# Can I add 10 Neon Tetras at once?



## nmatrood1 (Jul 27, 2014)

Hello,I am planning on getting a school of 10 Neon Tetras for my cycled 20 gallon tank, that already has some fish in it. Could I add all 10 at the same time? I know for most fish that it's better to split up the addition of new fish, to avoid causing an ammonia spike, but I also heard that it would be fine since these fish are so small... I want to add them all at once because 1) The nearest lfs is far away, so i'd rather not go multiple times. 2) I don't have enough room for a qt tank, so i'd rather encounter any problems now, than later. 
My water quality is great, and has had fish for a few weeks now. I don't know if this matters, but during my fishless cycle, I was very good with adding ammonia, so that by the end of the cycle, I could raise the ammonia levels to around 6 ppm with liquid ammonia, and it would be back to zero within 12 or so hours. Does this high speed conversion to nitrite make any difference at all? I am sure the tank is completely cycled by the way.
According to the Aqadvisor calculator, with my current 8 Harlequin Rasboras and a Dwarf Gourami, plus the prospected Tetras, I would be at 121% filtration power, and 84% tank stocking. This is with my Aqueon Quietflow 20 filter.
Thanks for any advice


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## tankman12 (Nov 13, 2012)

Ya you will be fine. Neons bioload is like nothing. Just make sure nothing happens and your good. If it is planted, get a couple more plants as well. So everything stays balanced.
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## wijnands (Aug 18, 2014)

If you cycle at 6ppm you will have a lot of bacteria. some of those will have died in the weeks after adding fish but you will probably see them regrow very quickly.

I think you can do this. Just test daily for the first 3-4 days to make sure there's no ammonia spike. If you do see a spike be prepared to do a large water change


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## nmatrood1 (Jul 27, 2014)

Ok, thanks to the both of you! So final verdict is that I can add all 10 fish at once? Also, does an hour long bucket acclimation sound enough? I'd add my water every 10 minutes
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## tankman12 (Nov 13, 2012)

Ya 10 at once will be fine. An hour like that is fine. Maybe you want to drip acclimate, in all that time. If you want. Not really needed, if you get nice healthy neons.
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## nmatrood1 (Jul 27, 2014)

Ok thanks! Sorry, but one more question. Do you think Neons would do ok in high ph water? It's at about 8.2, but i've read from a few places that as long as the ph is stable, it doesn't matter if it's a bit out of their preffered range, because all you have to do is acclimate them correctly. I've found that this is true with the Harlequins and the DG, because while they are both out of their preffered range, they seem to be ok after my long acclimation. I'm just worried about the Neons because of how sensitive they can be...
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## tankman12 (Nov 13, 2012)

Just acclimate them slowly. Drip acclimate to be safe. They should be fine though.
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## nmatrood1 (Jul 27, 2014)

Ok, thanks again!
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