Am I safe in adding some fish/cuc

[jwmachon]

Hi

Tank been setup for 10 days

Been doing over 50 percent water changes daily for 7 days with 50/50 ro tap water mix

Now doing over 50 percent every 2 days

No ammonia or nitrite detected

Dosing with seachem stability daily

Biomaster 600 with 4 litres of seachem matrix so basically full

Am I ok to add some cuc shrimps and maybe a few otos or will they uproot my plants

Thanks

 

[Heelllooo]

Some people do it but if you're not using soil or media already inauculate with some other tank bacteria, I would just just wait for a month.
At least with the otocynclus, they're really fragile fish.
Even if they don't die immediately, some ammonia or nitrite can reduce their life expectancy and immune system.
If you really want a cleanup crew, I will go with some pond snail or ramshorn snail, but you're never gonna get rid of them.
Maybe I'm extra cautious but impatience doesn't excuse taking risk.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Tank been setup for 10 days

I'd just let it grow in a bit more <"New member">. If you are going to have <"janitor snails"> (and or Asellus)? You can add them now.

and maybe a few otos or will they uproot my plants

They won't uproot your plants, but they really need to go <"into an established tank">, they are sensitive little things.

No ammonia or nitrite detected

That is the advantage of <"plant and wait">, once you have a large mass of plants in active growth your tank is fish safe, <"it really is as simple as that">. I'm <"not anti-testing">, but I just don't use <"the test kit results"> as the <"final arbiter of tank condition and fish-safeness">. It is slightly different in <"marine aquariums">, you have much saltier water, and a known datum to aim for, which makes testing more reliable.

Scientists actually use <"biotic indices"> all the time in <"both fresh"> and salt water via techniques like the <"Reef Health Index (RHI)"> etc. - <"Coral Reef Health Indices versus the Biological, Ecological and Functional Diversity of Fish and Coral Assemblages in the Caribbean Sea">.

Dosing with seachem stability daily

I'd just stop, it isn't going to make any positive (or probably negative) difference. The problem is the <"ammonia loading in the bioreactor"> that the product was produced in. If any-one wants a longer read? Have a look at:

• <"The nitrifying microbes in aquariums and cycling"> and
• <"Correspondence with Dr Ryan Newton - School of Freshwater Sciences, University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee">

Biomaster 600 with 4 litres of seachem matrix so basically full

I'd actually take some out, there is <"nothing wrong"> with <"Seachem Matrix">, but <"nitrification is nearly always limited"> <"by oxygen availability">, not physical space.

The vendors of <"aquarium filter media"> often imply that you need to buy loads of their product for it to work effectively or that it allows for <"simultaneous aerobic nitrification and anaerobic denitrification">, but none of it is true.

cheers Darrel