How long should you wait before adding fish to a new tank?

We just received a new fish tank. It is 36 Gal which is much bigger than our old 10 Gal. Anyways, most of the writings I see about this topic says we should wait a couple days.

Wth does that mean? Two days... three? What say you askville.. how many days is a couple days?

Asked by trinitysaij 23 months ago Similar questions: long wait adding fish tank Pets > Fish.

Similar questions: long wait adding fish tank.

Answer: 2 days Adding Fish To Your New Tank: The first week of operation is a time when the tank begins to reach its own biological balance. This is a period in which bacteria will begin to grow and they will begin to breakdown waste products (ammonia) through a process known as biological filtration. The Fritz-Zyme provided with your Master Kit will help to establish biological filtration in your tank.

If you add too many fish right away you run the risk of letting the ammonia level reach a dangerous level. A simple way to avoid problems during the first 6 weeks is to add fish gradually to a new tank. We suggest you follow this procedure: Day 1: Install the aquarium and let the filters operate overnight.

Add Chlorine neutralizer (NovAqua) and Fritz-Zyme (biological filter starter) to the water. Day 2: One the second day you can add some fish. We suggest you about 4-8 fish at this time.

(see chart below) You may also want to monitor the ammonia level with an ammonia test. Test the ammonia level every three days for the first two weeks.Do not add any more fish until the ammonia level reads "0 ppm. " Day 15-25: At this point the tank should have reached a satisfactory biological balance and ammonia levels should remain at safe levels.

You can add a second group of fish. Selecting Fish: If you are a beginner, we suggest that you start with some of the more hardy fish. Our staff will be glad to advise you regarding hardiness and compatibility.

We can also give your instructions for acclimating your new fish. How Many Fish in a New Tank? Do not add all of your fish the first week.

Add one group then wait a week. Add a few more each week until your tank is fully populated. Here is a guideline for stocking your tank.

Numbers are based on average size fish (1"-1 1/2") and normal filtration (undergravel filter with power filter.) First Group (Day 2-3) After 6 Weeks 10 gal 4 8-12 20 gal 6 10-14 30 gal 8 12-18 55 gal 10 15-30 Sources: http://www.elmersaquarium.com/c102fishfornewtank.htm .

Make sure the heater is on and the appropriate temperature has been reached Most important: Let the aquarium get to the correct temp. You don't want to freeze the guys. We always waited 2-3 days for any impurities in the water to sink to the bottom..

The reason for the delay is to allow the nitrogen cycle to adapt to the higher bioload. It takes 2-5 days for the bacteria that change ammonia to nitrite to establish (Ammonia comes from the breakdown of proteins and fishwaste) and about the same to establish the bacteria that convert the highly toxic nitrite to nitrate. You have a bit more wiggle room in a bigger tank, and the nitrogen cycle is fairly pointless if you have a planted tank, as plants absorb both ammonia and Nitrate (But not nitrite, so you can't really go wild) If your tank isn't planted currently, pick up some duckweed or water sprite when you get your new fish.

They're both floating plants, so don't require a plant substrate to survive. Both plants do really well in highly stocked tanks, and if you throw out the excess duckweed and watersprite when it overpopulates your tank, you're actually flushing a good amount of toxins out of the tank: something no freshwater filters actually do. Currently I have about 300 gallons of freshwater tanks, and I raise about 8 different species of Rainbowfish, about 12 species of Corydoras catfish, four types of plecostamus, 5 different loach species, three tetras, zebra danios, platys, a couple bettas, siamese algae eaters, and a gourami.

All suggestions aside, the >>BEST) For another 5 days or so the ammonia should be low or 0, but nitrite should be high. After 10-15 days, only Nitrate should show up. I've included a link to a good site that explains it a bit more in depth than I did.

You should only be adding fish (ideally) when you have no nitrite or ammonia detected by the test, though as I mentioned, having a planted tank acts as a buffer for this, and generally improves water quality all around. Sources: http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm Cryogaijin's Recommendations Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Aquarian Freshwater Master Test Kit Amazon List Price: $29.99 Average Customer Rating: 5.0 out of 5 (based on 1 reviews) This is the test kit I mentioned. I HIGHLY recommend it.

Cryogaijin's Recommendations Exo-Terra Water Plant - Duckweed Duckweed is actually used as a filter in sewage ponds and other similar uses. Good stuff, grows amazingly fast.. . Can be highly invasive, though..

1 It means the water needs to naturalize and age in the tank. Time? Depends.

If using city water, use some de-chlorinating agent and PH adjuster. I would wait one day. Wait two if that makes you feel better.

Fish can be expensive. It's ok to be on the safe side. If well water, use PH adjuster and wait one hour.

I never heat my tanks. Not necessary. All this applies to fresh water only.

Salt tanks are a whole nuther matter. Don't forget to acclimate the fish to temperature and water change by letting the bag sit in the tank, clipped to the side. Add some tank water to the bag gradually.

Spend one hour doing this. Also, local hand caught fish are sturdy, free, and have a lot of personality. I have a war-mouth brim at present.

He is a hoot. You have to feed them worms and crickets, though....they won't eat flakes. And you can only have one per tank; they will kill each other and the biggest will win.

I like to talk about birds and fish. Ask me anything, anytime, and I will try to help. If you intend to use plants, that's a whole nuther topic, and there are things you need to know.

Good luckPS, air stones and bubble wands are pretty and add O2 to the water! Tell me what kind of fish you are going to get....I may have more helpful advice. This user has been banned from Askville.