New Hobby for son

[clueless_mom]

Hi everyone!

As you can see by my user name, I am a clueless mom!

My 10 year old son has been begging for fish for forever! I finally allowed him to start with glo-fish. I ultimately want to get him to a saltwater tank because I want seahorses.

Yesterday we bought the 1.5 gallon glo-fish set up and 2 glo-fish. We followed the directions and today the tank is cloudy and the filter is making clear water bubbles.

What did I do wrong and what do I do now?

Thanks!

 

[Link119]

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...started-check-out-these-resources-154837.html

The bubbles are harmless as long as they are in fact bubbles,
and welcome to AA!

 

[clueless_mom]

Thanks!

They look harmless, sort of like if you just blow through a straw into a glass of water.

 

[VioletEmber]

Welcome to AA! You are doing a good thing to ask questions.

First - take the 1.5 back to the store. Get at least a 10g set up. Glo-fish need far more space than the 1.5.

And read this!
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/artic...g-but-I-already-have-fish-What-now/Page1.html

This is a great forum for learning about fish keeping. You and your 10 yr old can learn together just like me and my 9-yr old!

 

[clueless_mom]

Eventually we will get a bigger tank, I can only afford the small one for now and am using it as his "training tank".

 

[librarygirl]

Ack, I hate those small setups, I wish they'd stop selling them. There's a link in my signature: guide to starting a FW aquarium. The first thing it covers is cycling, which you should read up on and is very important for the well-being of the fish. Does the tank have a filter and heater?

Upgrading soon would be preferable as Glofish are active fish and need a lot of horizontal swim space (20g long preferably); nothing really belongs in a 1.5 gal container (not your fault, just saying).

 

[clueless_mom]

I think the small setups are just fine for a child that is just learning. This way he can keep the tank himself and learn how to control it.

It has a filter but no heater.

 

[fort384]

Welcome to AA!

As mentioned, a 1.5 is unfortunately not suitable for housing glo fish. I would consider taking the whole setup back, fish included, until you can afford the proper setup.

In the mean time, the cloudy water you are experiencing is most likely a bacteria bloom due to the excess ammonia that is in the tank. Do you have a test kit? It is important, especially when cycling a tank with fish, to know what your ammonia levels are. Ammonia is poisonous to your fish, and in such a small new tank with glo fish, it would probably not take more than a few hours for it to build up dangerous levels.

 

[mfdrookie516]

Welcome to the site. I'll agree with the others, but go in to some more detail...

Smaller tanks are MUCH harder to maintain than larger tanks. To add to that, glofish are danios, which are very active fish. They are constantly swimming, and there just isn't any room in such a small tank. To ask this in the nicest way possible... would you buy a dog for your son and keep it in a small kennel all day long? IMHO, a much better lesson would be to show him how to properly house the fish by buying a larger tank and appropriate equipment (filter, heater, test kit, etc). You've been given some good links to get started. I wish you and your son the best.

 

[fort384]

I think the small setups are just fine for a child that is just learning. This way he can keep the tank himself and learn how to control it.

It has a filter but no heater.

To the contrary, the smaller the tank, the harder it is to maintain, especially for a beginner. In small aquariums, changes happen fast, and nothing good happens quickly in an aquarium. The larger the volume of water, the more it takes to change the parameters of that water.

At 1.5 gallons, unfortunately the only life suitable to the tank would be a few small FW shrimp, and some live plants. I wouldn't recommend anything under 5 gallons to house fish, anything under 10 gallons to house glo fish, and would recommend a beginner start with a 20 gal tank to keep the water parameters manageable. So many folks new to the hobby go small, get frustrated, and take down the tank after all the frustration and dead fish.

 

[clueless_mom]

What kind of test kit do I need? What am I testing for and what results should I have?

 

[AquaGuy]

The API Freshwater Master kit is a great starter kit for a new hobbyist.

You need to test:

Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
pH

Also, a thermometer is needed.

As far as results, once a tank is cycled, it should be 0 Ammonia, 0 nitrite, 0-40 ppm nitrate, somewhere in the 6.5-7.5 range for pH

 

[clueless_mom]

Actually, what I am finding frustrating is that everyone keeps telling me how bad a 1.5 tank is. I get it already.... but I am a single mom on a tight budget and a $35 tank and two fish is all I can afford.

So far, asking for help is making me really wish I just kept telling my son no and never got him any fish.

To the contrary, the smaller the tank, the harder it is to maintain, especially for a beginner. In small aquariums, changes happen fast, and nothing good happens quickly in an aquarium. The larger the volume of water, the more it takes to change the parameters of that water.

At 1.5 gallons, unfortunately the only life suitable to the tank would be a few small FW shrimp, and some live plants. I wouldn't recommend anything under 5 gallons to house fish, anything under 10 gallons to house glo fish, and would recommend a beginner start with a 20 gal tank to keep the water parameters manageable. So many folks new to the hobby go small, get frustrated, and take down the tank after all the frustration and dead fish.

 

[clueless_mom]

Thank you so much for the specifics. This is the type of advice I need.

What is cycling? I have tried looking that up, but you seem to be the only person that understands that straight answers are what is appreciated.

The API Freshwater Master kit is a great starter kit for a new hobbyist.

You need to test:

Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
pH

Also, a thermometer is needed.

As far as results, once a tank is cycled, it should be 0 Ammonia, 0 nitrite, 0-40 ppm nitrate, somewhere in the 6.5-7.5 range for pH

 

[mfdrookie516]

If you read the links that have been provided, all of your questions so far will be answered.

 

[Galligak]

Thank you so much for the specifics. This is the type of advice I need.

What is cycling? I have tried looking that up, but you seem to be the only person that understands that straight answers are what is appreciated.

It's ok, just ignore the people for a little bit then come back to that. Cycling is when your aquarium builds up good bacteria to break down the bad, well, "stuff" that your fish give out. I think that some one has already posted a wonderful link for you to read. Don't worry we all entered this hobby with the same stuff you have: small tank+inadequate fish. It'll be ok

 

[fort384]

Actually, what I am finding frustrating is that everyone keeps telling me how bad a 1.5 tank is. I get it already.... but I am a single mom on a tight budget and a $35 tank and two fish is all I can afford.

So far, asking for help is making me really wish I just kept telling my son no and never got him any fish.

Perhaps fishkeeping is not the proper hobby for you right now. Regardless of what you can afford, you came looking for advice - and you will not find an experienced hobbyist who tells you that what you have going there is a good idea.

 

[ASPSplinter]

Where do you live? I'll give you everything to start a 30 gallon if you are close.

 

[Cichlid Kid]

Cycling is the build up of beneficial bacteria in your aquarium (mostly your filter and substrate)
This bacteria plays a crucial role in removing ammonia and nitrite converting it to nitrate. Nitrate is less toxic to fish and can be removed via pwc (partial water changes)
Browse thru some of the links already posted.
Good luck. Its a great hobby and your sons lucky to have a mom thats making the attempt.

 

[KRAKEN]

Walmart has a 10gallon aquarium with hood and light for 20$ and an extra 15 bucks for a aqua-tech fifteen gallon filter, all in all it should run about 34 dollars, a air pump is a good idea to, I'm on a super tight budget, I Just watch DIY videos on YouTube and make what I need with what I have, hope I helped!