1st aquarium ever...many questions :)

[muffinass]

hi there to everyone,
I just got as a gift a 10gallon aquarium. I put 2 bags of 'fine brown' sand, and so far only one fake rock w/ plants on it.
As it is, i put in the fish (2 peppered cories, 3 black widow tetras) just this past tuesday, and i think everything's going fine so far...yet i still have many questions and fears for the upcoming weeks/months.
Now, just to begin, I've done a lot of reading on my fish (after having bought them), and my tetras are always swimming near the botom of the tank. Rarely do they move to the top. The filter's running 24/7, and although i haven't tested the water, i think it should be fine (the cories are fitting the description of every site i've read).
Are the tetras uncomfortable, or have they just not adjusted to the tank yet? Shoudl i get more?
As cleaning the tank, do i need to take the sand out and rinse it again?

I'm sure more questions will come up, but thanks in advance for the answers so far.

 

[GoldLenny]

Do not get any more fish until you "cycle" your tank. Read the sites at this link http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/showthread.php?t=19357.

URGENT!!!!!

You need to get a Master Test Kit (around 15.00 US) and start testing your water daily to monitor the ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. Until you get the test kit, do a 25% PWC (partial water change with treated tap water the same temperature as your tank) and then do 10% PWC's every day until you can start testing your water. This should keep the ammonia levels and nitrite levels from getting too high and killing your fish.

It usually takes 4-8 weeks to properly cycle a tank and it should have been done before you put your fish in it but as long as you test your water every day and do PWC's to keep the ammonia below .5ppm and the nitrites below 1.0ppm, your fish should make it. When you start getting a nitrate reading, you need to do PWC's to keep it below 40ppm.

 

[rhoymand]

yeah I wouldnt get anymore fish until your tank is fully cycled. PWCs w/ fresh water is the key. you do use a water conditioner for your tap water right?

as far as cleaning the sand just get a gravel cleaner and suck up the debris that sit on top of the sand. stir it around once in a while to keep anaerobic bacteria or "bad bacteria" from forming. cleaning the sand is also a great way to siphon water out for you PWCs.

it you havent figured it out by now, its a good amount of work to properly take care of fish. but if you get really into it and start chatting with other "fish nerds" about your experiences youll really enjoy it.

 

[revfred]

For a short-term solution to cycle your tank faster ... pick up some Seachem Stability.
This will help cycle your tank faster and hopefully limit any casualties. But eventually you should pick-up a Master Test Kit and monitor your water parameters.

 

[jediinthedark]

Go to a good fish store and find BioSpira: (http://www.marineland.com/products/mllabs/ML_biospira.asp). Put this in the tank. It will cycle the tank for you. Basicly this adds the bacteria that your tank would have to build slowly over many weeks. It is still going to be a very good idea to read up on what cycling a tank is, why it happens, and how it occurs. You'll need the knowledge in an ongoing basis, but Biospira will cycle the tank for you overnight.

Your filter should run 24/7. The only time that you ever turn it off is when doing a water change.

You'll never need to remove and rinse the sand now that it is in. Everything in the tank (especially the filter media) gets bacteria built up on it which breaks down the fish waste. This is good (read up on the nitrogen cycle). If you rinse the sand you'll disturb this bacteria and it will loose some of its effect.
Don't get me wrong... You can still rearrange things, and change things up later if you get bored with your current setup. But there is no maintenance step here.

Buy a gravel Vacuum if you do not have one already. This will remove some water and some waste that builds up on the bottom.
There are many many different kinds that you can buy. The Python is the "elite" but they may be a bit too powerful for a 10 gal. A simple syphon hose into a 5 gallon bucket should work great. For the most part you'll only ever change 25-40% of the water at one time.

Make sure that you get dechlorinator and that you use it every time that you add water to the tank. The chlorine that is naturally in your tap water is poisonous to fish and will kill them. Just add the dechlorinator right before you add water (or right after - it really doesn't matter).

On to the fish. The fish that you have sound very nice for a 10 gallon tank. Tetras like to have numbers. The more the better, but for a 10 gallon tank I think you should keep this number of fish for a while. At least until the tank has seasoned. Even later I would only add at most 2 more (if that). If you ever want to buy an algae eater buy an Oto Cat and not a Pleco (the size is more appropriate).
Anyway... They could be hugging the bottom for any number of reasons. If there is a very strong current from the filter they may try to avoid it.
Also fish love cover. The more places that they have to hide in and feel safe - the more you'll see them. Perhaps there just isn't enough ornamentation in the tank. Throw a bunch of fake plants in there and you'll see the fish adjust almost immediately.

I thinkn you're off to a good start. Good luck with your tank and make sure that you enjoy the experience. That's what this is all about.

Jonathan