Cycled Tank How Many Fish To Get?

[jwhighdown]

Hi

I have had my tank for 3 weeks now and it is cycled thanks to some sand and rocks and some crap squeezed into my filter from a mates tank and was wondering how many fish to buy first as not to overwelm my filter?

I have a fluval 125L / 33US G / 28UK G tank

Thanks jwhighdown

 

[Ludwig Venter]

Choosing fish is very much a personal choice thing where you need to give basic guidlines if you need help/advice in choosing.... i.e. is your preference a few medium or a lot of small fish....(cause big will not go into this)

 

[jwhighdown]

Choosing fish is very much a personal choice thing where you need to give basic guidlines if you need help/advice in choosing.... i.e. is your preference a few medium or a lot of small fish....(cause big will not go into this)

I was thining 2 or 3 clownloaches and 1 siamese algae eater to start with

 

[Ludwig Venter]

Choosing fish is very much a personal choice thing where you need to give basic guidlines if you need help/advice in choosing.... i.e. is your preference a few medium or a lot of small fish....(cause big will not go into this)

I was thining 2 or 3 clownloaches and 1 siamese algae eater to start with

Eish!!...That certainly takes care of your bottom section, but which do you like more..... Blue paradise or neon tetras??? this will give us an indication of where you're going.

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, agree with Ludwig. -- very personal choice and members will need some starting points on your ideas.

Just out of curiosity (since a lot of newcomers get burned by bad advice about how to judge whether they are "cycled" or not) can you tell us what testing you do and what numbers those tests show?

Normally, after 21 days to 3 months or so of fishless cycling with household ammonia, you should arrive at filter readings showing that 5ppm of ammonia is being processed by the filter into zero ppm of ammonia and zero ppm of nitrite in 12 hours or less. Are you meeting the 12-hour qualification?

This would allow you to potentially stock to normal starting guidelines, but normally people include some of the more delicate fish in their list and thus do not fully stock at the beginning.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[jwhighdown]

Yes, agree with Ludwig. -- very personal choice and members will need some starting points on your ideas.

Just out of curiosity (since a lot of newcomers get burned by bad advice about how to judge whether they are "cycled" or not) can you tell us what testing you do and what numbers those tests show?

Normally, after 21 days to 3 months or so of fishless cycling with household ammonia, you should arrive at filter readings showing that 5ppm of ammonia is being processed by the filter into zero ppm of ammonia and zero ppm of nitrite in 12 hours or less. Are you meeting the 12-hour qualification?

This would allow you to potentially stock to normal starting guidelines, but normally people include some of the more delicate fish in their list and thus do not fully stock at the beginning.

~~waterdrop~~

My results a PH 7.6 Nitrate is 10ppm (after a 70% water change a few days ago it was 40ppm) ammonia 0.25ppm and Nitrite 0ppm i use a API master test kit and i am meeting the 12 hour qualification

Choosing fish is very much a personal choice thing where you need to give basic guidlines if you need help/advice in choosing.... i.e. is your preference a few medium or a lot of small fish....(cause big will not go into this)

I was thining 2 or 3 clownloaches and 1 siamese algae eater to start with

Eish!!...That certainly takes care of your bottom section, but which do you like more..... Blue paradise or neon tetras??? this will give us an indication of where you're going.

Nether lol all the fish ive thought about getting is clown loaches, siamese algae eater, plattys and fresh water puffers.

 

[Corleone]

If you're still getting ammonia, you're not fully cycled. Did you do a fishless cycle using an ammonia source? If so, just top it up and wait 12 hours and see what you still have. Also, nearly all puffers need to be kept in a species only tank, if not alone. Even the tiny dwarf puffers are fully capable of tearing other fish apart.

Clown loaches are too big for a 33 gallon, they get over a foot long, and the smallest standard size tank that's suitable is a 75 gallon (4 feet long by 18 inches wide), but there's some odd sizes that also work. They need at least 18 inches to turn around, and a good four feet of swimming space as they're quite active. Skunk loaches have similar color (more orange and only one black stripe), and are only about 2-3 inches, but have a reputation as belligerent.

 

[Ludwig Venter]

Now you see!!!... adding the platies in there with your bottom dwellers is fine, but I do not advise the puffers in there as well.... They (honestly) bit chunks out of my Port Acara (with their front rabbit-like teeth) rethink (in my opinion)

 

[jwhighdown]

If you're still getting ammonia, you're not fully cycled. Did you do a fishless cycle using an ammonia source? If so, just top it up and wait 12 hours and see what you still have. Also, nearly all puffers need to be kept in a species only tank, if not alone. Even the tiny dwarf puffers are fully capable of tearing other fish apart.

Clown loaches are too big for a 33 gallon, they get over a foot long, and the smallest standard size tank that's suitable is a 75 gallon (4 feet long by 18 inches wide), but there's some odd sizes that also work. They need at least 18 inches to turn around, and a good four feet of swimming space as they're quite active. Skunk loaches have similar color (more orange and only one black stripe), and are only about 2-3 inches, but have a reputation as belligerent.

I just tested the ammonia and it is at oppm i did a fishless cycle using nutrafin cycle is that a ammonia source?

 

[waterdrop]

But that 0.25 ammonia goes to zero by the time you reach 12 hours, right?

OK, if that's so then it sounds like its ok to mention the guideline, which is very, very rough compared to reality, but it would say to start by thinking about a max of 1 inch of fish body per US gallon (maybe 30 inches then, given that there is substrate etc.) Fish body does not include fins but does mean the full maximum that any given fish can grow to, not what it is when you buy it. The guideline breaks down for big fish, for very small fish and in many other ways if its examined closely, so that's why we call it a guideline rather than a rule. Its meant to help people especially not to go overboard when they are new.

So, (this is not meant for you but as an example about hardiness, fwiw) in our example community we might start by stocking a group of zebra danios and some hatchetfish or rasboras and maybe a shoal of some type of hardy tetra. This would only be moderate stocking and some of the bacteria populations would diminish, but after a week or two we might add 3 or 4 new fish and then go a bit and 3 or 4 more etc. These later adds might eventually be more delicate fish like neons or corries or ottos. Also, some people like to spend a bit more time researching and finding a few "centerpiece fish" and they might also be introduced at some point after the initial stocking.

Besides planning out overall max sizes of various fish, there are also the water parameters that various fish prefer. You don't need to overly worry about these parameters, just perhaps investigate where there might be some questions for the species you choose and ask some questions in the appropriate species forum in that case. Then the next thing to be thinking about is and aggressiveness or various other characteristics specific to a given species. Think not only about that fish but also about how it might react with the other fish you are choosing.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Corleone]

Nutrafin cycle is not an ammonia source. Usually, it's dead bacteria. Used with an ammonia source, it can sometimes speed a cycle, but used alone, without an ammonia source, it won't do very much. A cycle is generally considered complete when you can raise the ammonia level to 4-5 ppm and have both ammonia and nitrite at 0 after 12 hours.

 

[Ludwig Venter]

Waterdrop.... You do your homework well before commitment.... Actually, we should all follow your example & not talk off the top of our heads... Well answered.

 

[jwhighdown]

But that 0.25 ammonia goes to zero by the time you reach 12 hours, right?

OK, if that's so then it sounds like its ok to mention the guideline, which is very, very rough compared to reality, but it would say to start by thinking about a max of 1 inch of fish body per US gallon (maybe 30 inches then, given that there is substrate etc.) Fish body does not include fins but does mean the full maximum that any given fish can grow to, not what it is when you buy it. The guideline breaks down for big fish, for very small fish and in many other ways if its examined closely, so that's why we call it a guideline rather than a rule. Its meant to help people especially not to go overboard when they are new.

So, (this is not meant for you but as an example about hardiness, fwiw) in our example community we might start by stocking a group of zebra danios and some hatchetfish or rasboras and maybe a shoal of some type of hardy tetra. This would only be moderate stocking and some of the bacteria populations would diminish, but after a week or two we might add 3 or 4 new fish and then go a bit and 3 or 4 more etc. These later adds might eventually be more delicate fish like neons or corries or ottos. Also, some people like to spend a bit more time researching and finding a few "centerpiece fish" and they might also be introduced at some point after the initial stocking.

Besides planning out overall max sizes of various fish, there are also the water parameters that various fish prefer. You don't need to overly worry about these parameters, just perhaps investigate where there might be some questions for the species you choose and ask some questions in the appropriate species forum in that case. Then the next thing to be thinking about is and aggressiveness or various other characteristics specific to a given species. Think not only about that fish but also about how it might react with the other fish you are choosing.

~~waterdrop~~

Ya i think so but i will double check that tomorrow morning.
Cheers for the advice mate.