waiting period

[braysmom]

As a general rule of thumb, what's the standard waiting period between adding new fish/critters? 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month??

[Aquarist007]

this would depend how long your tank has been established.
Usually after the four week period you start to add your cleanup crew over a couple of weeks, then some hardy corals and finally fish---that would be after a good six weeks of cycling to be on the safe side.

[braysmom]

we added our cleanup crew last night. tank has been cycling for about 3 weeks. and we added a percula clown. i just wonder when we can add an anemone or another fish. i know it's best to pace but i just didn't know how long to pace, lol.

[Jeremy_holt]

I would not add an anemone yet. Depending upon type they can be difficut to care for, especially in a tank that is new. When I started my tank I waited two weeks to add clean up crew, waited another two weeks before I started to add corals, then only added a couple at a time, waited two weeks, added more, waited, two weeks, then started adding fish two at a time. Never had anything die and am very happy. P.S.-- i waited 6 months prior to adding an anemone:) Good Luck

[Tswifty]

the longer you wait the less money you will spend in losses... you need to let your system build up and mature before adding anything, especially corals. I like the 6 month rule posted by Jeremy...

My advice... put a trashbag or a sheet over your tank and try and forget it's there... maybe a decorative one so it looks nicer... haha

it's hard to wait with a new tank, but patience pays off in the long run.