Order of adding discus with other tropical fish in new planted tank?

[dkeef]

So my tank is soon ready for fish but im wondering if it would be easier to put discus in first and then others such as cardinals, rummynose etc in or vice versa?

Its matter of which is easier to qt. discus or tetras?

[8ftbed]

From my non-discus keeping background , I'd always start with small, inexpensive fish to get the cycle started. Expensive specimens come later. Danios have started many tanks for me although I kind of became attached to them. Especially the long fins.

[Elliots]

Is your tank cycled? Have you kept fish before?

[dkeef]

Yes cycled. I have kept everything but discus before

[dkeef]

Oh i did fishless cycling.

[Tazalanche]

Since you're planning on buying so many discus at once, I'd start with the dither fish first, make sure everything stays ok for 4-6 weeks, then add the discus.

[strawberryblonde]

Hmmmm, I'm just the opposite. I add my discus first. I like to give them time to get used to life in my tank, in my house and with your my busy traffic patterns.

They'll also need some time to build up the beneficial bacteria in the filters, and I'd rather have a healthy discus sized amount in the filters before I add the dither fish and bottom feeders. Otherwise you'd be stressing out over 100 fish with the discus mini-cycle, and that cycle is the largest and longest. After that one, the tetra and cory ones will be little blips. =)

[Tazalanche]

Toni, since his discus will be going through quarantine, what if he added a discus every day or two? Would that be gradual enough to give the bacteria time to compensate?

The only time I've ever added 8+ discus to a tank quickly was last month's raffle & auction winnings. That was three 4"+ on a Thursday and five 4"+ the following Tuesday. My ammonia & nitrites stayed in check, but that eheim 2236 canister filter was also established, with a minimum of 9 GBR using it at any time in the last 6 months.

[dkeef]

with my fishless cycle, even if i added 4-5ppm of ammonia, within 24 hrs ammonia checks out 0.

but the weird thing is my nitrite is still showing 0.25-0.5ppm. so i skiped one day of ammonia adding, and nitrite was still 0.25ppm

i still got couple weeks til fish come in but where am i in my cycle?

btw, kenny will also send me seeded sponge filter.
i may even get bacteria from inland empire to be ready in case...

[Elliots]

I think you should only get bacteria from the person you are getting your discus from or who knows what can happen?