stocking question.....all in at once?

[saltyESQ]

my 90g has been up and running for over 2 years.
in the last month I have taken out just about all the LR and critters.
so the tank has been sitting empty with about 10 or so lbs of LR in it for almost 3 weeks.

when it was a reef, I had about 8 fish of all different sizes, largest being a pink square anthia.

ok, here is my question, it is about to become an aggressive fowlr.
to avoid territory problems, I would like to add all my fish at 1 time.

I will be adding
1. humu trigger
1 stars and stripes puffer
1 maroon clown
and possibly some other fish that I have not decide on yet.

all these fish will be about 4 inch.

is it advisable or not to add them all at the same time?
I am worried about an amonia spike or causing the tank to go into a cycle.
or can i go for it?

 

[spline9]

I'm going to say that it will trigger a cycle.
You may want to look into Marineland's BIO-Spira (and reduce feeding) to help reduce the severity of a possible heavy cycle. Some people say its "snake-oil" but I've seen it work several times with no issues. Its just an option to look into if you insist on dropping all those guys in there at once.

 

[Crusty Old Shellback]

Yep, agree with spline, it's going to cause some type of spike. I haven'e used the Bio-Spire but have used the seachem product that does the same. Worked for me.

Another avenue is to load up with some good LR from a well estabilished tank, fresh out of the tank. That may help provide the extra bacteria you'll need.

I can understand the all at once attitude because of teratorry issues. If you do do it, keep a close check on your amiona levels and have some water ready for water changes if needed. Good luck with it.

 

[saltyESQ]

sorry, I did not mention that I put most of my LR back in the tank.
so I have about 50-60lbs of LR currently in the tank

 

[Crusty Old Shellback]

But has there been any animals in the tank to keep the bacteria fed? Or have you "fed" them?

 

[saltyESQ]

there has been no critters in the tank for about 3 weeks and I did no feeding

 

[Crusty Old Shellback]

Probably going to have a spike then. Sorry.

 

[spline9]

Honestly, I dont think the bacteria need to be actively fed. Opposed to dying off. they should just go into a dormant stage.

I think you will still incur at least a small spike with the addition of 3 large fish. I think you can do it, just keep an eye on the levels and start off with minimal feeding. This should cut down on the waste being produced in the tank minimizing spikes.