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My LFS does the same things.
I did want to add something about cycling and adding fish. There are a couple things you could have done that would have added some stability to the tank with early adding of a heavy bioload. The first and easiest is to add lots of plants right off the bat. The plants will use the ammonia and decrease the amount you will ever see in a new or even established tank. The second could have been a heavy seeded fishless cycle. This is not a tactic for the beginner though. I have seen some that seed the tank with 1 medium peeled prawn per 10 gallons and on top of that they add 1-2tbsp of ammonia each day. The tanks thya do this to are 55 or larger and ones that they intend on adding fish like arrowana, large oscars and large angels. It builds a massive amount of beneficial bacteria to support such a large fish.
I do think that you ight have added fish a little early but I don't know how you seeded the tank or cycled it. I hope thishelps for your next tank and remeber that the best way to get a tank going quickly is to use old filter media from an established, 6 month old at least , tank and use as much as you can including gravel, filter material, ornaments and plants. This doesn't remove the needs to let the tank cycle but it can speed it up significantly.
Now for the fish you have, get some fast growing plants like anacharis/elodea, hornwort, Wisteria, duckweed or any plant to get the tank balanced a little better. It will help the fish to be happier and get rid of the excess ammonia until the tnak is completely cycled and well established. I would keep the plants even after the cycle is complete though.
Oh and my HOB on plecos. If youoverfeed them they are very messy. When I don't overfeed mine they don't make much of a mess at all. That ebing said, it is really hard not to overfeed them becausethey will eat as fast as they can poop at times but they need the vegetable matter to be happy. A good cleanup crew that likes vegetive matter is a good choice if you have any pleco.
I did want to add something about cycling and adding fish. There are a couple things you could have done that would have added some stability to the tank with early adding of a heavy bioload. The first and easiest is to add lots of plants right off the bat. The plants will use the ammonia and decrease the amount you will ever see in a new or even established tank. The second could have been a heavy seeded fishless cycle. This is not a tactic for the beginner though. I have seen some that seed the tank with 1 medium peeled prawn per 10 gallons and on top of that they add 1-2tbsp of ammonia each day. The tanks thya do this to are 55 or larger and ones that they intend on adding fish like arrowana, large oscars and large angels. It builds a massive amount of beneficial bacteria to support such a large fish.
I do think that you ight have added fish a little early but I don't know how you seeded the tank or cycled it. I hope thishelps for your next tank and remeber that the best way to get a tank going quickly is to use old filter media from an established, 6 month old at least , tank and use as much as you can including gravel, filter material, ornaments and plants. This doesn't remove the needs to let the tank cycle but it can speed it up significantly.
Now for the fish you have, get some fast growing plants like anacharis/elodea, hornwort, Wisteria, duckweed or any plant to get the tank balanced a little better. It will help the fish to be happier and get rid of the excess ammonia until the tnak is completely cycled and well established. I would keep the plants even after the cycle is complete though.
Oh and my HOB on plecos. If youoverfeed them they are very messy. When I don't overfeed mine they don't make much of a mess at all. That ebing said, it is really hard not to overfeed them becausethey will eat as fast as they can poop at times but they need the vegetable matter to be happy. A good cleanup crew that likes vegetive matter is a good choice if you have any pleco.
