Quarantine Tank

A quarantine tank needs to big big enough for the biggest fish you intend, and for a whole shoal of shoaling fish as it is better to add the whole shoal at once rather than a few now and a few later.

It will need a filter and a heater. Some decor, preferably plants, and floating plants will help them feel less stressed.

They should be kept in the QT for at least 2 weeks. Don't treat the tank but monitor the fish and treat if they show symptoms of a disease. Heat at 30 deg C is better than medication for whitespot.

Some people do recommend treating the fish with two anti worm medications in quarantine - first levamisole for round worms, then praziquantel for flat worms. This means keeping the fish in the QT for quite a while as the first med must be redosed 14 days after the first dose, then removed from the water before using the second med which also needs 2 courses.

As you've done fishless cycles on both tanks, and (presumably) been topping up ammonia since then as required, this means that theoretically you could put all the fish in the tanks immediately, assuming that you're able to get them all at once from the LFSs.

[You may know this but thought I'd remind you if not.]

Have just been doing the 1ppm top up every 2 days so probably best just to add 1/3 of stock at a time. Unless I'm wrong (highly likely)

Thanks @Sue

When looking at fish should i look at ph or hardness? I ask as my PH is 7.4 but hardness is 125ppm. So on some fish, Dwarf Pencilfish for instance the ph range is 4-7 but hardness is 18-179ppm. So do i need to be in both rangness or is one more important than other?

I agree. Hardness is more important than pH. If the hardness is within the fish's range the pH can be slightly outside their stated range.

Dwarf pencilfish will be fine in your water.