Completely agree with Corleone here and to further his idea I'd like to say that if one or both of these last fish were to pull completely through, the feeling you would have for them would be special, not only because you would know they are tough little fish themselves but also because you would feel good about yourself for sticking through it with them. Likewise, even if they don't make it, you will be able to feel good that you stuck it out with the toughest ones and tried to help them as much as you could.
The experience caring for them is invaluable because its harder to develop a skill that is exercised less often. Thus, by definition, skills of caring for individual diseases will not be as developed by any of us.
Finally, Corleone makes a point that I agree with and even feel strongly about. The action of a beginner operating a fishless tank, especially one with plants and nearly or fully cycled is a much more valuable experience than we give it credit for. Getting practice doing a gravel clean water change without having to dodge fish, for instance, is a helpful type of practice. The whole experience gets the aquarist used to the habits without the dangers to or the distraction of the fish themselves. This is, at its best, what the final week of "qualifying" a newly cycled filter is all about. It gives the beginner a chance to see what the test results should feel like and how the whole maintenance routine should feel and then when the fish go in, they are the happy recipients and for the aquarist they can feel like a nice reward.
Some people, even experienced hobbyists, will dismiss this kind of thinking as ridiculous, feeling that a cycle is a horrible thing, to be rushed though as fast as possible, any way possible. I think that's a poor approach, because of what can be learned. The fish, once they are in, will easily command the aquarists greatest attention. For a beginners especially, its better if that attention is allowed to rest on the other aspects of the tank a bit first!
~~waterdrop~~
