Can I add fish immediately?Updated 4 months ago
Adding fish immediately to an uncycled tank is never advisable. We recommend adding fish only after the tank has matured. Ammonia and nitrites are not the only indicators of water quality in an aquarium. Water can measure 0ppm Ammonia and 0ppm Nitrites while still carrying a high load of pathogenic bacteria for example, or be polluted in other ways.
As the microbial community of the tank matures, the ecosystem gains the ability to digest more organic waste. In a properly filtered system with good oxygenation, it also pushes the system towards having more beneficial microbes and less pathogenic bacteria. However, all these processes take time to develop and mature in the ecosystem. We can accelerate ammonia cycling by adding starter bacteria culture, however, it is best to wait longer for the ecosystem to mature more as whole before adding livestock.