Which Fish To Add First In New Tank?

[jeej]

I am aware that you are supposed to put a more 'hardy' fish into your tank first once it has cycled, as other more 'delicate' fish will be more likely to die.

But if I am aiming to populate my tank with a pair of Blue Rams, a few varieties of Tetra (Cardinal, Black Phantom etc) and also half a dozen or so Panda Cories, which do I put in first?

Also, as a sidenote, I know you aren't supposed to add loads of fish at one time because of Amonia spikes, but if the LFS sells Tetras in groups of 10, what are you supposed to do? Is it ok to put 10 Tetras in a 65gal tank in one shot?

Thanks.

 

[Mikaila31]

Have you done a fishless cycle, or are you planning on cycling with fish?

 

[bigdave2009]

I am aware that you are supposed to put a more 'hardy' fish into your tank first once it has cycled, as other more 'delicate' fish will be more likely to die.

But if I am aiming to populate my tank with a pair of Blue Rams, a few varieties of Tetra (Cardinal, Black Phantom etc) and also half a dozen or so Panda Cories, which do I put in first?

Also, as a sidenote, I know you aren't supposed to add loads of fish at one time because of Amonia spikes, but if the LFS sells Tetras in groups of 10, what are you supposed to do? Is it ok to put 10 Tetras in a 65gal tank in one shot?

Thanks.

i was just reading on blue rams today because i want to get some, and it said that they are super delicate meaning that not a good started fish. tetras are not hardy fish either ( well at least i know the neons are not) band i dont think it would be a good idea to start with cories.....try and get some filter media from someone so you don't have any fish casualties, or add a few xtra fish that are will survive the brutality,

 

[jeej]

Have you done a fishless cycle, or are you planning on cycling with fish?

It 'will' be a fishless cycle.

So I guess by default it will be the Cories first?

I'll work on finding someone I can pinch some media from. What about adding fish in numbers? Is there an answer for that? Thanks again.

 

[bigdave2009]

you are not suppose to add to many fish at once, because you will experience new tank syndrome and there will be to much ammonia in your tank and no good bacteria to cycle it out, so therefore to many fish is a bad idea

 

[jeej]

you are not suppose to add to many fish at once, because you will experience new tank syndrome and there will be to much ammonia in your tank and no good bacteria to cycle it out, so therefore to many fish is a bad idea

Yeah I thought as much. Why do the LFS' sell fish such as Tetra in batches of 6? This is clearly not ideal, right?

Say for instance I want to have 20 Cardinal Tetras, how many and how often could I add to my tank to reach 20?

 

[Tolak]

If you are doing a proper fishless cycle with ammonia, and your tank converts 4ppm-6ppm ammonia to nitrates with no nitrites or ammonia left in 24 hours you can stock the tank fully from the beginning. From my experiences you have to go somewhere around triple what would be considered normal stocking to put that amount of ammonia into the water in 24 hours.

There is a difference between cycled and mature. In a mature tank, one which has been running for several months or more, you have a film of nitrifying bacteria that help to exclude what would be considered bad, or disease causing bacteria. So with these things being considered, add the tetras you want, as long as you are not severely overstocking the tank. Healthy panda corys are no different from other corys in my experiences, you could add them as well, just be aware that they can be prone to bacterial problems. Keeping the gravel or other substrate clean eliminates this problem.

As far as the rams go, this again depends on who or where you are getting them from. I've seen rams from two different sources fare differently in a friends tank, so just be aware of your supplier, and always go for the quality fish, though it may cost a bit more.

 

[jeej]

If you are doing a proper fishless cycle with ammonia, and your tank converts 4ppm-6ppm ammonia to nitrates with no nitrites or ammonia left in 24 hours you can stock the tank fully from the beginning. From my experiences you have to go somewhere around triple what would be considered normal stocking to put that amount of ammonia into the water in 24 hours.

There is a difference between cycled and mature. In a mature tank, one which has been running for several months or more, you have a film of nitrifying bacteria that help to exclude what would be considered bad, or disease causing bacteria. So with these things being considered, add the tetras you want, as long as you are not severely overstocking the tank. Healthy panda corys are no different from other corys in my experiences, you could add them as well, just be aware that they can be prone to bacterial problems. Keeping the gravel or other substrate clean eliminates this problem.

As far as the rams go, this again depends on who or where you are getting them from. I've seen rams from two different sources fare differently in a friends tank, so just be aware of your supplier, and always go for the quality fish, though it may cost a bit more.

Cool, thanks.

I may actually get some Cherry Shrimp - do you think it would be a good idea to put them in first?

 

[Tolak]

Healthy adult rams may try to snack on the shrimp.

 

[jeej]

Healthy adult rams may try to snack on the shrimp.

Ha ha, ok, understood.

I wont look to get any Rams for a while anyway. I understand they are pretty particular with their water and I'd hate to add them to my new tank for them to die soon after. My priority is the tetras.

I want to do a fishless cycle, get everything just right, then add my tetras.

 

[Lnbates2000]

I want to do a fishless cycle, get everything just right, then add my tetras.
[/quote]

Hi, I'm fairly new to this too, but... I added 6 glowlight tetras as my first fish, and have found them to be really hardy,
on the other hand, I have found neon tetras to not be as hardy ( I have lost 2 neons, and still have all my glowlights!)

You may find it different, but just thought I'd mention it!

Laura

 

[Dunkal]

Hi, I am failrly new to fish keeping too.
My first fish were Cherry barbs and X ray tetras, and found them to be really hardy.
I also bought black phantom tetras. All those fish survived when my heater broke down and the water went down to 18c, so pretty hardy.
Karl

 

[Cazangel]

Tetras are quite hardy fish and I used two of these when I did my cycle.

 

[Squid]

Whilst other cories might be more hardy, Panda Cories are not. These are the more fragile ones in my experience. I put them into a cycled tank (done fishlessly) and lost 3 out of five for no apparent reason... BUT of course the reason is that they like a mature tank, and mine was not.!

Squid

 

[CrashingWaves]

As long as your tank is cycled, and maturing properly (note: I said maturing and not mature) then I would add the panda corydoras. They're a generally pretty sturdy fish and should do fine in a small group.

God Bless,
Joshua