the entry to the display tank. While they're in qt, you have a simple system you can monitor and correct ASAP. Once into your tank, you've got a more complex system that, if it goes wonky, is not as easy to haul into line. Once it's functioning WELL, it can cope with a lot of fish, but it's weak at the start.
 
I read that in one of your posts yesterday and wanted to ask you what the difference is between cuc poo and fish poo.
So that would take it out to 11 weeks before I can put the first 2 fish in?
 
Not much substantial difference, except that they're small, and lie light on the system, and tend to nosh on nuisance algae that may crop up, so they're starting one of those 'circles of life' things. It's not wholly 'number' of fish, but whether they're carnivores or herbivores, whether they're large, or poo a lot (a rabbit outputs a lot, a hector's goby probably less than a crab). The main idea is just like starting a car up on ice---go slow, don't floor it, observe the result of a little pressure, and go ahead when you feel it's handling it ok: it's more a principle than a rule, if you take my meaning: use it with an application of judgement and err on the side of slow rather than fast, a little rather than a lot. You can maintain the qt's indefinately, but once you commit a fish to the DT, he's difficult to retrieve and the system itself has to be protected.
 
Ok. So let me ask you out of complete ignorance here. Will putting a carnivore that must be fed in the tank first rather than a herbivore first be more apt to be successful immediately after a full cycle by giving algae time to grow?
 
JMorris271 said:
Ok. So let me ask you out of complete ignorance here. Will putting a carnivore that must be fed in the tank first rather than a herbivore first be more apt to be successful immediately after a full cycle by giving algae time to grow?
Click to expand...

You can always supplement an algae eaters diet with nori and spirulina enriched foods. My tangs are herbivores but eat everything I give them.
 
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