I have no clue what to do first. Hah.

[hereiam22]

Hi everyone! My name is Alicia, I'm 22 and live in Oregon.

I've got a 12 gallon (20x10x14 approx.) tank and I'm looking to set it up with a small community.

I haven't even approached cycling or anything yet as I'm not sure what I'm dealing with.

My sister had the tank before me, and let it get completely green and disgusting (think stagnant water that had dead corpses in it, etc..).. I have no idea what damage that caused, what the filtration deal is. It did have a heater, which is now filled with green algae.. I'm assuming it needs to be replaced.

I was looking into getting a completely new filter, but I've got no real idea what I'm doing.

I love fish, and think it would be an awesome addition to my room to make it really mine. But as for how many fish I could put into the tank without overcrowding, and what stuff I need for it to happen..

I'm clueless as to whether you'd put the gravel in first, or fill it with water first, and other miscellaneous things.

However I HAVE read the cycling guide already, so at least I know how to do that properly. Haha.

I've been looking at getting albino cories, I think they're adorable.

Anyhow, I hope I can find all the information I need here, and hi again!

ETA: I do know that I want to get a small holding tank for quarantining, straight off the bat. I figured I could cycle it at the same time as my larger tank. I'd rather be safe than sorry, and it seems this would be a good way to go about doing it. Maybe not for the first initial fish, but definitely for future batches, or pairs or whatever I get going.

 

[joy13]

Welcome!! You have come to the right forum for help getting your tank set up properly.

I am glad you have read up on cycling that is the hardest part to get through without wanting to go out and get some fish.

Albino cories get pretty large have you thought about looking around for a dwarf cory you might like

Dwarf Corydoras - Corydoras Pygmaeus
Corydoras hastatus

 

[melosu58]

Welcome aboard.

 

[MollyMaster]

hey alicia

 

[MollyMaster]

Sorry about that last post my intrnet's dumb, I dont know a whole lot about corys but i do know that you can breed them, idk how big of a tank is required but a teacher at my highschool has a 90 gal like me n his classroom and last year he had 2 albino corys and they had 2 babies i researched how to do that and apparently its pretty easy???? My dad now wants to do the same n a 20 gal.? I think if u just put golfball sized rocks n the tank u would have a better chance for eggs to fall n the crack where they cant find and eat them best of luck if you do decide to breed them??? the babies are AMAZINGLY cute

 

[hereiam22]

Joy- I didn't know that they got big? Everything I read said they stayed around 2 inches when mature, that's sorta disappointing.

I really wanted them specifically because they're kinda pink and cute. I like how they look like little mini catfish, haha.

I'll look into the dwarf species though, maybe they will be adorable.

Hi Molly. I'm actually not looking to breed them, I want a community tank with hopefully a few different types of fish to start with.

Eventually I plan to move on to 'bigger and better' fish, imo. I'm pretty into cichlids, specifically convicts and oscars but with a 10g that's just not going to happen.

 

[MollyMaster]

i was just saying you could if you become a pro, I had convicts in a 10 gal and they had babies but i wasnt prepared so they died, there was 150 or so babies, I dont think that oscars and convicts get along because of the size, food, other requirements

 

[hereiam22]

Oh no, I understand. That would be cool, and I contemplated the idea of toying with breeding smaller species first for experience, etc.

They can get along, but you need a ratio of few convicts to pull it off because of their grouping, they'll gang up on oscars.

I was supposed to get an oscar, and my friend instead added 6-7 convicts to the tank like a moron and is now attached to them all. I'm anticipating an epic amount of death when they finally nest, since they're already rooting in the gravel.

Anyhow, thanks for the suggestion. Didn't intend to come off as off-put, I'm just not particularly into breeding and especially not in a community tank.

 

[hereiam22]

Joy- What about Corydoras cochui/C022/Cochu's Catfish? They're relatively small and they're spotted that's sorta cute, haha.

I'm really disappointed that I can't get the albinos, they're adorable.

 

[jsoong]

Welcome to AA! Moved thread to FW forum to give more exposure!

 

[hereiam22]

Thanks for moving it. I had debated creating a new thread but this works just as well haha.

 

[marchmaxima]

Welcome Alicia!

Sounds like a new filter is the way to go if you can afford it. I recommend a hang-on-back filter for a tank that size. They are easy to clean and pretty cheap. And don't buy one too small. If anything, over-filtering is better than under-filtering. Buy a smallbag of ceramic rings if the filter doesn't come with any as this is a great spot to cultivate a good bacteria colony.

As for the tank and the heater, give it a good clean but don't use soap. Buy a scourer specifically for the tank and give it some elbow grease with plain water to start off with. I'm sure it'll come up fine. If you want to test out the heater in a bucket of water that's probably a good idea too.

As you already know from the cycling articles you've read, test kits are a must. Just stick with ph, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Test your tap water too. It's good to know what your usual parameters are before you plonk the water in the tank.

I guess you'll also need some new substrate. I wouldn't use old stuff myself. What about plants? Are you interested in live, fake or none at all? Driftwood and rocks are also things you might want to decorate with.

Have fun! Do post a pic when you get things up and going.

 

[hereiam22]

Welcome Alicia!

Sounds like a new filter is the way to go if you can afford it. I recommend a hang-on-back filter for a tank that size. They are easy to clean and pretty cheap. And don't buy one too small. If anything, over-filtering is better than under-filtering. Buy a smallbag of ceramic rings if the filter doesn't come with any as this is a great spot to cultivate a good bacteria colony.

As for the tank and the heater, give it a good clean but don't use soap. Buy a scourer specifically for the tank and give it some elbow grease with plain water to start off with. I'm sure it'll come up fine. If you want to test out the heater in a bucket of water that's probably a good idea too.

As you already know from the cycling articles you've read, test kits are a must. Just stick with ph, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Test your tap water too. It's good to know what your usual parameters are before you plonk the water in the tank.

I guess you'll also need some new substrate. I wouldn't use old stuff myself. What about plants? Are you interested in live, fake or none at all? Driftwood and rocks are also things you might want to decorate with.

Have fun! Do post a pic when you get things up and going.

What about the green inside the heater? It's got like.. metal coils inside it and they are infested with green. I'm guessing it's dry now but .. is it going to come out? Lol. Sorry, that's kinda a weird question I guess.

I definitely plan to get new substrate. I'm not sure on plants, I'm thinking fake is the way to go- I'm feeling like maybe just getting guppies to start with is a good way to go, but I'm not sure.

Either way- substrate is going. The stuff she has is like.. neon blue green and pink. I really do not dig it. I was thinking darker, or natural tone stones.

Do you have any recommendations for filters? I would prefer a hanging one, definitely. And I'm willing to spend a reasonable amount, too.

 

[jsoong]

Green INSIDE the glass in the heater? That would be corrosion of the coils. <I assume that the coils or the parts are not otherwise colored green.> I would try scrubbing the outside of the heater to see if it comes off. If the corrosion is truly inside, the heater had a leak (or a non-submersible one had been submerged). I would get a new heater in that case. <Leaky heaters are electrical shock hazard & might cook your fish.> Get a good submersible heater. They cost a bit more, but are way better than the cheap hang on back non-submersible one.

HOB filters - Aquaclear's are reliable, reasonable & quiet.

 

[mfdrookie516]

and i have to suggest a marineland stealth pro heater... i have one and its the best one ive ever had. i fully plan on changing to them in all of my tanks

 

[joy13]

Joy- What about Corydoras cochui/C022/Cochu's Catfish? They're relatively small and they're spotted that's sorta cute, haha.

I'm really disappointed that I can't get the albinos, they're adorable.

Those only get about an inch which is small so you could get several in a tank without a problem. Corys do best in groups. I know in my area they aren't available.

 

[hereiam22]

Green INSIDE the glass in the heater? That would be corrosion of the coils. <I assume that the coils or the parts are not otherwise colored green.> I would try scrubbing the outside of the heater to see if it comes off. If the corrosion is truly inside, the heater had a leak (or a non-submersible one had been submerged). I would get a new heater in that case. <Leaky heaters are electrical shock hazard & might cook your fish.> Get a good submersible heater. They cost a bit more, but are way better than the cheap hang on back non-submersible one.

HOB filters - Aquaclear's are reliable, reasonable & quiet.

Yeah, in the coils it's green haha. I have no idea what she did, when that happened etc. They just kinda let her get fish without knowing anything about them so..

It was a submersible one, it's got a plug and it sits in the water with a suction cup to hold it on the side. It says Visi-Therm on it, I have no idea haha.

I'll go check them out today, as it's snowing and I need an excuse to go out in it anyhow.

Those only get about an inch which is small so you could get several in a tank without a problem. Corys do best in groups. I know in my area they aren't available.

Yeah, everything I'm reading says they do better in groups of at least 4, preferably 6.

and i have to suggest a marineland stealth pro heater... i have one and its the best one ive ever had. i fully plan on changing to them in all of my tanks

Alright, thanks for the suggestions. I'll check the heater and the filter out today.

 

[marchmaxima]

I would be definitely overcautious on anything that's electrical. If you even *think* that the heater might be dodgy, don't risk it. Electricity and water do not mix so safety is paramount when it comes to aquarium heaters. I'd hate to hear you lost your new fish or got an electric shock because your heater was bad. That would not be a nice introduction to the hobby.

A 50w heater should do your 10g nicely. They aren't expensive when compared to other things you may buy. $20-$30 give or take...

 

[hereiam22]

I'll probably just clean everything and then set the heater in a bucket of water and see what happens, I guess. It'd be ideal to just use that but realistically I don't know how old this equipment even is, because my sister got it from a garage sale.

I'd rather be safe than sorry. I love fish, I'd be in the water all the time if I could so they're kinda my ideal creature, haha. I'm very scared going into this, because I don't want to hurt my fish and I don't want to fail at it, etc.

That's why I plan to cycle fishlessly, and go from there. I had the opportunity to get a 20 gallon tank with 3 pirahna in it, and I was going to until I learned that a) they shouldn't be housed in that anyhow, and b) I didn't have nearly enough space for pirahna.

I didn't get to the store like I'd planned because it snowed, haha, so hopefully next week I'll have time on one of my two days off to do it. These past two weeks have been a bit hectic since my boss picked up etra shifts and I end up with more because of it, but it worked out ok in the end and hopefully next week after I get paid I'll have enough to go get a filter and a heater.

I actually have a filtration question- For an out of the tank filter, what would I use to cover the tank? The setup I have currently is all plastic and like.. one piece together, with the filtration system built in (it uses cylindrical filters that sit sideways like a water wheel) along with the lighting. I can show pictures of it tomorrow probably, I don't have any at the moment.

 

[dkpate]

You can also e-mail or call Marineland, if it says visi-therm like you said, they make those, and I am 99% sure they would send you a brand new one! Jackpot!