I ran mine for a week before introducing them. Water parameters were good and there was no spike in levels after I put them in. I have 3 RBP's approx 4" in a 55g with a Fluval 305, and 2 powerheads with an undergravel filter.
let the tank cycle for 2 or 3 weeks, test the water then. To help speed up the cycling process, you can use old filter medias from an already establish tank. GL
