# Adding Fish to a Newly Cycled Tank



## newbiefishfanatic (Dec 11, 2008)

ok so ive got my 35 gallon tank JUST cycled and obviously want to add fish. there are still .25 nitrites in the tank. can i add fish now? and what exactly happens when to the ammonia, nitrites and nitrates when you add a fish to a tank? i havent found anything on google...


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## PPulcher (Nov 17, 2006)

If you are still seeing nitrites, then I would not add fish. 

If you add the fish slowly and don't overwhelm the biofilter, you should not see any ammonia or nitrites. Expect to see more nitrates, which you remove with weekly water changes.


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## newbiefishfanatic (Dec 11, 2008)

**

thanks for your input. patience does not become me, but i am doing better lately. im fishless cycling a 75 gallon tank, and has taken me a week to get ammonia 1ppm. 

i will wait until i see 0 nitrites until i add fish. and thanks for the info on adding fish. i thought ammonia rose when u put in fish. now i know better.


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## Fishyfishyfishy (Mar 3, 2008)

You can always add some garbage/hardy fish ... It speeds up the process and you get to see some fish swimming around =)


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

No such thing as garbage fish  They're all living things.

Throw in a bit of food. Shrimp seem to be a popular item for some reason, but anything not fatty (ie meat) will do. It will begin to decompose, and the bacteria that drive the decomposition are the bacteria that you want to establish in your tank. You should see ammonia rise pretty quickly that way. I'd throw in two or three medium sized shrimp.


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## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2006)

Huh? For a 75G tank at .25 nitrate? You might not get any better. I'd leave it of another week, then do a %50 water change and add one fish or a small school of tetras (4 or 5) if that's in your fish plan. Snail is another good option because if the water is really bad, they just crawl out of the water. But they will definately keep your bacteria going in the mean time. That means you can stop adding ammonia. Just make sure you don't get the ones that multiply out of control.
Now is also a good time to add plants if you wanted some kind of plants. You can hardscape your tank if you haven't done so too.

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## newbiefishfanatic (Dec 11, 2008)

*lots of input appreciated *

thanks for all the input. my ammonia is steadfast at 1ppm. im going to do a water change as i HAD to put some fish in there from my 35 gallon. (have baby fry in there) also my son threw in some playdough so the waters murky. 

whats is "hardscape"? and i have added a few plants already. still looking for that perfect peice of wood though.


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