How Long Between Adding Batches of Fish

[Wandering Albatross]

Good morning all, I just got my first pair in yesterday, and they are doing phenomenal! Huge shout out to Eric over at Tankstop! These two are beautiful together, sharing a cave already and everything! Exactly what I was hoping for, well packaged and active in the bag, very pleased! I'll be ordering more from you soon! Toadstool opened sometime last night too, and he looks great so far.

Question of the day, how long do I need to wait before adding my next batch of fish? Planning 4 of the same type. Tank is 150g, 40g sump, 130ish lbs of rock, another small batch of tbs coming in later today. This first batch went in yesterday morning. Do I give it a week? 2? Does tank size vs fish size mean I could add sooner if the fish are smaller?

Blessings

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Personally I like to wait about a month in between additions, to give time to the bacteria to multiply to cover the new increased bioload before increasing bio load again.

 

[Troylee]

Depends on the fish sizes.. 4 damsels or fire fish etc is fine.. 4 large angels or tangs is iffy.

 

[ReefEngineer]

I agree I would say at least a month as well. Also gives the new fish an opportunity to get eating and settled in before having to compete with any new fish being introduced.

I have done every 2 weeks but it was a large tank with plenty of places for fish to hide. Also the fish were eating immediately when I added them in the tank. I would always check the tank parameters to make sure everything was safe before adding any new live stock.

 

[Wandering Albatross]

Depends on the fish sizes.. 4 damsels or fire fish etc is fine.. 4 large angels or tangs is iffy.

The current residents are 3-ish inches, thin bodied fish. I was thinking garden eels on the smaller side.

 

[Wandering Albatross]

I agree I would say at least a month as well. Also gives the new fish an opportunity to get eating and settled in before having to compete with any new fish being introduced.

I have done every 2 weeks but it was a large tank with plenty of places for fish to hide. Also the fish were eating immediately when I added them in the tank. I would always check the tank parameters to make sure everything was safe before adding any new live stock.

Mine were eating baby brine from the flow within hours of being introduced. Still a bit skittish for pellets or worms, but I have the brine so no biggie at this time. Plus they're fun to watch.

These guys can completely disappear without a trace in this tank, I made sure to have as many caves available as possible for exactly that reason.

 

[ReefEngineer]

Mine were eating baby brine from the flow within hours of being introduced. Still a bit skittish for pellets or worms, but I have the brine so no biggie at this time. Plus they're fun to watch.

These guys can completely disappear without a trace in this tank, I made sure to have as many caves available as possible for exactly that reason.

I would just monitor the parameters in the tank and take it from there. What I have learned in this hobby unfortunately the hard way is to go slow. No matter how excited you are about adding fish, the excitement ends quickly when you start losing fish back to back quickly because the bio load wasn't there.

 

[Wandering Albatross]

I would just monitor the parameters in the tank and take it from there. What I have learned in this hobby unfortunately the hard way is to go slow. No matter how excited you are about adding fish, the excitement ends quickly when you start losing fish back to back quickly because the bio load wasn't there.

I totally agree that people rushing is generally a problem. People trying to put a clown in tank they set up 2 hours ago, that's too small on top of that. I just wondered if size played a role. Considering how small these guys are, I find it tough to believe that the several month old rock would struggle to support these guys plus a couple more in such a large (by comparison) body of water. I have additional leftover bottled bacteria if needed in a pinch, but I'm hoping I won't need it.

 

[bluemon]

The current residents are 3-ish inches, thin bodied fish. I was thinking garden eels on the smaller side.

I would stay away from garden eels. They need a dedicated tank and even then only public aquariums can handle them.

Also, what fish did you get? I don’t think you mentioned what you got despite constantly referencing them

 

[Wandering Albatross]

I would stay away from garden eels. They need a dedicated tank and even then only public aquariums can handle them.

Also, what fish did you get? I don’t think you mentioned what you got despite constantly referencing them

Blue gudgeon dartfish. I'm aware of the concerns and difficulties surrounding garden eels, and have 2 sections of this tank designed with them in mind. My thinking is the best shot they have if I try them is to get them well settled before anyone else gets involved. It's threading the eye of the needle no doubt, but a risk I'm willing to take.

 

[bluemon]

Blue gudgeon dartfish. I'm aware of the concerns and difficulties surrounding garden eels, and have 2 sections of this tank designed with them in mind. My thinking is the best shot they have if I try them is to get them well settled before anyone else gets involved. It's threading the eye of the needle no doubt, but a risk I'm willing to take.

No matter how prepared you think you are, I really do want to stray you off that path.

I really doubt you have 10 inches of mixed substrate sand in your mixed reef.

Here is an article from @Jay Hemdal on Garden Eels.

Garden Eels

An article on the general care of garden eels.

www.reef2reef.com

Not for the average aquarist...

Especially if you plan to have it in a tank with OTHER fish.

 

[Wandering Albatross]

No matter how prepared you think you are, I really do want to stray you off that path.

I really doubt you have 10 inches of mixed substrate sand in your mixed reef.

Here is an article from @Jay Hemdal on Garden Eels.

Garden Eels

An article on the general care of garden eels.

www.reef2reef.com

Not for the average aquarist...

Especially if you plan to have it in a tank with OTHER fish.

I have between 5 and 8in, depending on the area. I'm sorry to sound argumentative or belligerent, but I've read that article, and many others, done my research and cross-referenced to determine whether or not I was willing to do the extra work to make this happen. I know there are feelings out there about certain species, and in most cases, what makes them 'impossible' is the aquarist not doing the research or taking the extra time to ensure a proper environment. And yes most tanks/keepers are not suited for this species.

I never meant for this to become an eel debate, and I hesitated offering that information for this exact reason, but I was hoping it would yield a more personalized answer for the timeframe I'll need to wait. One based on the type of fish and how much bioload they add.

Blessings

 

[bluemon]

I have between 5 and 8in, depending on the area. I'm sorry to sound argumentative or belligerent, but I've read that article, and many others, done my research and cross-referenced to determine whether or not I was willing to do the extra work to make this happen. I know there are feelings out there about certain species, and in most cases, what makes them 'impossible' is the aquarist not doing the research or taking the extra time to ensure a proper environment. And yes most tanks/keepers are not suited for this species.

I never meant for this to become an eel debate, and I hesitated offering that information for this exact reason, but I was hoping it would yield a more personalized answer for the timeframe I'll need to wait. One based on the type of fish and how much bioload they add.

Blessings

Best of luck to you!

 

[Wandering Albatross]

Depends on the fish sizes.. 4 damsels or fire fish etc is fine.. 4 large angels or tangs is iffy.

Would garden eels count as big or small in this case? They can get long, but are also super narrow, would that make them large?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Would garden eels count as big or small in this case? They can get long, but are also super narrow, would that make them large?

If your 150 gallon is well established, you won't see any rise in ammonia from a couple of garden eels and a couple of gudgeons.

With the garden eels, while they do go for live baby brine, it needs to be enriched with HUFAs if used as a long term diet. Chopped mysids are usually accepted after a short time. Green garden eels (Hass's) will accept mysids pretty well. Gold-banded are a bit more reluctant to take on other foods, and I've had a hard time with Caribbean getting them to take anything but LBB.

Jay

 

[Wandering Albatross]

If your 150 gallon is well established, you won't see any rise in ammonia from a couple of garden eels and a couple of gudgeons.

With the garden eels, while they do go for live baby brine, it needs to be enriched with HUFAs if used as a long term diet. Chopped mysids are usually accepted after a short time. Green garden eels (Hass's) will accept mysids pretty well. Gold-banded are a bit more reluctant to take on other foods, and I've had a hard time with Caribbean getting them to take anything but LBB.

Jay

What is your definition of established in this context? Tank has been running for a couple months now, no coralline yet, everything has been stable for the majority of that time. My test coral is doing well also. The baby brine were a starter for the gudgeons to get them eating, thought the tiny floating specks would help as a bridge food for the eels too, given their skittish nature. I heard the eels like roe, so I could easily order some of that for them too.

I expect these guys to take the most time to get comfortable and eat properly, so I wanted to get them as soon as it would be safe to do so. The gudgeons are to help them get more comfortable around other fish. Are you saying it would be okay to order the eels? I was thinking 4, do you have a recommendation on male/female ratio? Would (in theory) 1 male to 3 females be acceptable? Or given the risk of losing at least one to shipping/stress would 2 and 2 be better?

Thanks

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

What is your definition of established in this context? Tank has been running for a couple months now, no coralline yet, everything has been stable for the majority of that time. My test coral is doing well also. The baby brine were a starter for the gudgeons to get them eating, thought the tiny floating specks would help as a bridge food for the eels too, given their skittish nature. I heard the eels like roe, so I could easily order some of that for them too.

I expect these guys to take the most time to get comfortable and eat properly, so I wanted to get them as soon as it would be safe to do so. The gudgeons are to help them get more comfortable around other fish. Are you saying it would be okay to order the eels? I was thinking 4, do you have a recommendation on male/female ratio? Would (in theory) 1 male to 3 females be acceptable? Or given the risk of losing at least one to shipping/stress would 2 and 2 be better?

Thanks

I think your tank is probably mature enough to avoid any ammonia spikes from the addition of a few small fish. It never hurts to monitor the ammonia level though.

Sorry, I can't sex garden eels, is there a way to do that other than size? (which doesn't work well because older fish are larger) I've never noticed any distinct dimorphism in my eels.

 

[Dom]

I would say every three months, as I like to do a 90 day QT.

But there are plenty of people here that have thriving tanks without QT. Maybe consult with one of them?

 

[Wandering Albatross]

I think your tank is probably mature enough to avoid any ammonia spikes from the addition of a few small fish. It never hurts to monitor the ammonia level though.

Sorry, I can't sex garden eels, is there a way to do that other than size? (which doesn't work well because older fish are larger) I've never noticed any distinct dimorphism in my eels.

I have an ammonia alert patch, and I'll be checking at least once a week manually.

I don't know how to sex them other than observing mating behavior or fighting amongst males. It was a hypothetical. I know they're a community species and do better in a group, so I'm trying to balance that with the space I have for them and the likelihood of shipping losses. I know other eels are escape artists. Are these guys that way too, considering they rarely/never leave their burrows?

 

[Wandering Albatross]

I would say every three months, as I like to do a 90 day QT.

But there are plenty of people here that have thriving tanks without QT. Maybe consult with one of them?

I've been hoping Paul B would jump in with a rough timeframe. Each addition was going to be 2-4 fish, of those look similar and might squabble, to hopefully minimize that risk by putting everyone on an even playing field.