New fish, when can I add more

[FishN00b83]

The beneficial bacteria is established in the filter media and the bio-film, there is virtually none in the actual water column, so pwc's do no harm. At the end of a fishless cycle the no3 is through the roof, so doing massive water changes is needed to get them down below 20.

If you're doing a 100% water change it should be done quickly though because you don't want the walls , substrate, deco, etc...to dry out. Even though the majority of BB is in the filter media, there's still some on all the surfaces of your tank...so dry bacteria = dead bacteria.

Ever since I got the aqueon water changer they couldn't get any quicker/easier. I don't think it gets any better then just turning the handle lol

 

[FishN00b83]

I am almost 100% sure Ich is on it's way. I already did a 50% water change and turned the heat up. Hopefully I caught it early enough.

 

[eco23]

I am almost 100% sure Ich is on it's way. I already did a 50% water change and turned the heat up. Hopefully I caught it early enough.

Sorry dude . Luckily Ich isn't too big of a deal to treat and you caught it early. I agree not to add anymore fish until you're sure the tank is healthy, but just for future reference it would have been fine to add them all together. Cycling at 4ppm let's you pretty much stock the tank at once when the tank cycles. If it takes some time to treat, I would add fish slowly after. I've never seen concrete data, but my belief is that around a week is when you start to see the beneficial bacteria really adjusting to the bio-load.

 

[FishN00b83]

Thanks, These things happen with tanks I guess, especially when the fish are being shipped around slot like these were. Hopefully with the water changes and the heat it doesn't take to long.

I was going to add the neon tetras and the otos today, but now I'm gland I didn't because of this ich outbreak. Once I know the ich is gone I'll throw the tetras in, then the Otos a week or two later.