Getting Fish Tommorow \o/

[FishyWishie]

Getting my fish tommorow ! been cycled for about a month now but for variety of reasons haven't actually added fish Now the plan is to stock as follows. (Tank has been completely cycled now for about a month.)

I wont be adding/buying the apisto's tommorow though Id wait 3-4 weeks to add them. The only non-negotiable fish on the list are the Harlequin Rasborra as 1) I really like them and 2) There paid for plus The stock list of the LFS we will be buying the fish from is HERE I was wondering if anyone saw anything on that list that would be better (by better I mean more colourful or more active or just plain nicer to look at) than the list I came up with ?

 

[FishyWishie]

Still got some crypts to come for infront of the java fern and a few large crypts for behind it and a little parvula to come but this is the tank as it looks currently (Ripped out the gaudy old background and went for blue one instead darker blue at bottom slightly lighter at top)

 

[fluffycabbage]

very nice!

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Sounds an awsome tank!

I would just get the Harlequins home tomorrow and get them settled in for two weeks, with morning and evening water tests.

If the tests are all good and fish all remain healthy, then get the Halfbeaks (nmonks on here has great knowledge about these fish, along with many others). If they truely are N. liemi (often wrongly identified), they will love a bit of water current.

If things are still good, then the Kuhlis, two weeks later. They will live to burrow under any furniture in the tank, so be very sure of your tank layout before adding them, as they can so eaily be in the wrong place at the wrong time while tweaking the tank look,

Two weeks later, add the Rams and Apistogrammas together, if all is still well. Adding the territorial fish last and altogether means they all get a fair chance of setting up an area for themselves, taking account of where the more peaceful fish are already camping out.

Good look and post pics soon!

 

[Gytas]

that looks really good nice tank

 

[Gvilleguy]

Awesome! I like the blue background, and I also like your java fern. I just put a java in my tank a week ago, and it is pitiful compared to yours! I have like 7 leaves so far.

 

[PDSimon]

I disagree with the waiting two weeks thing.

The way the members designed the fishless cycle was that if you cycle 5ppm of ammonia to nitrate in 12 hours for 7 days, you can fully stock the tank with no mini cycle. I think adding the majority of the fish will be fine. They're mostly going to be younger fish anyway? so the bioload won't be as big. If you're worried you can feed them very carefully. Overfeeding is a common error amongst inexperienced fishkeepers I think.

Kuhlis have a relatively small bioload. Even if there is a minicycle, which a few people recently seem to have gone through occurs, its not the end of the world as long as you keep testing and do waterchanges accordly.

Tanks looking good, love the new fern and the difformis I can see is growing very well, the leaf shape and colour is good

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

I know there are a substantial number of people who agree with your approach PDSimon, but I have some real concerns about the technique for newcomers to fish keeping...

• We are likely to presume our new fish are going to eat the evening they come home.
• We are likely to overfeed and casue both ammonia and nitrite spikes.
• When the above happens, as is so often logged in this forum, very few realise that a 20% water change or similar is not a suitable reaction to a reading of say 0.5mg/l of either ammonia or nitrite.
• As it often noted in this forum, it is not commonplace for newcomers to vacuum the sand/gravel for excess food rotting, or gently rinsing the filter sponge with tank water i.e. getting to the root cause of the spike.
• It involves mixing fish from what is often seperate tanks at the fish store. If one of those LFS tanks had just had an outbreak of an illness, the whole home tank has now been exposed to the disease. At least by quarantining each fish fish species for at least a fortnight, any outbreak of illness can be focussed on hopefully just one species of fish in the planned stocking.
• A fortnightly purchase regime will also allow the more peaceful and hardy fish to settle in and mature the tank for less hardy species, plus they will know the tank layout before any territorial fish decide to claim areas of the tank
• etc. etc.

 

[Flagtail]

Nice!

 

[PDSimon]

I wouldn't call it my approach. I just did what the guys in the new tank section thought was best and although I did my cycle a little differently it was very sucessful.

For some people, I may not advise adding so much fish. Fishy has done a good job cycling and has had 5ppm cycled in 12 hours (well the ammonia is a hell of a lot quicker than that) for weeks and weeks. I was just saying, try not to overfeed a precaution if he is worried. I overfed at the start too because you think 'oh they're hungry' but really, most fish can survive weeks without any food so lighter feeding at the start is just to be careful. I never experienced any spikes though.

Most people who do fishless cycles properly are already well used to gravel/sand syphoning. They're advised to do them with every waterchange when nitrates are over 160ppm.

Disease is a big problem and I have been very lucky I think not to have got anything like whitespot from stocking my tank completely with no hospital tank but thats just one of the things you risk when starting I think...

I was recommended to add my more territorial fish first as they're going to get the territory they want anyway... His stocking should be very peaceful anyway, unless he gets an evil fish!

 

[FishyWishie]

Slight change of plan fish wise I knew id never make it there and back with what I thought i wanted

Bought 12 X Diamond Tetra's and im going back in about 10 days or so to pick up the main chunk of my stocking once there next delivery is in as they tell me it has some nice things included in it so we shall see

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

They will look superb as they mature in a planted tank, with their purple fins (which is why my better half wants some)!

 

[Carlovel1]

Nice tank!
I cant wait to see how the Celebes Halfbeaks do.

 

[benjoey]

was just wondering if you are planning on still getting the harlequins? As I would definitely recommend them

 

[Twinklecaz]

Can't wait to see all your photos Fishy, sounds like a fab tank.