Stocking a tank

[Ollymoran]

I've just come back from the fish shop as I went to get some tropicals for my 100 ltr set up. When speaking to them they said i could only take a few fish today as its a new tank and you cant put them in all in at once. I had the idea that I wanted neon tetras but was told that i couldn't until other fish had been in there for a month. I wanted to get some small while silvery fish, cant remember the name. He also said you have to buy one species at a time. Is this correct? Anyway we settled on Pengiun Tetras as our first fish and could only buy 3 for some reason. We have been told to give them a few days in the tank then to come back and buy some more!! Should they be saying this? Surely this is wrong information as its gonna take ages to fill up my tank!! The Pengiun Tetras are so tiny it takes a while to find them in my tank, i would of thought we would of been allowed a little more.

 

[Canary bird]

Hi again some uk stores are like that, my dad had to buy them from different stores, but he's now found one who sell him what he wants, he's plenty of room in all his tanks ! Over here in Tenerife I could buy the whole shop and they wouldn't even ask how big my tanks are, fortunately I know my limit
Is your tank cycled ? That could be a reason why they won't sell you any more !

 

[Ollymoran]

hi, yes it is cycled. They just said you cant put them in all at once. I mean, ok you cant have the massive ones case they eat the tiny ones but I would of thought they would of let me have more small ones!! im gonna have to go too and fro to fill the tank!! Pengiun neons are so tiny you need a magnifying glass to find them in my tank. The thing i dont get is their tank is much much smaller than mine and they have about 50 odd in there, and im only allowed 20!! Am gonna get my neon Tetras, one day!!

 

[Canary bird]

I've never had any bother mixing new fish all at the same time , on at my local pet shop they put them all in the same bag so I really can't understand why they won't sell you more, and especially if they are all more or less the same size, can you not try another fish store ? Where are you ?

 

[Canary bird]

Oh and you must get a few corydoras , they are amazing little bottom feeder fish I've 4 adult and 2 of my own bred babies in mine they help clean the substrate from excess food , non stop

 

[Ollymoran]

Am in dartford uk Kent. There are other shops around but we thought this one was the best when we went there to get all the setup stuff. When we went back today they was some other member of staff there who was not helpful at all.

 

[Canary bird]

Typical. Ours are really useless here apart from one and she's brilliant, really helpful but the other 5 don't want to know, they had to ask me tell them the difference between male and female live bearers ! Now that's pretty useless...

Try another store, best of luck

 

[Ollymoran]

Corydoras were one of the ones we wanted and he said we couldn't have. The mrs liked them, but no. They would be bloody better in my tank than their small bloody thing!!

 

[Canary bird]

they over stock for sales but you still feel sad for the little ones ! I know every time I go into our shop I would love to take them all home ... But my hubby won't let me ... Although I'm picking another free tank up tomorrow... Number 4 (well number 3 really as one is only a little hospital tank )he just rolled his eyes , fresh water tropical are easer than goldies I'm my opinion ! More fun anyway ... Get 4 corys they don't get very big and prefer to be in groups (well mine do they all congregate to the front of the tank in a morning to see what's for breakfast)

 

[Ollymoran]

I will if the fish shop let me! I can't really go other places looking for fish at the mo As on sick leave from work. Probably go back Friday and get 17
More. Hopefully the nice helpful one is there

 

[Cactuspixie]

I've just come back from the fish shop as I went to get some tropicals for my 100 ltr set up. When speaking to them they said i could only take a few fish today as its a new tank and you cant put them in all in at once. I had the idea that I wanted neon tetras but was told that i couldn't until other fish had been in there for a month. I wanted to get some small while silvery fish, cant remember the name. He also said you have to buy one species at a time. Is this correct? Anyway we settled on Pengiun Tetras as our first fish and could only buy 3 for some reason. We have been told to give them a few days in the tank then to come back and buy some more!! Should they be saying this? Surely this is wrong information as its gonna take ages to fill up my tank!! The Pengiun Tetras are so tiny it takes a while to find them in my tank, i would of thought we would of been allowed a little more.

OMG. You are lucky to have an lfs that gives such honest advice! Kudos to them!

 

[Ollymoran]

Not this member of staff we weren't lucky, right miserable git and all the questions we asked he didn't seem to know answers to.

 

[Cactuspixie]

Not this member of staff we weren't lucky, right miserable git and all the questions we asked he didn't seem to know answers to.

Probably had a bad day, but the advice he gave you (in your OP) is sound. He is probably sick of people killing their fish through an excess of ignorance and enthusiasm. He probably won't keep his job long, as he is doing them out of business. He is most likely supposed to encourage you to get twice as many fish as the tank can stock, and a whole bunch of chemicals to boot. Then next time you go in, he can sell you meds, and more fish to replace the ones that died during the cycling process.
I'd be a terrible pet store employee. I'd be just like him.

 

[Cactuspixie]

Be patient, cycling your tank takes time- you will need to do daily tests of the ammonia, nitrite, nitrAte, and ph so you can keep your fish safe and know how your cycle is going.
The store employee is trying to prevent you from having an ammonia spike, by having only 3 fish, and allowing the bb to build up.

 

[spyderbite]

The thing i dont get is their tank is much much smaller than mine and they have about 50 odd in there, and im only allowed 20!! Am gonna get my neon Tetras, one day!!

In most US chain stores, at least he one I work at, you are only seeing sections of a single 1000g+ tank and an enormous room sized filter system. The small space certainly isn't good for the fish, but fish sell pretty quickly so the stress is probably a hundred times less than the 15 min car ride in a plastic bag.