Adding fish - Good idea or bad idea?

[2xEcho]

So I have been wanting to get a few kuhli loaches and my son requested a school of neons for the 75 gal. The local big box pet store had neons on sale for only $1.25 - perfect! I purchased 15 neons and 3 kuhlis and they all looked good (active, swimming around, no spots...). Added them to the tank after doing the drip method for acclimating them (I don't have a QT tank ) Everything looked good for a few days, then I started noticing signs of ich on my rainbows

I've slowly raised the temp of the tank to 86-87 and added a total of about 1.5 cups of salt (about 1 teaspoon per gal) over a few days to allow for the fish to acclimate. Things are looking good for the fish, signs of ich are starting to subside and the fish don't appear to be stressed or in distress.

Question time: I do want to add a few more kuhli loaches to the tank, but after everything clears up I DO NOT want to have another bout of ich. The big box is the only place I have seen that sells the kuhlis. I have another 1.5 weeks or so of temp/salt treatment before I'm returning parameters to normal. Would it be safe to get the kuhlis now, slowly acclimate them to the water conditions of the tank and thereby treat them pro-actively for ich? Or should I wait for ??? until I find them at another store where I have not had any problems? I will be getting a tank for QT when finances and space allow, but I do not yet have an anticipated date for that.

I appreciate all thoughts/suggestions!

 

[mambee]

Definitely wait. Heat and salt are stressful to fish, and you want to make sure that you don't have another outbreak of ich before you add new fish. I just got over a bad outbreak and lost many fish. Plus I believe that kuhli loaches are considered scaleless fish which will not handle medication well, if you have to resort to it.

 

[2xEcho]

Yeah, I was thinking I should wait (common sense, right?) Then I was trying to justify getting them now in case they do have ich, then that way they'll already be treated (the kid in me, or just being impatient/anxious to get the other kuhli loaches!)

Thankfully, everyone in the tank including the redtail shark, 8 assassin snails and the 3 loaches now are doing well and not showing any signs of distress. I've been dosing some API Stress Coat + to help.

 

[RocknOside]

Definitely wait. It's in the best interest of our little fishy friends.


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[Mebbid]

Tbh i say just add them now and get it over with. Unless youre willing to go through a long quarantine process for your new fish then youre just risking another bout of ich.


If you add the new fish then you will just get it over with. Theres also minimal risk to any of your fish. Ich wont have an outbreak at those temperatures.

 

[2xEcho]

Thanks for the feedback... Haven't even had a chance to head back to the pet shop yet to even take a look at their stock. I'm still really torn. The earliest I'll be able to get there is tomorrow or Monday, so the delay getting there is favoring just waiting until a later date... But I'm still torn because I know the three that are in there now (and me) want a few more for friends.