Singlemalts1

Hi. This is a great forum; have already learned lots, but do have a question. We have a brand new 37 gal tank. We have purchased all our supplies/equipment and are ready to cycle. My question deals with how best to stock our tank once we successfully cycle. We have decided we want 2 Angel fish, 2 dwarf gourami and 2 bristlenose plecos in our tank after we have successfully cycled and our tank is stable. Just don't know what best order would be to add the fish and how long we should wait between additions. We plan to add 2 fish at a time (of same species). Any advice would be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance!

Lucy

Hi Singlemalts1 welcome to Fish Lore

lol, I wrote this big thing about cycling fish less, re-read your post and realized you've already educated yourself.

Good job! You and your fish will be happier.

I can't answer your question, but the site to full of knowledgeable people who are happy to help.

Good luck and don't forget to share pics when you're up and running.

sgould

Welcome to the site!

A general rule of thumb is to add the most aggressive/territorial fish last. In the case of the fish on your list, the angels probably have the most potential for aggression. So, I would add them last. You are planning on adding a pair at a time, which is good...I would allow 2-3 weeks between each addition.

angelfish220

Angels rarely get along with gouramis in that size of a tank. I would choose between the two. And eather of those I would have only 1 in a tank as they are agressive against their own species.

the bristles will be fine.

You could fill the extra space with a school of some sort, bleeding heart tetras or maybe rummy nose would be pretty.

sirdarksol

If dwarf gourami are going in the tank, I'd suggest them going in last, as they are more susceptible to bad water quality. On the other hand, as someone above said, if any of your fish are more aggressive, they should be the last ones to go in.

Singlemalts1

Thanx for all the quick replies!

jdhef

Should there be algae present before the Pleco's go in?

seedy

Hi
The bristle nose does not have to have algea , but does need a diet that is high in fibre . Some driftwood in the tank is good idea , as well as regular serves of veggies .
I would start with these guys as they are probably the hardiest species .
If the angels are young / small they should get along ok , but they have been known to become devils as they get bigger .
Hope this helps.

eaglescout316

It would make sense for there to be algae first, but there can be algae without you being able to actually see it yet. Just make sure you have sinking algae wafers and drop one in every few days after you switch the lights off. If it turns out there isn't enough algae, s/he will have a shot at the wafer.

I've heard it's best to fish the leftovers back out after awhile though, so be careful with them.