New to this site, and fish tanks in general~

[Zastrus]

Hello all, I am new to this site but it looks like it has a wealth of experienced people, so I'm glad I found it!

I am also new to fish tanks in general. I recently bought a 10 gallon tank (just for starters), and was wondering what are the steps needed to prepare a fish tank for fish.

I have done research, and sadly I found out that 10 gallon tanks are hardest to manage because they are so small, and the tiniest change affects everything so much. But I will get a bigger tank in due time, this is just a starter. Also I understand that there is only supposed to be 1 inch of fish per gallon, so I'm gonna get some tiny fish. *thumbsups

I just wanted to know the steps in preparing a fish tank for fish. What are the "drops" I should get to prepare the water? I've seen the chlorine drops.. but haven't seen others, I'm sure there are others for things like ammonia or other things...

Also for a 10 gallon tank, what kind of fish would you recommend? I am pretty sure it's best suited for a tropical fish only.

And last question, where is the best place to purchase fish? I've seen a few places that have fish, PetSmart, Petco, etc. I've even seen that Wal-Mart has fish. Would it be best to purchase fish from an actual pet store, such as Petco or Petsmart? (Should I even think about purchasing fish from Wal-Mart? )

Thanks all!

 

[dax]

I started out with a10 galon tank and it was not that hard to keep at all. I upgraded to 25 Gallons cause i wanted more fish.
I would say start out with any kind of Tetra. You could go with Neon, glowlights, glass etc. Thats what I started out with. These are schooling fish better kept in specimens of 5 or more.

You could also go with livebeares which are guppys, swordtails ets. Those are nice as well. It's up to you.

I would advise setting up your tank and letting it run for about 2 weeks with out fish, to get it cycled and let the "good" bacteria generate. Just add a dechloronator to you water like aqua plus. Thats all you need to add.

You should invest in a PH test kit, ammonia and Nitrates. Hagen sells a "mini" test kit containing all these for about 20 bucks. It will last along time. Just follow the directions. I wouls reccomend reading The tropical Freshwater aquarium fish from Ato Z giuse. It has info about all the fish you could think of buying and is good to take with you .

I never heard of petco cause we dont have them in canada! The best dealer will help you choose fish, be courteous and knowledgable and the tanks will be clean.

You have a million choices and hopefully I was a help.

 

[DclownD]

i can say from experience petco isnt the way and from what ppl post walmart isnt the way iether.. now drops what do u mean by drops? oh u want liquid test kits they are twice as acurate in my opin also a good fish for a 10 hmm id say 7 neon tetras and 1 otto.. to set my water i used ezu tabs.. they worked well droped the ph and declorinated... if u can get bio spira id sugest that for after the tank is ready for being cycled as it works very very well from what i have been told... DO NOT GET CYCLE.. you could read my post for that...

 

[GeraldTheMouse]

Before you get any live swimming creature of any sort, you need to cycle your tank
Here are links on how to do so:
http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/fre...hless-cycling-everything-you-wanted-know.html
http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/fre...questions/13406-iggy-s-tank-cycle-recipe.html

I find in my opinion that the small pet stores have the best fish. But I reccomend to NEVER buy fish from wal-mart. Waste of money. You can get fish from PetSmart, or PetCo, just don't trust the info they give you.

The only 'drops' you will need is dechlorinator. Dont waste your money on waste remover and such as they don't work. If oyu go planted, you will need fertilizer, but not now.

One of the first things you should get right now is a test tube test kit for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, and pH. Make sure they are test tubes as test kits are innacurate.

Fish that are suitable for a 10g:
corys, tetras, rams (1 or 2), apistos (1 or 2), guppys, platys, swordtails, hatchets, otos, african dwarf frogs, and a lot more. The profiles at the top of the page tell you the minimum tank size for the fish.

I think thats it...

 

[FroggyFox]

This thread is great to answer your "how do I get a tank ready for fish": Setting up a new tank - MyFishTank.Net Have a read and let us know what more questions you have...

 

[fishbrain]

GeraldTheMouse's response is the most accurate & useful IMHO (the cycling links are Very Important, cycling is More than just letting a tank run for a day, a month a week, or whatever).

stocking: I'd go with a school (5-6) of small fish (max out at about 1" or so) & maybe an Oto (a small algae eating catfish) or 2 (after it has been established awhile). The temptation noramally is to get several different kinds of fish but many kinds of fish school only with there own kind. When not with there own kind they don't behave naturally; they may hide a lot more, they may show aggression, or they may die of stress (or from a disease related to bring stressed). I've personally struggled with the balance between variety & appropriate #'s for my whole 5+ yrs. in this hobby.

happy fishkeeping, welcome to the tank & good luck!

 

[DclownD]

a really easy fish for beginners is also the MOLLY and i love them

 

[PICTUS CAT]

Just don't be like me and stick 3 Pictus Catfish in a 10 gallon fish tank.
NOT SMART.and for a 10 gallon stick some tetras NEON that is and there is nothing wrong with going to wal*mart. there cheap and my fish never die from there.Like a Pictus Catfish for example $4.84 at my local wal*mart and $8.47 at Petco in my area.Wal*marts fish live long too my Pictus cats has lived for a year in a 10 gallon before I put them in a larger tank nad there still going strong!!(AS you can see I love Pictus Catfish)

 

[Zastrus]

Ok, I think I've got most of the information down.

I've just got questions about cycling the tank:

1.) I add ammonia to the tank until it's 5 ppm, and wait until the tank is able to reduce the amount of ammonia to 0 ppm in a 24 hour period. What does ppm stand for?

2.) I bought a bubble curtain for my tank, but would that be OK for a 10 gallon tank? Do the small fish like the bubbles? Lol. I'd probably just put it along the back edge of the tank so it doesn't interfere with the fish's breathing or something. I was thinking of putting it in a zigzag pattern, but I'm not sure about it...!

Thanks for the helpful responses! *BOUNCINGS

 

[homebunnyj]

As far as Walmart fish, it would depend on your particular store. Many of us have Walmarts where the fish do not get fed regularly, where dead fish stay in the tanks all weekend, where the fish have diseases, and incompatible fish are thrown in tanks together. However, you can certainly find conditions like these in other places too. As well, you occasionally find a Walmart that has a decent fish section. As a customer, you of course are responsible for making good purchase decisions, which includes deciding whether a place is a good source of fish or not, based on your observations. I wouldn't buy from my local Walmarts, but yours may be better.

 

[YahooFishKeeper]

Ok, I think I've got most of the information down.

I've just got questions about cycling the tank:

1.) I add ammonia to the tank until it's 5 ppm, and wait until the tank is able to reduce the amount of ammonia to 0 ppm in a 24 hour period. What does ppm stand for?

2.) I bought a bubble curtain for my tank, but would that be OK for a 10 gallon tank? Do the small fish like the bubbles? Lol. I'd probably just put it along the back edge of the tank so it doesn't interfere with the fish's breathing or something. I was thinking of putting it in a zigzag pattern, but I'm not sure about it...!

Thanks for the helpful responses! *BOUNCINGS

ppm stands for parts per million i think. its a scale of measuring amounts or things in the water.

sure, the bubble curtain woill most likely be okay. about the only thing is a betta probably wont like it, but i doubt youd put a betta in a 10 gallon to itself. some fish like to play in the bubbles.

for a ten, you have lots of choices in fish. you did the right thing in doing research before you did all this. my first experiences were horrible. i wish you lots of luck with your first tank. please tell me you have a digi camera to share pics when its set up...

 

[britnewt3]

I would check out books on fish needs and setting up a tank. I read about five books two on tanks and three on fish(because I had no clue what fish to even start out with), and I'm glad I did or I would have probley done almost everything wrong.

 

[pash]

ppm= parts per million

Get a master test kit rather than the dip strips. If you buy the test kits separately for each particular reading it will cost you a fortune and the strips aren't very reliable. It will take you 4-8 weeks to cycle your tank whatever method you use. Best bit of advice for starting a new tank is "BE PATIENT." Avoid the temptation to hurry the process with chemicals, excessive water changes and general tinkering with the tank. Set it up, put in a couple of hardy fish, do your tests regularly and read whatever you can for the time it takes to cycle. Plenty of knowledgeable folks posting in this forum to ask questions and there are a wealth of web sites out there with good advice. Don't treat every response to a question or every article read as the last word as you can get well meaning bad advice. By the time your tank is ready for adding your fish you'll have acquired enough knowledge to get a good tank established. Just Be Patient.

 

[YahooFishKeeper]

...Set it up, put in a couple of hardy fish...

pash is suggesting a fish in cycle, they are okay... but can possibly slow things down, kill poor fish, and if they happen to live leave you "stuck" with them. i suggest fishless. no fish are harmed, and if you screw up, no fish are harmed... did i mention no fish are harmed? its really easy to do, and really cheap, you can even use it on future tanks.

 

[GeraldTheMouse]

Don't do a fish-in cycle, its a waste of time (from 1 month to a year in some cases), while a fish-less cycle only takes around 2 weeks. But if you are lazy you can get bio-spira, but make sure the place you get it from has it refregirated if you go that way.

Have fun making your tank. Share pictures soon!

 

[Zastrus]

Heres my to-do list, I hate to keep pestering, but I wanna do it right the first time! I think I got it all down packed, just want to make sure. =)

1.) Set up the decorations, etc.

2.) Fill up the tank with water, and add the dechlorination drops.

3.) Let the tank cycle for about a week or so.

I have another questions about the 'ammonia' part of cycling a tank. Did anyone actually do this:

"6. Every day, once a day, add the total amount of ammonia that it took to bring your tank ammonia test kit to 5ppm. Do this till the very end of the nitrite cycle.
7. It will take about 3-5 days for your ammonia levels to go to 0ppm after 24 hours, and the first of the two bacteria cycles to complete.
8. Keep adding the ammonia (same amount and every day, once a day) until your nitrite levels become 0pmm after 24 hours, which can take about 2 to 3 weeks time. The nitrite levels will spike for a longer time because the nitrite to nitrate processing bacteria take longer to grow than the ammonia to nitrite bacteria.
9. After the nitrite shows 0ppm (clear), change as much water as you can (leave they gravel/substrate/decorations in the tank) to get rid of the bulk of the nitrate buildup (you can use your nitrate test kit to confirm if you want). Don't 'clean' the tank or use sanitizers, just remove the bulk of the water and replace it with treated water."

(From Iggy's Tank Cycle Recipe)

Is there an easier way to do this cycle?

Thanks all! *BOUNCINGS

 

[FroggyFox]

Um...that IS the 'easy way' to do the cycle. "let the tank cycle for a week" is not going to do anything. If you're going to do a fishless cycle...you need to do it the way Iggy's recipe describes. If you dont want to wait the few weeks to get that done...then you should get a couple of hardy fish into the tank and be ready to do a fish-in cycle that will take several months. You'll need to monitor the ammonia/nitrites/nitrates and do water changes whenever necessary (probably every day after the first week or so).

 

[JWright]

I disagree with Iggy on one point....

It is easier to add the same amount of ammonia every day, but it could lead to a very high ammonia level.

A better way to do it, in my opinion, is to keep the level at 5ppm by testing when you add the ammonia.

 

[FroggyFox]

Yeah...I think that part was assumed...he should rephrase #6 to add that in. Once the tank starts metabolizing 5ppm a day you should add that amount in once a day that initially got it up to 5ppm.

 

[JWright]

I think the confusion arises due to the order of 6 and 7.

I think it would be better phrased:

"6. It will take about 3-5 days (though in some cases, longer) for your ammonia levels to go to 0ppm after 24 hours, and the first of the two bacteria cycles to complete.
7. One the ammonia strats to drop, add the total amount of ammonia that it took to bring your tank ammonia test kit to 5ppm. Do this every day, once a day, till the very end of the nitrite cycle."