Hello... I'm Ben and I live in Providence RI... I am new to the hobby with the exception of a 10 gallon that I had when I was a kid. My son won a goldfish at his church fair about a year and a half ago. The fish was alive 3 months later so we upgraded from a bowl to a 10g tank. My son wants more fish, and has recently acquired another 10g tank at a yard sale. I am wondering what our options are for this tank. My son would like to go to tropical fish, but the reading I have been doing suggests we would need a larger tank to keep more than a single fish. and that keeping a single tropical fish may not be the best for the health of the animal. So I am looking for some suggestions. I don't mind saving up some money for a 75 - 100g tank ( although my wife may kill me when she sees the prices!), but I wanted the next tank to be something my son could take ownership of. He is 10 and has been very good about taking care of the single fish and I oversee the feeding, cleaning and water/filter changes... looking for ideas on what different species may work for our situation.... thanks!
hello everyone
- Thread starter ben401
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what tank is that goldfish in now? and is it still alive? also what type of goldfish is it? i'd say look for an upgrade tank for that one goldfish because a 10 gal wont cut it for long. even for one goldie you should get around 30 gal.
as for tropicals, you can fit a lot in a ten gal tank. go with smaller tetras/rasboras (id say a school of 7 of the same species) and if you can get them, try a school of pymgy corydoras. otherwise you can probably put one dwarf gourami in there or one male OR female betta.
be sure to use a heater and thermometer for the tropical 10 gallon.
if you decide to go with a 100 gallon, then your choices for fish just got multiplied by over 500.
as for tropicals, you can fit a lot in a ten gal tank. go with smaller tetras/rasboras (id say a school of 7 of the same species) and if you can get them, try a school of pymgy corydoras. otherwise you can probably put one dwarf gourami in there or one male OR female betta.
be sure to use a heater and thermometer for the tropical 10 gallon.
if you decide to go with a 100 gallon, then your choices for fish just got multiplied by over 500.
Hi Ben, Welcome to MFT!
Excellent decision to have your son take care of this tank (with some guidance of coarse). He'll learn to care for living creatures, responsibility ect all whilst having fun, plus its a very rewarding hobby
Before I give my opinion on what fish and how many ect, I've got a few quick questions.
Do you know what 'Cycling a tank' is??
Do you know the proper way of doing tank maintenance (water changes & cleaning ect)??
I only ask, as these two things are most often the culprits of a new hobbyist failing to keep fish healthy/alive. And any info/advice the pet store gave you is unreliable at best.
You can keep ALOT of different types of fish in a 10g, and as Newman said if you upgrade to a 100g, well the options are almost limitless.
Excellent decision to have your son take care of this tank (with some guidance of coarse). He'll learn to care for living creatures, responsibility ect all whilst having fun, plus its a very rewarding hobby
Before I give my opinion on what fish and how many ect, I've got a few quick questions.
Do you know what 'Cycling a tank' is??
Do you know the proper way of doing tank maintenance (water changes & cleaning ect)??
I only ask, as these two things are most often the culprits of a new hobbyist failing to keep fish healthy/alive. And any info/advice the pet store gave you is unreliable at best.
You can keep ALOT of different types of fish in a 10g, and as Newman said if you upgrade to a 100g, well the options are almost limitless.
If his son won it at a fair I'd say it's one of those cheap little comet goldfish. The kind sold as feeder fish usually. During the summer I had to bag at least 500 of those stupid things individually for carnivals and fairs!
10 gallon tanks are great to start out with. Some people would say otherwise and would say to just go bigger if possible. I had a 10 gallon for a while that had 1 male betta, some cories, a mystery snail, live plants and a few little tetras. Did pretty well and I really enjoyed it. Of course I've gotten rid of that 10 gallon(started leaking) and got a 20 long. Rasboras are lively cute little fish.
Just make sure you read up on each type of fish you decide to get and don't always rely on your fish stores advice. They don't always know what they're talking about.
10 gallon tanks are great to start out with. Some people would say otherwise and would say to just go bigger if possible. I had a 10 gallon for a while that had 1 male betta, some cories, a mystery snail, live plants and a few little tetras. Did pretty well and I really enjoyed it. Of course I've gotten rid of that 10 gallon(started leaking) and got a 20 long. Rasboras are lively cute little fish.
Just make sure you read up on each type of fish you decide to get and don't always rely on your fish stores advice. They don't always know what they're talking about.
I have been trying to do as much reading as I can. I loosely understand cycling to be the act of introducing fish to their new environment, but I have never done it before, as I have never had a tank with more than a couple of fish in it, who remained their happily until I went to summer camp for 7 weeks and no one took care of the tank or fed them (bad childhood memory). My son and I are currently changing the filter monthly according to a calendar that he has marked and hangs on his wall. We change the water pretty much a third at a time I'd say every 3-4 weeks. Our home is unfortunately very dry and water needs to be replaced within that time period. We treat the water with Tetra Aquasafe and I always use cold tap water that sits out until it becomes lukewarm/room temperature. I have never had tropical fish though, and know little about taking care of them.
(bad childhood memory). My son and I are currently changing the filter monthly according to a calendar that he has marked and hangs on his wall. We change the water pretty much a third at a time I'd say every 3-4 weeks. Our home is unfortunately very dry and water needs to be replaced within that time period. We treat the water with Tetra Aquasafe and I always use cold tap water that sits out until it becomes lukewarm/room temperature. I have never had tropical fish though, and know little about taking care of them.
you gotta understand that cyling refers to the nitrogen cycle, not the actual introduction of fish. the nirtogen cycle helps the fish live, therefore its important that your tank is established, and is doing a healthy nitrogen cycle before you introduce your fish.
Find a member called Missfishy on this forum and look in her signature for a link to her site. great things are explained there
OR do that lol. that link is just as good.
Find a member called Missfishy on this forum and look in her signature for a link to her site. great things are explained there
OR do that lol. that link is just as good.
I have been trying to do as much reading as I can. I loosely understand cycling to be the act of introducing fish to their new environment, but I have never done it before, as I have never had a tank with more than a couple of fish in it, who remained their happily until I went to summer camp for 7 weeks and no one took care of the tank or fed them (bad childhood memory). My son and I are currently changing the filter monthly according to a calendar that he has marked and hangs on his wall. We change the water pretty much a third at a time I'd say every 3-4 weeks. Our home is unfortunately very dry and water needs to be replaced within that time period. We treat the water with Tetra Aquasafe and I always use cold tap water that sits out until it becomes lukewarm/room temperature. I have never had tropical fish though, and know little about taking care of them.
(bad childhood memory). My son and I are currently changing the filter monthly according to a calendar that he has marked and hangs on his wall. We change the water pretty much a third at a time I'd say every 3-4 weeks. Our home is unfortunately very dry and water needs to be replaced within that time period. We treat the water with Tetra Aquasafe and I always use cold tap water that sits out until it becomes lukewarm/room temperature. I have never had tropical fish though, and know little about taking care of them.
Read up on the nitrogen cycle on the internet (missfishy's site is a good start) and make sure your tank is probably cycled before you get any more fish.
What type of filter do you have and what do you mean by 'you change it every month'??
do you mean you get a new filter?, change the media?? scrub it out??
its advisable that you dont change out the filter or even the media every month, or w/e the instructions on the filter say. they just want you to buy more stuff from them. filter floss/sponge media and porous ceramic media (stuff thats made for bacteria to live on) are the only types that you really need in your filter.(sponge being te most important) carbon is a cool bonus but that actually has to be changed out, following the directions. a little washing of the filter media in tank water (not tap water) is all you really need to maintain your filter.
You can do that once a month or once a weekly water change. up to you.
You can do that once a month or once a weekly water change. up to you.
hmmm... good info here... the filter I currently have on the 10 gallon is a Tetra 10. it has charcoal bags and a sponge in it. I have been changing the charcoal every month - 45 days. the sponge was pretty brown looking at the last change so I rinsed it with tap water. I guess that was a bad idea??? fish is still looking good.
All this leads me to some new questions about purchasing a new tank.
1) Is it usually better to buy the tank as a set, or to put the individual pieces together separately? I guess the real question is, how good are the filters that come in a setup from a store like PetCo. ( I have a family member there who can get 55g tank, filter, hood, and a bag of gravel for around $140)
2) I'm assuming that you want to get as much of the tank internals together and place in the tank before you cycle it? IE: gravel, rocks, plants, air pumps, etc? how difficult is it to add things later.
3) need a good article on PH levels so i can read up... probably going to go with S. America Cichlids
All this leads me to some new questions about purchasing a new tank.
1) Is it usually better to buy the tank as a set, or to put the individual pieces together separately? I guess the real question is, how good are the filters that come in a setup from a store like PetCo. ( I have a family member there who can get 55g tank, filter, hood, and a bag of gravel for around $140)
2) I'm assuming that you want to get as much of the tank internals together and place in the tank before you cycle it? IE: gravel, rocks, plants, air pumps, etc? how difficult is it to add things later.
3) need a good article on PH levels so i can read up... probably going to go with S. America Cichlids
also... for the Goldfish (hope the title doesn't offend anyone, but he is one of the nicest looking feeder fish I've ever seen) in the 10g, I have a heater in there that keeps the water around 60 degrees. I live in the northeast and we try to conserve energy while no one is in the house. I am afraid that with no heater the water would get too cold. I have seen Coy up here living outside all year round under a sheet of ice. what is the right thing for the fish?
you mean Koi right? 60 F is a bit cold to be at all the time. but if its the best you can do make sure to keep the water at that temp. fluctuation is not what you will want.
you should go with the 55 deal and then get an additional filter rated for that 55 gallon. two filters is always better than one.
adding things late is not difficult. it can be done so dont worry.
put everything in the tank like you said and run the filters before cycling. dont put any live plants in until you start cycling.
If you want S amarican cichlids you WILL NEED A HEATER. or multiple heaters depending on how cold you house temp gets.
you should go with the 55 deal and then get an additional filter rated for that 55 gallon. two filters is always better than one.
adding things late is not difficult. it can be done so dont worry.
put everything in the tank like you said and run the filters before cycling. dont put any live plants in until you start cycling.
If you want S amarican cichlids you WILL NEED A HEATER. or multiple heaters depending on how cold you house temp gets.
Well as the old saying goes there is more than one way to skin a cat..theres more than one way to keep fish.
I reread thru this and I think I have an idea of what your planning.
1st if your going to use the second 10G..set up tank, buy the identical filter your already using.. take the sponge and charcoal out of the package rinse it as the instructions direct. Remove the media from the existing established tank and put that media into the new tank. Put the new media into the established tank. Your cycling is now complete as long as you add fish within a day or so any longer the bacteria will begin to die. Definately change out the floss bags with carbon monthly but as was already said just rinse the sponge, I rinse mine in tap water and have never had any issues, I dont believe that tap water kills the bacteria that quickly but to each their own.
There are different theories on how much air an air pump actually adds to the tank, the most supported is that the air bubbles float to the top and disperse most oxygen into the air not the tank. Surface agitation does add oxygen so make sure you have the water fall effect from your filter. I personally do not use air pumps and wont unless I am using a sponge filter.
Missfishy's page is good but the same info can be found in the beginner stickies here.
Buy a good test kit.. API master kit is what most of us use.
I recommend prime for treating your water, it removes chlorine, chloramine and converts ammonia.
As for your goldie, think of it like this.. they live and thrive in the majority of North American lakes,rivers,etc..oh yea most home ponds as well.. without a heater it will be fine, it is a cold water fish and temp flucuation isnt something to be concerned with either as long as it is a healthy fish it will be fine. Your biggest concern is to buy it a bigger tank.
I personally would not buy those kits. You can buy a tank on craigslist (depending on where you live) cheap. Then you can sink the rest of the cash you saved into good equipment, like a canister filter, better heater, decor and more expensive fish.
Well welcome to the tank and hope your stay is pleasant
I reread thru this and I think I have an idea of what your planning.
1st if your going to use the second 10G..set up tank, buy the identical filter your already using.. take the sponge and charcoal out of the package rinse it as the instructions direct. Remove the media from the existing established tank and put that media into the new tank. Put the new media into the established tank. Your cycling is now complete as long as you add fish within a day or so any longer the bacteria will begin to die. Definately change out the floss bags with carbon monthly but as was already said just rinse the sponge, I rinse mine in tap water and have never had any issues, I dont believe that tap water kills the bacteria that quickly but to each their own.
There are different theories on how much air an air pump actually adds to the tank, the most supported is that the air bubbles float to the top and disperse most oxygen into the air not the tank. Surface agitation does add oxygen so make sure you have the water fall effect from your filter. I personally do not use air pumps and wont unless I am using a sponge filter.
Missfishy's page is good but the same info can be found in the beginner stickies here.
Buy a good test kit.. API master kit is what most of us use.
I recommend prime for treating your water, it removes chlorine, chloramine and converts ammonia.
As for your goldie, think of it like this.. they live and thrive in the majority of North American lakes,rivers,etc..oh yea most home ponds as well.. without a heater it will be fine, it is a cold water fish and temp flucuation isnt something to be concerned with either as long as it is a healthy fish it will be fine. Your biggest concern is to buy it a bigger tank.
I personally would not buy those kits. You can buy a tank on craigslist (depending on where you live) cheap. Then you can sink the rest of the cash you saved into good equipment, like a canister filter, better heater, decor and more expensive fish.
Well welcome to the tank and hope your stay is pleasant
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I fourth the CL option! I sold my 18gal Eclipse 1 system on there within an hour of posting it...and I've seen several large setups in my area for really cheap (and when I say "setup," I mean the whole schabang...tank, filter, hood, gravel, heater, decorations, sometimes even fish...for as much as you can get that new setup from Petco.