Yeah because if I added the pleco a day before I added the media then the tank would start cycling and what not. This next question is for people that has gotten this kit at walmart. Do you guys think the filter is strong enough for the bio load?Personally I'd add the Pleco a day before you add the filter media. This way the filter will have some AMMO to break down as soon as it starts running. Adding them at the same time would probably be best though.