How long do you wait

[youpey]

I have had my tank now for about 30 days. I had a chromis which died due to not eating in the middle of the cycle. I now have a true percula( his name is buddy) in there for 1 week. I really want to buy another one, but I am concerned about the fish dying (not for any real reason) The Current clown is doing great. he eats a lot. Do u guys think it would be an OK time to add a second fish, or should I wait even longer, if so how much longer.


..
tank specs
30 gal
fluval 304 filter
eclipse 3 biowheel filter
No live rock just 1 fish in this tank

 

[e-cat]

im sure it will be fine, but what are your ammonia, nitate, nitrite ect. levels at?

 

[youpey]

ammonia - 0
nitrite -0
nitrate -10

 

[steve-s]

I would suggest waiting a few more weeks before adding another fish. After a new waste producing animal is added you need to allow the bacteria time to catch up to the new load. Bacteria grows to match the waste produced and is not "always abundant". If you are adding another percula, try getting one that is much smaller than the current one and you will have less issues with fighting.

In future when adding new fish to the tank, please place them into a quarantine tank first. Keeping them in a QT for a period of 4 weeks prior to adding to the main tank will prevent many issues. It allows for proper observation to be sure the fish is free of parasites, viral infections and other problems that will afftect the life of the other inhabitants. If needs be the fish can be easily treated and if done properly, the main display tank should not have any future problems from outside sources.

It also allows sufficient time to pass between fish additions.

Cheers
Steve