Moved Up To A 20 Gallon Tank!

[augustaranger]

Moved a single rosy red minnow and a ghost shrimp into a new 20 gal. tank. I have added 3 danios. I'm using an Aquaclear 50 containing a foam filter from the old tank, along with rocks and a bag of gravel from the old one.

Having read many things about seeding new tanks, I have some questions:

Should I leave the tank lights on the whole time?

Some say to feed every other day or every third day. Others say to feed normally. Which is best?

I'm thinking of adding an additional danio each week while the bacteria is building up. Is that a good plan.

 

[TayTay]

So your tank is still cycling correct? If it is, do not add any more danios or any more living things for that matter. Leave the tank lights on for around 10-12 hours a day, you can get a timer if needed. It is best to feed fish on a regular basis. It's also good to check and make sure all of the food is being eaten and that none of it touches the bottom of the tank. I hope this helped! And you can ask as many questions as you want.

 

[*Fishkies*]

Yeah I would feed the fish everyday. Just don't overfeed, and be sure to watch how much they eat. You really don't want to add anymore fish while your are trying to cycle the tank.

Oh and tanks lights are good for at least 10hours a day. Timers work well for that.!

 

[augustaranger]

Thanks for the quick replies. Since there should be bacteria from the filter and contents of the old tank, how long should I wait before adding fish? I had read that when seeding a tank with existing bacteria, you should add enough fish to make up 25% of your planned total. That would increase the bioload enough to get the amount of bacteria up. That's why I added the 3 danios. I need a plan to gradually add fish. Would 1 fish per week be reasonable?