What should I add next?

[jiffy]

Ok, I am currently doing a fish in cycle. I have 4 longfin zebra dainos in my 10g tank right now. I will be going this week to get some more fish to add but I need help knowing what I should get next.

I wanted the end result of my tank to have 2-3 ottos, 6 neon tetras, and 1 dwarf gourami. The dainos are starting to grow on me though, but then I would have to ditch the gourami and I would really push the limits by keeping the dainos (who should have 6 of them if I was keeping them).

So...I am thinking I should get 2 ottos next. Would they be better than getting the neon tetras for now? Thanks in advance....

 

[canarsie11]

What are you water conditions? Have you tested your water?

I would not add fish until cycle is complete!

 

[tstenback]

Is the tank finished cycling? What are the levels? I would strongly recommend not adding any more fish until the tank has completely cycled.

To answer the fish question, both neons and ottos can be hard to keep in a newly established tank. Neons prefer a well established tank (4 months+) and ottos are very hard to acclimate to a new tank, but once they are in there for a while they are very hardy. 2 would be perfect for your tank but dont add them until the cycle is complete and the tank readings have been stable for at least a week. HTH

 

[smithrc]

dont add the ottos until the tank is up and stable for a few months... they drop dead easily on their own and need all the chances thay can get.

Try to find out if the store has had them for a while (4+weeks) the weak ones should have been weeded out by then.

 

[jiffy]

tstenback - im sure you remember trying to help me with my fishless cycle months back. I had already established some bacteria durring a botched attempt at a fishless cycle. Thanks for the help, but it never went as it should have.

Now that I have fish in the tank, everything has remained at 0 ppm. The fish that I have in there appear to be doing great. So now I need to add some more fish to increase the bioload of the tank without just dumping a ton of fish in there and killing them all.

 

[tstenback]

Yes i do remember. One of the strangest cycles i have seen. If the levels are fine then you can add a few more fish. Out of the 2 you have selected the neons may be a better bet as the ottos seem to have a hard time getting used to a new tank. Good luck with it and keep us posted.

 

[jiffy]

tstenback - good advice on the tetras being next. I made a call to the LSF the other day and they suggested the same thing. If all goes as planned, I will be getting some today.