Should I introduce fish in a community tank at the same time, or can I put some in a few days earlier

[GreenGuy]

I currently have 6 Neon Tetras and would like to move them into my cycled 20gallon tank. Can I put these in now, or should I add them in with the rest in a week once I can get them

 

[Uberhoust]

I haven't had issues by putting tetras into a tank first, in some ways I think if you start with the dither fish it is easier to put the other fish in later. All based on personal experience, no research, so take it with a grain of salt.

 

[Byron]

Post #2 above appeared after I began typing...I took your question to be a different issue than dither fish. It is not clear if by "the rest" you mean more neon tetras or some other species. But with neon tetras, you should have no issues putting the six in, and adding more of them later, if that is what you mean. With some fish, this will never work because those of a more aggressive nature that naturally establish an hierarchy can rapidly do this, and "intruders" may not be welcome. But that does not apply to neon tetras--although if severely stressed, who knows. [Correct me if I'm missing the issue.]

 

[itiwhetu]

You can slowly add more fish into a community tank as long as you have plenty of hiding places for the fish to go to. I always use plant as a buffer between fish, the plant also makes the fish more relaxed and gives them a certain amount of protection from each other.

 

[P J]

Hi green man, it depends on the level of maturity of the aquarium, if you want cardinal tetras or rams or other fish from very pristine South American rivers don’t add them until the tank has been mature for at least three months with crystal clear water condition and very low bacteria levels. Don’t add too many fish in one go, allow the biological filter to adjust to the increased load.