How do i mature the tank? Right now it has nothing but the substrate in it. The Plants are being shipped to me. It has the light and the filter. It's already cycled. I have a female Betta in there with some decorations (so she doesn't have to put up with the tank being bare) to keep the cycle. I was wondering how I mature the tank. I will have one pair of German Blue rams and 6 Rummy nosed Tetra's both of which I've heard are somewhat sensitive so I want to "mature the tank". How do I do this? Wouldn't you need more fish in it to get the bioload up to where it would need to before adding 8 fish? Could I move some of my Zebra Danios in there to raise the bioload?
Need some advice
- Thread starter Liz Sagara
- Start date
"How do i mature the tank?"
Like everything else....Time
True rummys aren't as sensitive as the False rummys.
Like everything else....Time
True rummys aren't as sensitive as the False rummys.
If you have some fish you can use, put a couple in every couple of days to gradually increase the bioload.
Okay... So I could theoretically start adding some more bioload now? Since it's already cycled. Put a couple Danios in every week to increase it/ dose with bacteria/ feed sparingly/ regular water changes? Then when I have All six of my Danio's in there leave them in for an additional couple of weeks then start adding my Rummies?
I could then start removing the Danios (leaving only 4 in there to keep the Bioload for 8 fish) and let it run for about a month? By this time my plants should be taking good root and growing to help reduce the amount of Nitrate Buildup in the tank. Then get my Rams?
I knew it wasn't going to be an overnight process... just wondering the best way to go about it without overstocking the tank to get the bioload necessary to sustain 8 fish since the rams will have more effect on the bioload than the tetras.
I could then start removing the Danios (leaving only 4 in there to keep the Bioload for 8 fish) and let it run for about a month? By this time my plants should be taking good root and growing to help reduce the amount of Nitrate Buildup in the tank. Then get my Rams?
I knew it wasn't going to be an overnight process... just wondering the best way to go about it without overstocking the tank to get the bioload necessary to sustain 8 fish since the rams will have more effect on the bioload than the tetras.
You could also throw in some driftwood.. without boiling it, or you can boil it some.
I love my rummys...How many are you planning on getting? And Where?
I love my rummys...How many are you planning on getting? And Where?
6 Rummies and my LFS. I will definitely have Drift wood in there. It's part of my Hardscape plan.
How big is the tank. (sorry if I missed that) In theory adding 8 fish at once would give you a spike but if we are talking about a decent sized tank it won't be that bad with the fish you are talking about. It would be different if you were adding 8 big fish. You can always add the fish and then do a few extra small water changes if you get a spike. Your plan of adding the danios and then taking them out once you get the new ones would work perfectly too.
I love my rummies. They are always together and zipping back and forth and through the plants. I will tell you though that they will school much better if you have at least 10 - 12 of them though.
Did I just see where you mentioned making a spreadsheet to monitor your readings? Maybe it was someone else lol. Your fish will do great with that kind of dedication on your part!
I love my rummies. They are always together and zipping back and forth and through the plants. I will tell you though that they will school much better if you have at least 10 - 12 of them though.
Did I just see where you mentioned making a spreadsheet to monitor your readings? Maybe it was someone else lol. Your fish will do great with that kind of dedication on your part!
Yes I do make spreadsheets. The tank is 20 gallons. ANd I don't plan on adding 8 fish at once. That would definitely result in an ammonia spike because my bacteria bed (since I stopped using pure ammonia) is for that of one Female Betta fish. However, I plan on adding a couple of my danios per week and monitoring for signs of a spike (and nervousness on the part of the schooling fish) until I have all six in there. Once I do, I will then get the rummies. Leave 4 danios in the tank, replacing the other two with two rummies and continuing to add 2 rummies a week for two more weeks. Then I plan on "aging" the tank for another month with those fish in the tank which will allow time for growth in plants (for added security and cycle) and full maturation of the tank before adding a pair of German Blue rams. The Rams will spend two weeks in a hospital/ quarantine tank (kept cycled with the use of daily pure ammonia to keep contamination of fish to a minimum and to kill off any "bad" bacteria and protezoan that need fish to survive). Then I monitor weekly watch for aggression, top offs, water changes when the nitrates rise above 5 PPM (I don't believe I shall need to do them every week because the tank will be heavily planted and plants are nitrate loving machines!).