adding a new fish

Question
Hi, I bought a Kenyi African Cichlid today. I already have a tank set up with one and am going to add this new one to it. My question is how long should I wait before adding my new fish to my established tank? I've heard everything from 2 days to 2 weeks. I have the new cichlid in a 1 gallon bowl, so I really want to be able to put her in the tank as soon as possible. Thanks for any information!
Justine

Answer
Hi Justine.  I wouldn't keep the fish in the 1 gallon bowl or he could possibly get sick from ammonia poison due to the waste amounts.  If it were a bigger tank, it is good to keep them quarantined for a week or so, i.e. I usually keep them separated and go through a course of Aquarisol on the new fish to rid it of any disease it may be carrying, but I do this in a 10 gallon filtered hospital tank.  When you don't have the proper setup, you have to go with the "lesser of the evils", which in this case would be to acclimate him to the larger tank water and then put him in the tank.  I would do this as soon as possible if you haven't already.

I hope this helps.

Good luck!