So many questions!

[newbie98]

Hi all..
I'm brand new to the aquarist hobby and could really use some informed help! I have a LOT of questions, and I know I've made mistakes, but I'm trying my absolute hardest for my little dudes so please be patient with me!

I was completely misinformed by the worker at my LFS (shocker) and told keeping 3 fish (one Dalmatian mollie, a tetra and a bottom feeder I believe is a Cory catfish) in a 5.5 gal tank would be perfectly fine! Now I know to always come to the internet first. The fish seem to be doing great right now, but I would definitely like to upgrade them to a bigger and better tank and eventually add some new friends to the community, especially since I also now know tetras prefer to school and I feel bad for my little Harold in there without any buddies.. How long should I wait to upgrade as not to stress the fish? Any suggestions on a nice sized tank I should purchase when the times right? (I'm a teenager & live in my parents basement, so something huge isn't really an option.)

Since I knew nothing about cycling upon my purchase and just went at acclimating the fish into my brand new aquarium, I'm currently trying to cycle my tank with fish in. I've had the tank for 3 days. The water is a tad cloudy, but I believe this may just be part of the cycle(?) I'm testing ammonia, nitrates and nitrites and preforming 20-30% water changes daily. Should I be doing more? Less? What will help the cycle along? Additionally, my home is on a well and although we have a water softener the KH and GH of my tank seem quite high... for drinking water we have a separate spigot with an in-home reverse osmosis system, should I be using this water for my tank instead of the well water? Also, what's a good water conditioner to use during changes? I've heard amazing things about Seachem prime... right now I have stress coat, and I've read both good and bad things about it. For cleaning, I've read to keep the fish in, but my little guys are so small, the vaccuum is so big and this really freaks me out! I'm doing the right thing, right?

For feeding, I've been dropping in an algae wafer and small pinches of flakes twice a day... I think this may be too much, at least for now, while the cycle is still establishing.. any ideas? My mollie just seems so hungry, but I think he's just a fatso and will likely gorge himself if I keep dropping food in. Any suggestions? I almost feel as though my tetra isn't eating at all because the mollie eats so much and so quickly. He even chomps on the algae wafer. Should I fast them once a week?

 

[V227]

Wow, that's a lot to take in. It sure looks like you are on top of things, with a good working knowledge of water parameters and tank maintenance. Your current tank is really small and really limits your options. A 20 gallon tank might serve you better. They don't take up much space and are relatively inexpensive, especially on Craigslist. A small model Aqua clear or marineland bio wheel filter would work well on a tank that size.
As for your current situation, no additional fish / cut way down on your feeding. Your Cory cat
Doesn't need an algae wafer everyday, only a tiny piece of one / a 25% WC 2x a week until your tank cycles (probably a month) and keep the gravel clean, like you are doing. Regarding your water, it sounds like your fish are doing fine on well water.
There are good sites on AA that explain the cycling process, I'm certain that other AA members will direct you to the best ones.
Hope this helps.

 

[Sandfall]

I think that you are doing everything with the water changes right. Definately go with Prime, especially while you are cycling. It will detoxify ammonia and nitrites for some time, which is needed in a fish-in cycle. I would also recommend a 20 gallon; it's a good size tank.

 

[Coyne]

Sound like your hearts in the right place... just got in a little over your head. I went through the exact same thing when I bought my first aquarium (impulse buy). The advice above is solid. The only thing I'd add is to be patient. With the cycle, with every thing. You'll be tempted to try things to make the tank cycle faster. Just let it run its course. Keep up with the water changes to keep the fish healthy and that's about it. Like V227 said, it'll take about a month.
Good luck [emoji2]

One more thing: you can move the fish into a larger aquarium as soon as you have one set up. It won't be any more stressful now than it will be later. In fact, the larger water volume will be less stressful in the long run. Just add your current biological media into the new filter to jump start the new cycling process.

 

[dalto]

I agree with what the others said but one thing I would say about prime is that it is much more concentrated than other dechlorinators and it can be kind of a pain to dose for small tanks. I don't usually use it for tanks smaller than 10g. For example, the dosage for a 5.5g tank would be a little more than 1/10th of a capful.

 

[Sandfall]

I agree with what the others said but one thing I would say about prime is that it is much more concentrated than other dechlorinators and it can be kind of a pain to dose for small tanks. I don't usually use it for tanks smaller than 10g. For example, the dosage for a 5.5g tank would be a little more than 1/10th of a capful.

I usually use Prime when I do water changes, and change out about five gallons. I hae to say that I agree with that; it can be a pain. I wouldn't suggest using the cap to measure. Instead buy a medicine dropper, which you can get from a pharmacy store for very cheap, that can measure in half mililiters. That will save a lot of trouble.