Add More Fish During Cycling?

[juicebox]

the 1-inch rule can be flexible. i'd say you're safe with getting 3 more barbs to make a small school. i'm sure it'll be entertaining to see them shoal together!

what types of plants do you have? a black or blue background works very well with planted tanks; it makes the plant and fish stick out more. do you know what your watt per gallon is (total wattage divided by tank volume)? are you using any co2 diffusers, substrate, or fertilizers?

 

[ab420]

the 1-inch rule can be flexible. i'd say you're safe with getting 3 more barbs to make a small school. i'm sure it'll be entertaining to see them shoal together!

what types of plants do you have? a black or blue background works very well with planted tanks; it makes the plant and fish stick out more. do you know what your watt per gallon is (total wattage divided by tank volume)? are you using any co2 diffusers, substrate, or fertilizers?

Oh boy... looks like I got a whole lotta learning to do! I just read your post, and went, huh? Then I noticed the plants and planted tanks forum, and realized there is a ton of stuff to know just about the plants!!! WOW!
Right now, I just have the plants that are in the picture above, my light is a 100 watt, so 100w/29ga.=3.448 watts per gallon, how is that? I have no co2 diffusers (never heard of them until now...), I have gravel at the bottom of the aquarium, not sure too much about it, just that it's the small pebbley kind and I bought it at the fish store, and I have no fertilizers. Am I gonna need this stuff to keep live plants going, or just to have a lot of them?

Also... so you think I should just get 3 more Rosy's and then stop there?

 

[juicebox]

with 3.4 wpg you'll probably need co2 injections. a good starter would be the nutrafin co2 kit; it's cheaper than pressurized co2 diffusers and i think it should be sufficent for your tank. hm, you might not have to put any substrate in, but you're going to have to use root tabs and/or fertilizers to get nutrients to your plants.

you can add a lot more plants this way and it'll keep them very healthy. you may want to add the co2 quickly or else algae might break out in your tank.

i'd say get the 3 rosy barbs and then wait a bit so you can deal with any problems your plants might cause.

 

[ab420]

with 3.4 wpg you'll probably need co2 injections. a good starter would be the nutrafin co2 kit; it's cheaper than pressurized co2 diffusers and i think it should be sufficent for your tank. hm, you might not have to put any substrate in, but you're going to have to use root tabs and/or fertilizers to get nutrients to your plants.

you can add a lot more plants this way and it'll keep them very healthy. you might want to add the co2 quickly or else algae may break out in your tank.

Thank you VERY much for your responses everyone, you have all been (and continue to be) so helpful! I am going back to the fish store again today (my new home away from home!) I plan to look for that nutrafin co2 kit, some more live plants, and some more Rosy's...

do you recommend any specific fertilizers?

Also... now that the tank is already up and running, how do I plant stuff without sticking my whole arm in the tank?

 

[juicebox]

some recommended liquid fertilizers are: Seachem Flourish, Kent Botanic Grow, API Leaf Zone, Waterlife Tropiflora and Tropica Master Grow.

laterite balls are good for sticking under your plants. they'll also eat/use the waste your fish create (mainly the nitrate, but also a small bit of the ammonia).

the root rabs/laterite balls might be best if you have carbon in your filter as the liquid fertilizers may be rendered useless.

sticking your arm in the tank is the way to plant! during water changes you could plant before you re-add any water so you won't get as wet.

 

[ab420]

some recommended liquid fertilizers are: Seachem Flourish, Kent Botanic Grow, API Leaf Zone, Waterlife Tropiflora and Tropica Master Grow.

laterite balls are good for sticking under your plants. they'll also eat/use the waste your fish create (mainly the nitrate, but also a small bit of the ammonia).

the root rabs/laterite balls might be best if you have carbon in your filter as the liquid fertilizers may be rendered useless.

sticking your arm in the tank is the way to plant! during water changes you could plant before you re-add any water so you won't get as wet.

Thank you once again! I will look for those laterite balls, as I do have carbon in my filter. As far as sticking my arm in goes... I figured... I learned really quickly, that no matter how hard you try, if you have a fish tank, things are gonna get a bit wet now and then!

 

[juicebox]

I figured... I learned really quickly, that no matter how hard you try, if you have a fish tank, things are gonna get a bit wet now and then!

hahaha, that is true.

 

[starrynightxxi]

yes, the one inch per gallon rule is very flexible, depending on the quality of your filtration, and your water changes. as long as the water quality stays and each fish has enough room to swim, then you are not technically overstocked. In fact a "well stocked" tank to most aquarists may well go over the 1 inch per gallon rule because it means that each LEVEL of the tank is stocked (bottom, middle, top).

To be honest, i wouldn't have recommended you get cardinals at all, they are small, and won't put much on the bioload, but they are another fish that wants to be in groups of at least six. Having had other small tetras in fewer numbers I can tell you from experience that they will be much more visible and amusing in greater numbers.

Tigers also want to be in groups, and the usually recommended number for them is six as well. He may have been laid back on his own, but it is likely because he wasn't feeling secure enough to do anything. With another fish they may become a pair of bullies, or they may harrass one another to the point of real damage. Usually with about six fish the aggression is solely within the shoal, but there are large enough numbers that no one fish is constantly being bullied.

if you really wanted more fish, then I would suggest keeping just the cherry barbs (basing this solely on their numbers), then try stocking your surface and bottom as i believe barbs are mostly middle level fish.


[edit] as a word on the man who owns the shop you go to now, I wouldn't suggest being turned off by one incidence of advice you feel is bad. you will always hear different things from different people, and you will have to pick and choose through the information to decide what you think is best for you and your fish.

 

[ab420]

So... I have done some reading and decided to not go with the live plants.... for right now... I am still very new to this, so I really want to focus on the fish for now. I am going to replace the few live plants I have now with some fake ones. The guy at the store recommended the silk ones, and considering they were cheaper than the plastic ones he had, I'm guessing he's probably giving me some good advice. All afternoon, the new Tiger Barb really seemed to help the whole atmosphere of the tank. The other tiger barb came out of hiding, and had been out ever since. They are all getting along great, in fact the tigers now swim with the rosy barbs sometimes, which is a first in my tank! To round things out a little more, I got 1 more Rosy and 2 more Tigers, so I now have 4 of each, and they are doing great! All of the rosy's instantly became friends and have been happily swimming together since I got them. Two of the new tigers seem to want to be the king, so they are going at it a little (but nothing serious, just a little pecking order contest). Overall, the whole tank seems a lot happier, and my interest seems a lot greater! I even caught myself peaking atsome 55 gallon tanks tonight... but that won't be for a little while! I saw the African Parrot Cichlids there tonight and fell in love, so I'm gonna need a big tank someday, as my 29 is no where near big enough!

 

[juicebox]

sounds like a good plan! i'm glad your tiger barb is happier with some friends now. my parents used to have a few tiger barbs and they were my favorite fish to watch when i was little.

hehe, i think we all catch ourselves looking at bigger tanks. i'd like to have a much bigger tank when in the future; my biggest dream is to have a 90 gallon freshwater tank and something over 100 gallons as a marine tank. ahhh, such a dream! just think of all the money i'd spend stocking the marine tank with liverock!

 

[ab420]

sounds like a good plan! i'm glad your tiger barb is happier with some friends now. my parents used to have a few tiger barbs and they were my favorite fish to watch when i was little.

hehe, i think we all catch ourselves looking at bigger tanks. i'd like to have a much bigger tank when in the future; my biggest dream is to have a 90 gallon freshwater tank and something over 100 gallons as a marine tank. ahhh, such a dream! just think of all the money i'd spend stocking the marine tank with liverock!

I hear ya about the live rock... I was talking to the LFS owner about them today, and I could not believe how expensive they are! Oh well, some day...

They had some of the infamous iridescent sharks there, and they are adorable! I see why so many people want them (don't worry, I read that guide on fish to NOT buy, but I can see why people want them, they are cute!)

I definitely want some African Parrot Cichlids someday, some Angel Fish, there's just so many, so I'm going to need several large tanks as time goes on... I'm not going anywhere near the marine stuff yet. My plan is to do the freshwater thing for a while with no live plants, then when that is going well for me, I'll start doing the live plant thing. Far down the road, I would love to do the marine thing, but if I do it, I want to go BIG, so I'll be saving for a while for that project!

I am simply amazed at how much there is to learn in the wonderful world of fish! I gotta say, it is very addictive! I keep seeing fish that I want, but would not be compatible in my tank, so I start thinking, "Well I could get a..."

 

[juicebox]

yes, some day it'll be possible! i'll just have to start saving up now.

iridescent sharks are cute. my sister has three red tail black sharks and they're cute, too. one of them picks on the other two, though, and steals most of their food. poor sharks!

i'd like to have an angel fish eventually, as well. right now i'm into plecostomus and eels! i personally think they are so adorable. i am just in love with my common pleco; he's the cutest thing there is! and he's really nice, but i think it's just because he's so young.

i'm starting to dabble a little bit on the marine stuff. mostly just information when i have the time to research because i know i'm not getting a tank anytime soon for a saltwater community, but there is an incredible amount of information, species, etc. you have the invertabrates, clean-up crew, fish, liverock, coral, so so so many options! it's truly amazing. you can easily spend thousands or dollars on a marine tank.

there is certainly quite a lot to know, even in the freshwater side of fishkeeping. you just have to pick a group of fish you like and learn everything about them. i think the real trick to the fish hobby is experience. lots and lots of experience.

 

[ab420]

yes, some day it'll be possible! i'll just have to start saving up now.

iridescent sharks are cute. my sister has three red tail black sharks and they're cute, too. one of them picks on the other two, though, and steals most of their food. poor sharks!

i'd like to have an angel fish eventually, as well. right now i'm into plecostomus and eels! i personally think they are so adorable. i am just in love with my common pleco; he's the cutest thing there is! and he's really nice, but i think it's just because he's so young.

i'm starting to dabble a little bit on the marine stuff. mostly just information when i have the time to research because i know i'm not getting a tank anytime soon for a saltwater community, but there is an incredible amount of information, species, etc. you have the invertabrates, clean-up crew, fish, liverock, coral, so so so many options! it's truly amazing. you can easily spend thousands or dollars on a marine tank.

there is certainly quite a lot to know, even in the freshwater side of fishkeeping. you just have to pick a group of fish you like and learn everything about them. i think the real trick to the fish hobby is experience. lots and lots of experience.

That's one of the coolest things about marine tanks, you could have a fully-living, completely amazing tank, and no fish! Between all the coral, and crustaceans and everything else, it's just incredible! It really is like a whole different planet under the water!

Do you think I would be ok with like 3 Cory Cats (in about a month from now)? I think they are really cute, I want to get either 3 of those or go with the Bristlenose Pleco. Do the Bristlenose like to be paired, or can they go it alone?

 

[ab420]

So... one of my Tiger Barbs had a bout with ick before he moved to the new tank, I treated him with Coppersafe I think its called, and he was doing much better. He was still lonely before without other Tigers, and his colors weren't back 100% yet. Now that I have added more fish in, overnight it looks like his ick came back, as well as now he has some cottony looking white stuff on him (presumably some fungus). He has started having swimming problems now too, occasionally swimming upside down near the surface. I have seen this before in fish right before they past on. I put him in a (VERY temporary) quarantine tank for now, still in water from the old tank, and added a tiny amount of coppersafe (it has been almost 3 weeks since his treament). The quarantine he is in he can't stay in very long, I don't have a filter for it right now, but I didn't want him in with my other fish. He shows no interest in eating, is staying near the surface, his ick is the worst it ever was, and the cottony stuff is all over his gills. I hate to say it, but I don't think he is going to make it. I can't leave him in the unfiltered tank too long, but I don't really want to put him in with the other guys and risk them all getting sick. What do you reccommend I do?

 

[ab420]

so right now, I've adding some aquarium salt and I'm raising the temp slowly, as I've heard this helps get rid of ick, any other suggestions?