Is it best to add fish first or clean up crew first?

So when my tank is finished cycling, like the title says, should i add the fish first or CUC first?

 

I would add a damsel if you think youre finished, and then wait until everything is clear for a week to make a decision on cuc.. cuc are expensive in comparison to a $4 fish and a PITA to clean out if they die..

 

i think my tank still has a while to go for cycling, after 2 weeks the readings still haven't changed, but i'm thinking ahead of what to do once it's all done. And i'll think about using the damsel as a test when it's done, i heard their mean, and i think it would be a PITA to catch the fish with all my rock work to take it back to the lfs, but i'll think about using the damsel

 

I would go for CUC if your confident that you're cycled, but I would NOT add a damsel if you plan on having a community reef, especially right now. Damsels are NASTY and if you add it first it will make it very hard for anything to enter the tank because it will think the whole thing is its turf.

 

and that's exactly why i'm hesitant about adding the damsel as a tester, but if the cuc would die if the tank wouldn't be cycled enough i wouldn't want to deal with the nasty smell of dead cuc either. I'm hoping my tank will be fully cycled next weekend as the tank would be 4 weeks old by then

 

Another thing you could do is add the CUC and an "Instant Cycling" product such as Bio-Spira or Seachem's Stability. I used Bio-Spira to cycle my reef and Stability for my seahorse tank and both worked out wonderfully great. They really shorten your cycle. I like Stability a little more because it is cheaper for more and has a longer shelf life once opened.

 

ok i'll look into that, right now i have piece of shrimp to help the tank cycle, and i just checked the tests and my readings were:

Nitrite: .2
Nitrate: 20
Ammonia: .25

 

I added the clean up crew first.

Not sure if one choice is better than the other or not. I just figured there would have been all kinds of die off on my rock ... let the cuc get a head start with some housekeeping before the other guests arrived lol.