never more than 3 fish at one time...

[cogburn]

so they say you should never add more than 3 fish at a time... the dilemma im having is that i want to order my fish on line... which carries a $24.75 shipping charge... so in total im going to get about 8 fish and a few ghost shrimp... if i go by the never more than 3 rule ill have to order from this place 3 times... thats $75.00 in shipping... do i really have to stick to the never more than 3 at a time rule or can i just order them all at once and do pwc's for a few days after?

you guys have already been so much help on here and i really appreciate it...

 

[blazeyreef]

well I have never heard that rule for one, but for say when I get a school of fish (usually 6+ or more) I buy them all at the same time. I have, multiple times before, added more than three fish at a time... but it does depend on the fish. But I have heard the same go for cichlid, so they can all seek out their territory and not fight as much for it

 

[cogburn]

thats what i was thinking... if you add them slowly the current ones will have established territory and fight and stress out the new guys right... just another reason never to listen to the lfs they really dont know squat... i feel in the few days ive been a member of this site that i already know more than most of those guys... i had a little notebook with me when i bought my tank and wrote most of the stuff the dude said down... went back and read it last night and laughed at how dumb he was... i know adding alot of fish at once can produce alot of ammonia and throw the cycle out of whack... so ill just add em and do a pwc every day for a week or something... woiks for me... thanks for teh advice blazeyreef!

 

[Purrbox]

The main reason to limit the number of fish at a single time is to avoid throwing your aquarium into a cycle or mini-cycle. For some aquariums this could be as few as 1 fish at a time while some of the gigantic ones could easily handle dozens. For a smaller aquarium a way around this would be to set up several quarentine aquariums (buckets, plastic sweater boxes, etc). You could split your shipment between the quarentine locations and then stagger adding them to the main tank after they've passed the quarentine period.

With fish that have territorial issues, you can help them settle in by changing up the decor which will force the fish to re-establish their territories and give the new fish a chance to settle in easier. For community fish this shouldn't be an issue, though it can still be good to distract the existing fish with a feeding or some such.

 

[tawolcott]

I think it's less the territory issue than it is the big increase in the bioload and how fast the bacteria can ramp up to support the load.

If you do, watch the water parameters and be prepared for an increase in the number of water changes.

 

[cogburn]

im gonna order em all at once... ill just put em in and do a pwc everyday for a week and keep an eye on the water tests

 

[cogburn]

i tested last night and had low ammonia and low nitrite but i had a high nitrate... so i guess im in the thick of the cycle...

 

[uscamaro]

I purchased 16 fish and a snail at the same time from Petsmart (even in same bag). Thought I know it may be unorthodox to many of you on here, but all of them are healthy and well. I have a large quarantine tank (7.5x4x6") and set the bag in there. Then I took a cupfull of water from the bag and sent it down the drain, then replacing that water with a cupfull from the tank. I let it sit for about 30min each time so the fish get used to my tank water. After about 2 hours of adjustments, I used my net to scoop the fish out of the bag and into the tank. All of them are doing wonderful.

(3 zebra danios, 4 male guppies, 2 female guppies, 2 plecos, 5 platys)

 

[cogburn]

wait a minute... this is me being dumb again... if im showing 0ppm ammonia... 0ppm nitrItes... but 40ppm nitrAtes... doesnt that mean my cycle is done?

 

[tawolcott]

Assuming you've seen both Ammonia and nitrite before and they are now zero.. Yup... You have a full bio load for what you have in there now.

It's your move now..........

 

[cogburn]

hmmm... that was my first test hasnt even been a week yet... so maybe ill give it another week and test every day... ill wait for amonia and nitrites to show up...

 

[Purrbox]

Most likely you have nitrates in your tap water then. I'd recommend testing your tap to confirm.

 

[uscamaro]

Don't be alarmed, I guess I have good tap water because my tank cycled quickly as well.

 

[cogburn]

i have well water... so there is nothing in it... i tested again and had a small bit of ammonia and a small bit of nitrate too... ill just wait for them to didsappear...

 

[tawolcott]

well water and no nitrates (or anything else) ... interesting.

What area do you live in?

 

[cogburn]

eastern pa... my house is surrounded by 11 natural springs... my well feeds off of them

 

[Purrbox]

i have well water... so there is nothing in it...

Have you tested to confirm? Depending on where you are located you could still have Nitrates in your well water. It's especially common in farming areas.

 

[cogburn]

which i happen to live in... touche purrbox... touche... i guess ill test my water... smart thinking...