VERY NEW!

[traumaturtle]

My girlfriend bought me a little tank set-up from Wally-World and I'm about to set it up...for the second time! The first time I tried to set it up and everyone in the apartment decided they wanted to help. Needless to say, the poor guys didn't have a chance!

Before giving it a second go, I decided to look around on the net for some tips. After sifting through the vast amounts I knowledge, I came to the conclusion that the only thing right we did for those fish was place them in water, but we even managed to do that wrong! So, I'm here now, asking anyone willing to help for important pointers. Also, I do have a few specific questions.

1. All the fish in my old tank died, but we did so many things wrong its hard to know if it was by disease alone or operator error. Should I get rid of the rocks, plants and other "fish toys" in the tank? IS it ok to reuse them? Can I wash them well and consider myself safe? What about filter?

2. It's only a 10G tank, what should I look for in fish selection? Id like to be able to have more then 1 or 2, but I am aware that I could over crowed with only 10Gs. (P.S. currently I'm not running a heater)

3. I'm moving in a week and going to Disneyland in 2 weeks. If I set up my tank up right after I move and let it run while I"m on vacation, can I add my fish in when I get back, or should I wait longer?

I appreciate any help that you could give me. I apologize for the immaturity that my question may bring. Everyone has to start somewhere and hopefully that is understood here. I can't wait to give this a second shot, I just want to go in a little slower this time!


Thanks so much!
Trauma~Turtle

 

[revfred]

Personally, I would wait until you got back from vacation before you start anything.

The fish toys, rocks, etc., can be reused . . . I would suggest boiling them. Although if any of the items are "sharp" I would get rid of them.

You will need to get a heater. Rule of thumb is 5 watts/gallon . . . you do the math .

Get a good "basics" book that gives a step-by-step approach to setting up a tank and/or search this site for discussions about dechlorination, cycling the tank, etc.

Yes, it is likely that you can have more than 1-2 fish in a 10 gallon if you choose wisely.

One recipe for disaster is having a "committee" take care of the aquarium. One "fishkeeper" . . . all the rest are spectators or under the watchful eye of the "fishkeeper".

 

['-JIN-']

for me,set up your tank when u arrive to your new house,dont put any fish in yet till u are back from disney.Make a fishless cycle.It is best to make a longer fishless cycle especially u are using soil for your plants.Remember if u want a perfect planted tank u need to spend once straight away for all the equipment(thats for me)And the temp is depend to what kind of fish you are having,for tetras and live-bearer the normally temp u can provide is from 72-82f but for chiclids u need about 86-92f.For ur small tank,it is advisable for u to have a smaller fish.a normal filter will help,a bio-wheel or a bubble nest filter.

 

[Seleya]

If you don't wish to boil your ornaments, gravel, etc, you can soak them in a 10% bleach solution and rinse well and repeatedly (use plain bleach, not scented etc)

I wouldn't do anything until you move and then consider choosing you fish and basing your tank setup on the fish you opt for (different fish, different requirements) You can certainly set the tank up and (especially if you cleaned w/ bleach) let it run with just water for the duration of your vacation just to let everything settle but you'll still need to cycle the tank somehow upon your return. There are excellent stickies about cycling on this forum. The main thing is, be patient -- it will pay off in dividends later.

What you're mainly looking at in fish are obviously smaller fish which don't do megazoomies (danios really need more than a 10, for example, because of their spazzy nature) Many rasboras such as harlequins, smaller livebearers such as guppies and platies, and many smaller tetras such as lemon, flame, and neons and some barbs such as cherry barbs would all do nicely. Bettas benefit from being in something other than a cup as well. If you'd prefer not to use a heater, white cloud mountain minnows would be one good choice. For something very different, dwarf puffers seem to be quite popular amongst people on this forum as a 10 gallon fish. Have fun with it, find what appeals to you and run it by us so we can help you determine the best final stocking scheme.

Welcome to the Tank!

 

[FroggyFox]

In addition to what the other's have suggested I would say to take a read through the threads that are stickied at the top of the beginner forum. There is a lot of great information in them for someone who wants to start in the hobby.