Will This Be Enough?

[Jayladd]

Hello,

So I just finished cycling my tank and letting it go through the trial week. Thankfully all was fine. I have a 29 UK gallon tank ( 48" long, 12" wide, 15" tall).

I did a big water change yesterday and turend the temp down. Today I added 5 Bronze corys and 2 Platies, will this be enough to keep the tank cycled and going? Or was I suppose to put in more stock?

The corys seem really happy and love rooting through the sand. The platies are very shy at the moment and seem to be hiding near the bottom a lot. They both seem to be picking at the wood though and trying to find something to eat. Hopefully they will come around soon.

Thanks for your time.

 

[Aqua Tom]

As you have done a fishless cycle you could stock to the maximun level straight away. Most people do a 80%ish stock to start with as introducing a huge amount of fish at once is stressfull for the fishkeeper (a lot of new pets to carfully watch all arriving at once).
The fish you have will keep your filter cycled but you must now add a very few fish at a time, every week or so, so as not to overdo the bioload.


Tom

 

[CezzaXV]

As long as there are fish in your tank, which there are, your tank will remain cycled. You will find, however, that the bacteria will die back to just enough to cover the amount of fish you have. This isn't a problem, but it does mean that if you add more fish in the future, you'll need to add them in smaller numbers to avoid overloading you bacteria and allowing them to grow to accommodate the additional fish.

 

[Jayladd]

So leave it for a week and then test water, if all okay, add 2 fish and wait another week?

I'd rather add the fish slowly than all at once, think it'd all be a bit overwhelming else ha

 

[CezzaXV]

Yup, that's exactly it

 

[Jayladd]

Thanks guys,

One last question, what if I wanna add a shoal like Harlequins, I'd have to put in 6? would that be too much?

 

[CezzaXV]

Harlequins are small fish with a pretty small bioload. They should be fine. To be sure, you can test the water once a day for a few days afterwards to make sure there aren't any rises in ammonia or nitrite and do a water change if there are.

 

[OldMan47]

You are doing fine Jayladd. Although we routinely advise people to add most of their fish right off, there is no reason to move things that fast. If you are more comfortable with adding only a part of your stock, it will work out just fine for you and your fish.