# When to add fish



## kastoner (Apr 21, 2008)

When do you add fish to a new tank? I will be setting up a planted tank next week. I want to do it right.


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

You'll probably get a lot of different opinions on this one, but if you start out with a heavily planted tank, cycling is not usually an issue. If it were me, if I was stocking with fancy, sensitive expensive fish, I'd probably wait a while. Otherwise, I'd go ahead and put fish into it at set up, being careful to start out slowly. My 2 cents worth. YMMV.


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

I'm with Bert on this. When I start out a tank I have a lot of plants, especially fast growers, and I add a few hardy fish right from the start. One thing I do when I start a new tank is I use some filter media and a bit of substrate from an established tank to get the bacteria colony up and running. Then I let things settle in and the plants get established and gradually increase the stocking level to where I want it.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

I like to add a few otocinclus and a very few cheap live bearers from the beginning, but wait a couple of weeks to add anything else. Then add only a few fish per week after that. If I add a school of tetras, for example, I like to add all of them at one time.


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## kastoner (Apr 21, 2008)

Thanks. I haven't kept fish in quite some time. A lot has changed tech-wise and most of my equipment is obsolete.


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