How do you guys introduce a group of fish?

[GBR]

How do you introduce a group of fish without causing an ammonia spike? I'm looking to add 20-30 Cardinal tetras in my 55 gallon but I'm not sure if I can add all of them at once.

 

[fishliker]

Do not add them all at once. How many at a time would depend on your current stock, water testing and such. Please provide more information. Thanks and good luck.


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[FishayFishay]

Maybe you should try 5 at a time over a few weeks and keep the rest in quarantine while they wait.

 

[GBR]

My tank went through a mini cycle when I over cleaned my filter. That was 2 weeks ago, at the time I had 3 Bettas and an oto in there. I tested the tank last Tuesday and ammonia and nitrites were at 0 so on Friday before I went to get some fish, I tested the tank again to make sure everything's okay and it was. I bought 6 corys and I have been testing the water every other day since and no ammonia spikes. Current inhabitants are 6 bronze corys, 3 female Bettas, and a oto.

 

[GBR]

Forgot to add I have a 10 gallon that I will be using as a quarantine how many cardinals can I put in there at a time? 10?

 

[FishayFishay]

Forgot to add I have a 10 gallon that I will be using as a quarantine how many cardinals can I put in there at a time? 10?

Honestly, I wouldn't put more than like 8-10. But if you think about it, you can even try 5-6 at a time in quarantine then when you add them to your main tank, you go get another 5-6 more and so on. That way you won't risk more fish getting infected if there was an issue with one of the tetras and you'll have an accurate way of making sure which tetras you add to the main tank.

 

[ktomminello]

Is this tank heavily planted?

 

[GBR]

Honestly, I wouldn't put more than like 8-10. But if you think about it, you can even try 5-6 at a time in quarantine then when you add them to your main tank, you go get another 5-6 more and so on. That way you won't risk more fish getting infected if there was an issue with one of the tetras and you'll have an accurate way of making sure which tetras you add to the main tank.

I'll get 6 at time then. Is 2 weeks quarantine time long enough or should it be more?

 

[GBR]

Here's a picture of the tank they'll be in. Not a great picture but there's 3 rows of jungle Val in the back, small Amazon sword in the corners, some crypts, bacopa and some Anubias on each side of the tank.

 

[ScotJudd]

Hi, I have been building up my cardinal school in my 55g. I buy 10 at a time, 15 if they are very juvenile, and quarantine them in a 10g tank. However, the QT is well established with two small internal filters with additional sponges over the inlets, increasing the media surface area many times over. It also has a lot of plant and moss in the tank. In the first few days I water change 20% a day until I'm sure the filters have caught up with the extra bio-load. Then I change about 20% twice a week. I like my QT and enjoy having some fish in the tank so keep them for a minimum of 8 weeks, but is is excessive. What I can say is that 2 weeks for cardinals is not enough for some illnesses to show, neon tetra disease being one of them. I have had weak fish showing signs as late as 3 weeks after introduction. 4 weeks would be my minimum.
I put all10 into my display tank at once, after a 20% water change, test the water daily, treat with Prime if ammonia or nitrite even remotely rises and change water accordingly. The display tank filters have normally caught up after a week.
The end result is well worth the effort.



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[ktomminello]

Absolutely stunning!!!!

 

[GBR]

Hi, I have been building up my cardinal school in my 55g. I buy 10 at a time, 15 if they are very juvenile, and quarantine them in a 10g tank. However, the QT is well established with two small internal filters with additional sponges over the inlets, increasing the media surface area many times over. It also has a lot of plant and moss in the tank. In the first few days I water change 20% a day until I'm sure the filters have caught up with the extra bio-load. Then I change about 20% twice a week. I like my QT and enjoy having some fish in the tank so keep them for a minimum of 8 weeks, but is is excessive. What I can say is that 2 weeks for cardinals is not enough for some illnesses to show, neon tetra disease being one of them. I have had weak fish showing signs as late as 3 weeks after introduction. 4 weeks would be my minimum.
I put all10 into my display tank at once, after a 20% water change, test the water daily, treat with Prime if ammonia or nitrite even remotely rises and change water accordingly. The display tank filters have normally caught up after a week.
The end result is well worth the effort.
View attachment 286115


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So I can get 10 at a time if the quarantine tank is well filtered and planted? If so I will be getting them this weekend because my QT is also well filtered and has a lot of plants. I really appreciate you guys for sharing your tips and experiences.