How to prepare tank for large fish addition?

[Wolf89]

Will be adding a at least 4 to 5 fish and one will be over 5 inches, to be 90 gallon with 40 gallon refugium. I already have some fish, but I want to make sure there is no ammonia spike. Anything I should do? Just dose prime every 24 hours for a month or so?

 

[Mr Fishface]

When I have ordered online and added groups of fish at once I typically just watch and test my levels after adding. Should an ammonia spike arise, be prepared to dose, do water changes, etc. You can buy a bottle of bacteria to have on hand and add some after adding fish. THat should help.

 

[Qasimja]

how long has your tank been setup?

 

[Malifry97]

how long has your tank been setup?

+1

 

[living_tribunal]

Will be adding a at least 4 to 5 fish and one will be over 5 inches, to be 90 gallon with 40 gallon refugium. I already have some fish, but I want to make sure there is no ammonia spike. Anything I should do? Just dose prime every 24 hours for a month or so?

Dosing prime might help but you’d be better off dosing a whole lot of bacteria. Add in a variety so fritz, biospira, dr Tim’s, micro bacter, etc. maybe even dose some pure ammonia chloride at .25ppm throughout the day in spurts before adding the fish.

 

[Malifry97]

Just get some Turbo Start or Bio Spira use double the amount 2-3 days before getting the fish. Then when you get the fish add another dose. Then add small amounts of it for the next week. You should be fine when following this. If need be (if ammonia spikes), use prime once a day

 

[BeejReef]

Great question.. interested to see what peeps say.
How many fish do you have now? Are you're estimating, is it a 30, 50, 75% increase in your bioload?

I might ease into doubling normal feedings for a few weeks before they arrive and filter a touch less to buff my bacteria.

 

[Halal Hotdog]

What type of fish are you adding? What type of fish do you currently have? How old is your setup? Is this a reef tank or FO?

 

[SPR1968]

You just need to ensure that the nutrient export systems in the system can handle the increased bioload otherwise your nutrient levels will increase quickly leading to potential issues.

There are all sorts of methods from basic water changes, increased biological filtration etc.

 

[NotFishyFishGuy]

How’s long the tank has been set up is important

 

[vetteguy53081]

Keep in Mind BIOLOAD !!! It's important to know what you are really facing.
Bioload is a term used to generalise the amount of life existing in an aquarium. Every animal in your tank produces waste in the form of solid or liquid excretions. This waste consumes oxygen as micro-organisms eat it and break it down into its basic nitrogen components such as ammonia.
If the bioload is creating more waste than your system can handle, then you will throw the nitrogen cycle out of balance, leading to constant problems in your aquarium. You will know that the bioload in your aquarium is too high when ammonia and nitrites are being produced faster than the bacteria in your filter can convert them to nitrates.
Chemicals mentioned will help a little BUT. . . . theyre an alternative, Not a solution in the long run.

 

[Wolf89]

Tanks is a 4 month old reef
Probably 40-50% increase bioload

 

[Halal Hotdog]

What type of fish are you adding? What type of fish do you currently have? Is this a reef tank or FO?

 

[Wolf89]

@Halal Hotdog
I have 2 anthias, 2 chromis, 2 clowns, 1 mandarin, one chocolate tang, one convict tang, and a one spot foxface whose my biggest fish at maybe 3 inches. Adding a 5 inch CBB, a tomini tang, 2 blennies, a wrasse and 6-8 more small chromis

*short term tank for these tangs*

 

[vetteguy53081]

That's almost enough fish already for a 90g.
Sorta like winning on a roulette wheel and saying just one more spin. Ok, just one. One last time. Sooner or later you will regret that spin. I would hit the 6 month mark before considering another addition. Impulse is one of the biggest enemies of saltwater aquaria.
I have a 660g as my main tank and am approaching capacity with 32 fish.
MORE FISH = MORE FOOD= MORE WASTE = MORE AMMONIA = MORE FILTRATION DEMAND

 

[Wolf89]

That's almost enough fish already for a 90g.
Sorta like winning on a roulette wheel and saying just one more spin. Ok, just one. One last time. Sooner or later you will regret that spin. I would hit the 6 month mark before considering another addition. Impulse is one of the biggest enemies of saltwater aquaria.
I have a 660g as my main tank and am approaching capacity with 32 fish.
MORE FISH = MORE FOOD= MORE WASTE = MORE AMMONIA = MORE FILTRATION DEMAND

Nothing over 3 inches except the cbb, which produces surprisingly small waste amounts. Tank will be upgraded within before this time next year, probably 400-600 gallons

 

[living_tribunal]

Will be adding a at least 4 to 5 fish and one will be over 5 inches, to be 90 gallon with 40 gallon refugium. I already have some fish, but I want to make sure there is no ammonia spike. Anything I should do? Just dose prime every 24 hours for a month or so?

I just have to ask, why are you adding so many fish at once? Is this a public display tank for a show or something?

 

[Wolf89]

I just have to ask, why are you adding so many fish at once? Is this a public display tank for a show or something?

I suppose I dont have to, but would rather

 

[Shooter6]

The 400-600 gal upgrade is almost always longer then 1yr to accomplish. Currently have a 330gal display setting as i gather all the equipment.
A 5+ inch cbb is no small task keeping healthy in a 4month old reef. Did you qt everything? Whats your qt plans for the new batch?

 

[living_tribunal]

I suppose I dont have to, but would rather

It’s just not the smartest thing. I see too many posts about people wondering why they had a disease outbreak when adding this many fish to their tank at once. I’m not saying you are going to experience the same but why risk it?

Throw a few into qt and then slowly introduce them into the display over the next weeks/months. You really should be quarantining all of them.

There’s no rush to fully stock a 90g at one time, that’s a disaster waiting to happen. I have a 65g and introduce max 2 fish at a time, if it’s longer than 2-3” it will be the only fish introduced. You will throw your system completely out of whack for many months doing something as hasty as this.