4 Serpae/4 Black Phantom Tetra's; Do I Need More?

[rick_wolves]

Hi,

I'm really unsure about what to do with my tank at the moment, its only been up and running for a month now, but i do regular water changes and ammonia/nitrite always 0, and Nitrate 10 max. Tank is planted 260 litre.

its currently stocked with 2 cory's, 8 cherry barbs
yesterday i went out and brought 4 serpae tetra, and 4 black phantoms on the advice of the LFS
since i got home i read that each should be kept in a group of 6 or more, and obviously i have space for that,

BUT i didnt want to overload tank by too many additions in one go - do you think its better to wait a while before adding anymore, or to just add a couple more of each now so they are in a more suitable environment?

thanks in advance

 

[jacko32]

i would add another 4 of each as there bio load is quite small really and you keep up with your water changes your tank should handle it easily

 

[Assaye]

I would wait about a week and then add two at a time to make 6-8 per group. The tetras will be fine for a couple of weeks without friends.

=)

Just to be on the safe side.

 

[waterdrop]

Are the 8 new tetras in your quarantine tank currently?

 

[rick_wolves]

Are the 8 new tetras in your quarantine tank currently?

no the new tetras are in my main tank.
i dont have a quarantine tank. I do regulkar water changes and my water quality has been good since the start, with nitrates only going up to 25ppm on one occasion but remaining at below 5ppm most of the time.

 

[Assaye]

Are the 8 new tetras in your quarantine tank currently?

no the new tetras are in my main tank.
i dont have a quarantine tank. I do regulkar water changes and my water quality has been good since the start, with nitrates only going up to 25ppm on one occasion but remaining at below 5ppm most of the time.

How is your ammonia and nitrites looking? They're the key ones to know whether your water is ready for more fish or needs some water changes to settle it.

Get a quarantine tank if you can. I found out the hard way. I'd kind of assumed that it would be OK and then I lost 10 fish in a weekend. I'll never add straight to a tank now.

 

[rick_wolves]

Are the 8 new tetras in your quarantine tank currently?

no the new tetras are in my main tank.
i dont have a quarantine tank. I do regulkar water changes and my water quality has been good since the start, with nitrates only going up to 25ppm on one occasion but remaining at below 5ppm most of the time.

How is your ammonia and nitrites looking? They're the key ones to know whether your water is ready for more fish or needs some water changes to settle it.

Get a quarantine tank if you can. I found out the hard way. I'd kind of assumed that it would be OK and then I lost 10 fish in a weekend. I'll never add straight to a tank now.

Checked my ammonia and nitrite today both undetectable/0 -
nitrate bw 10 and 25
what do u think?
do u think the fish will school more in a bigger group?

 

[Assaye]

Are the 8 new tetras in your quarantine tank currently?

no the new tetras are in my main tank.
i dont have a quarantine tank. I do regulkar water changes and my water quality has been good since the start, with nitrates only going up to 25ppm on one occasion but remaining at below 5ppm most of the time.

How is your ammonia and nitrites looking? They're the key ones to know whether your water is ready for more fish or needs some water changes to settle it.

Get a quarantine tank if you can. I found out the hard way. I'd kind of assumed that it would be OK and then I lost 10 fish in a weekend. I'll never add straight to a tank now.

Checked my ammonia and nitrite today both undetectable/0 -
nitrate bw 10 and 25
what do u think?
do u think the fish will school more in a bigger group?

Water looks fine

Keep an eye on things (just to make sure) but if all is good for several days, feel free to add some more.

Yeah, the more fish generally the better they school. At least that's what I have found. Husband-to-be picked up 10 neon tetras for me today and they are schooling really nicely in the isolation tank, compared to my 4 in the main tank. It's partly because they are stressed from the environment change but it sure looks good!

 

[waterdrop]

Fairly large tank, heavily planted and lightly stocked... not surprising you've not seen ammonia or nitrite in its first month. It may stay that way but you've made a larger addition than ideal for a one-time addition, plus the tank is young and Fish-In cycles sometimes take a couple of months, so the next month will still be a time to continue to stay on top of things with daily ammonia and nitrite testing if possible. Nitrate usually takes longer to test and is less important, so could be left to once a week or so.

Completely agree about the shoaling and that you can take your time easing up to the right numbers. Shoaling fish get a lot better in many ways when you reach the minimal number point and then they continue to improve if you can manage a few more and still fit your stocking plan.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[rick_wolves]

thanks so much for all the helpful information. really appreciate it.