time for more fish?

[MXPX4318]

ok so I have a 20 gallon high tank with 5 gold barbs cycling the tank, it's been cycling about 2 weeks now, now with 0ppm Ammonia and .25ppm Nitrite, between 0-5ppm Nitrate, I'm doing 10-20% water changes daily and so I wanted to know with that minimal amount of nitrite would I be ok to add a couple more fish? If so which should I add from my selection of what I want to add:
2 dwarf gouramis
6 Harlequin Rasporas
3 peppered (or bronze) cory cats

or am I rushing things and just need to wait before adding anymore fish (if I get these fish they will be in q/t tank for about another week before being added to my main tank but the water and filter for the q/t tank will be coming from the cycling tank, so what are your thoughts on this subject b/c whatever you guys say is what I'm going to go with, I'm just ready to get a little more action going in my tank (as of now the 5 gold barbs are only about .75-1.25" and don't take up hardly any room in the tank, making for a not so active tank b/c they get lost in the plants and logs so much) but if I need to wait I will.

 

[Joviella]

Personally,I'd wait......I know it can be really frustrating ,but if you add more fish,the ammonia and nitrites could go up and then you could end up losing the new fish and the old. Wait til your nitrites are 0ppm.......then slowly add your desired fish.

 

[MXPX4318]

ok, patience is the key here I guess (I knew my words would come back to haunt me one day b/c it's so hard to be patient right now), ok so I can wait I guess.... bummer I want some new fish. So which do you think I should get next? Or is that just a personal preference on my part? (between the gourmai's, cories, and rasporas)

 

[Joviella]

I would personally leave the gouramis till last. Just my opinion. Did you know that gouramis can be quite savage and kill other gouramis they don't like?

 

[MXPX4318]

No I didn't... I acctually read they were peaceful and best kept in pairs (male/female I assume which is what I was planning on, even getting my lfs to order me a female when I decide to get them.):
see peaceful, keep in pairs: http/www.fishprofiles.com/profiles/fw/pr...id=Colisa+lalia

 

[Joviella]

When I first started fishkeeping,I was advised to get 3 gouramis together(1male,2female) and to see if two of them paired up. It all went swimmingly well for about a month.......but then the male decided he didn't like either female and battered them to death. I understand that this doesn't always happen,as many of these fish decide they like each other....but I would like you to be aware of what can happen. Also,gouramis can be quite prone to ulcers and internal bacterial infections. Hope this doesn't put you off though ,as its all down to personal preference......

 

[MXPX4318]

ok new thing has come up this morning, I've been consistently reading .25ppm nitrite and 0ppm ammonia since before I first posted here on the 16th, this morning however I got a reading of 0ppm ammonia and 0ppm nitrite, but only 5ppm nitrate. This seems kind of quick to me seeing as the tank has been up and running only about 3 weeks now. But hey if the readings remain like this for the next couple days then I believe I will be making a trip to my LFS for some new fish , my only question now is what should be my next fish, out of the list I left before:
1 dwarf gourami
3 cories
5-6 Harlequin Rasporas

or can anyone give me good reason that even if the readings stay the same I should not get new fish yet?
thanks

Phillip

 

[parker313]

I would get the cories, then the rasboras and then the gourami.

Good luck and yes, if the readings stay the same for the next 3-4 days I would go ahead and add the cories. Then, in 2wks, the rasboras and then in 2 more wks, the gourami.

 

[MXPX4318]

sounds wonderful, thank you