How many Fish should I add per week?

[kidgrave666]

Hello guys I have a 37 gallon tank that has been cycled already for 2 months. At the moment I have:

2x Cardinal Tetras
6x Black Neon Tetras
1x Ghost Shrimp
2X Neon Tetras

I don't know if this question has been asked before or answered but I still need to know. I work so I only have time to go to the petshop on the weekends to buy fish so I can only go shopping on the weekends, so how many fish should I add per week? So far I have been adding 2 at a time but I need some opinions about this, thanks

 

[Matteyecus]

I guess it is different to every tank, some times I will add one fish at a time, other I will add up to seven at a time. I think for now since your tank is new I would say one at a time.

 

[kidgrave666]

Thanks a lot for your advice, I guess I will stick to 2 fish per week since it's what I been doing and it's been working well in my tank, at my local fish petshop they told me that I can add 3-4 fishes a week but I prefer to be safe than sorry by adding a lower number, plus It's exciting to stock your tank little by little because it gives me something to look forward to every week

 

[Crick127]

I think it really depends on the size of the fish. You can probably add 3 or 4 small tetras at a time but maybe just one if it is a larger fish.

 

[kidgrave666]

I think it really depends on the size of the fish. You can probably add 3 or 4 small tetras at a time but maybe just one if it is a larger fish.

That's exactly what I was told at my local petshop all of the fish that I am adding are small tetras. I cycled my tank using Byozime so would it be a good idea to add 3 every week and than to add some bacteria?

 

[rich311k]

Depends on the fish size etc. I could not imagine a problem with adding 6-8 neons at a time. If your tank is not cycled or still cycling that is another story.

 

[Crick127]

If your tests show that your tank is indeed cycled, I don't think you'll have a problem adding 3 small fish at a time. I cycled a 20 Gallon tank a couple of years ago with ammonia and after It was cycled I added 5 fish at a time and there were no changes to the water chemistry. I added 3 or 4 a week until it was stocked. Again really small fish, mostly tetras. Not familiar with Byozime so not sure how good it is. I moved moved my 20G fish to a 55 gallon along with gravel, decorations etc and some fish and had a very slight spike in Ammonia. I used tetra safestart and the ammonia went back down the the next day. Not sure if it was the safestart or maybe the bacteria caught up in a day but I could not hurt to use it just in case. I looked through a lot of forums and some say it doesn't work other say it does.

 

[kidgrave666]

If your tests show that your tank is indeed cycled, I don't think you'll have a problem adding 3 small fish at a time. I cycled a 20 Gallon tank a couple of years ago with ammonia and after It was cycled I added 5 fish at a time and there were no changes to the water chemistry. I added 3 or 4 a week until it was stocked. Again really small fish, mostly tetras. Not familiar with Byozime so not sure how good it is. I moved moved my 20G fish to a 55 gallon along with gravel, decorations etc and some fish and had a very slight spike in Ammonia. I used tetra safestart and the ammonia went back down the the next day. Not sure if it was the safestart or maybe the bacteria caught up in a day but I could not hurt to use it just in case. I looked through a lot of forums and some say it doesn't work other say it does.

Than next week and every week I will start adding 3 small tetras but this coming week I will add Red Belly X-Ray Tetras since they look pretty awesome. Well about Byozime there are many mixed reviews and some people say that it doesn't work but it is what I used to cycle my fish tank because I had no source for filter media or gravel from an established tank and I used Byozime because I was a newbie when I started out lol, but It cycled my tank pretty fast, it only took 2 and a half weeks. I guess the people that say that it doesn't work added the bacteria without the fish lol that's why it doesn't work for them lmao.

To be honest I think the Tetra safe start did work on your tank, but I also think the amount of stuff that you added from your 20G to your 55G tank also played a pretty big role there

 

[kidgrave666]

Depends on the fish size etc. I could not imagine a problem with adding 6-8 neons at a time. If your tank is not cycled or still cycling that is another story.

My tank has been cycled for 2 months but I am not sure how to tell when a tank is fully matured because I am still kind of a newbie when it comes to these things, that's why I haven't added a large amount of stocking at a time, it's better to be safe than sorry

 

[glassbird]

Can you give us your water test numbers? pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate...from a drop-type test kit, not strips? Those numbers will tell us if your tank is fully matured. When you say that your tank has been cycled for 2 months, do you mean that it has been running for two months? Or do you mean that it has gone thru the nitrogen cycle (which can take a month or two all by itself) and now it has run for 2 months beyond that?

Another thing to consider when adding more fish to a tank is your filter, and your ability to do good water changes on a regular basis. If you have a top-notch filter that can handle a lot waste, and do regular (possibly large) water changes, then you might get away with more fish. But if you have a puny filter, and tend to get a bit casual with the PWCs, then a larger fish load is a ticking bomb.

I have a 75 gallon, with only 4 fancy goldfish. I have a massive Eheim filter on it, but I work a lot of long wierd hours and sometimes PWCs get delayed. But the big filter and the light bio-load buy me a little extra time.

 

[kidgrave666]

Alright well I got a Ph of 7.6 High range ph 7.4 , Ammonia 0 , Nitrite 0, Nitrates 10 ppm
And I tested my water using that API liquid drop test kit.

Well tank has gone through the nitrogen cycle for quite a while and it's been two months already since nitrates started showing up in my tank so when I say 2 months I mean that it's been that long since I got my first readings on the test kit for nitrates. As far as filter goes I have a marineland penguin 200 and what I find weird is that the bio-wheel hasn't turned brown like the aged ones.

Judging by your experience glassbird how many fishes would you recommend me to add per week on my fish tank? thanks

 

[librarygirl]

I think it's great that you are being careful and asking questions (and seem receptive to advice) and putting the welfare of your fish first.

 

[kidgrave666]

I think it's great that you are being careful and asking questions (and seem receptive to advice) and putting the welfare of your fish first.

Thank you very much I love my fish very much, like the love that I don't find in humans I it in my fishes