Newly cycled tank: Is it better to add......

[jaysono]

Hopefully, if my tank cycles correctly and ends soon I'm looking to add my first new fish since tank inception.

Background: 16 gal tank cycled with 4 leopard danios. Never been seeded. Bio-wheel filtration. Cycle was grueling...7 weeks into it now and only now do I see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.

I'd like to add the following fish/ivertabrates to my tank, and I realize I can't add them all the at the same time allowing for bio load adjustments:
1) 1- Neon dwarf Gourami
2) 1- Ghost Shrimp
3) 3/4 - Lamp Eye Tetra's

My question is, in which order would you add the above? My fear is that 3 or 4 Lamp Eyes may throw the bio load of a newly and delicately cycled tank into chaos until it re-adjusted, OR that 1 Neon Dwarf Gourami may be to delicate and the danio's may harrass him. Finally I just need to do more research on how to care for the Shrimp.

Suggestions?

 

[Endgame319]

All those fish would definately work in your tank, you will probably get a mini-cycle when you add the lamp eyes, so do tons of water changes for the first 2 weeks you have them.

 

[pkremer]

I'm not positive about the gourami you have selected, but in my (limited) experience, gouramis can have a tendency to get mean if there is only 1 of them. I think gouramis are best kept in pairs...

Paul

 

[Eoin]

With regards to gouramis, I think that is largely dependant on the individual fish. I bought a pair of dwarf gouramis a short while back, as I was advised of the same thing; get them in a pair. However, problems arose. The male started nesting, and chased the female whenever she came out into the open. He also became aggressive towards other fish if they wandered too near the nest. Most of the other fish took to hiding all the time.

I pulled the female out and put her in another tank, and then rearranged the old tank slightly (removed the nest). The male calmed right down and took to patrolling around the front of the tank, displaying all his wonderful colours. He hasn’t chased any of the other fish since, and they have now come out of hiding. The female is also doing much better and has since gained a healthier colour.

A number of people recommend housing 2 females for every 1 male.

 

[TankGirl]

Dwarf gouramis are definitely better as single specimens. If you want to breed them, then introduce a female but as soon as you have eggs you remove her. Dwarfs also are pretty aggressive towards other fish, often, and I have had one kill the head and tail lights that I had in with him, as well as some white clouds. This particular fish had to be alone in a 15gal with cories in the end because he would not tolerate others in the mid-upper levels.

What you propose could work though, as I have a DG who spars with an adult angel but leaves the tetras alone. I would introduce the tetras first (I don't think adding 3 at once will be a major problem, but just watch your parameters and do frequent tiny water changes) and add the DG and the shrimp later. If you add the DG first he might claim the whole tank and harrass the tetras.

 

[jaysono]

The lfs that I would buy my fish from said that most of his DG's are Male, and it's better if I just had one. Not really interested in breeding them, so I think I'll go with the Lamp Eye's first.

Thanks all,