Just bought a 10G tank

[peter121612]

Hello all, I have been reading these posts and it seems like you have quite a community here.....I just bought a 10 g tank with a clip-on heatre and a??150 filter....

I am new to this (brand new in fact) but with the reading i have done so far i understand that i need to cycle through the water and let it adjust. I also added a packet of cycle starter to get it going....

My question is this. right now i dont have anything besides gravel in the tank. I want to give my future friends something to play around in and was curious about the pro's and con's of live vs. fake plant life....

Would also love to recieve any suggestions on a good group of starter fish...I am thinking of a small school, a bottom feeder, and the a single or mated pair of mid-level guys....Maybe too many fish...PLease help, much appreciated

 

[reberly]

Look around for some information on this site about Bio-Spira by Marineland. It basically cycles your tank perfectly in 24 hours. I'm still skeptical but I'm going to go buy some and try it today. With Bio-Spira (from my understanding) you load up your tank with a full fish load, dump in the product, and there ya go. Sounds too good to be true but people here have used it and they KNOW what they're doing.

As far as plants go, plastic ones are nice cause they don't grow (or die), fish don't eat them and they look ok. Real plants are great cause they help with maintaining water quality, preventing algae, and provide food for some fish. They're also more work than having fakes. Good luck!

Ryan

 

[Zic]

There's something about having live plants that I really like. I had a few die on me, and it was frustrating, but the ones that I have alive now are great. They do require pruning and some attention, but I enjoy doing this.

I always suggest the zebra danios. They are peaceful, hardy, and very active. If you have more than one, they schoal together around and about the tank. I have two in my ten gallon. When I get a fifty five gallon, I'm going to get about fifteen more. Also, they cost about a buck a piece!

I have these fish in my ten gallon
Two zebra danios
Two black mollies (they've had two batches of fry since December, when I set the tank up)
Two platies
Two neon tetras
one angelfish
one dwarf african frog

These fish all get along great. I'd reccommend any of them to new fish keepers.

Let us know what you decide.

 

[mound]

The first fish I put in my first tank, 5 years ago, were a pair of Zebra Danios to cycle the tank.. at first the tank was a FW community tank, converted to mbuna cichlids about a year later, left the danios.. much time has passed, but the Danios were the constant. one of them just died the other day :-(

 

[Zic]

Really?? It lived five years? Wow! I've only had mine since December. I hope they live that long!

 

[lashilia]

If you have good water, like a ph of about 7 (neutral), try angels. Angels are nice, clever cichlids that will breed in an aquarium. Have the pet store pick you out a pair of male-female angels.

The cooler you keep your water, the more fish you can have. It you have tropical fish, you'll need that heater, but you can turn it down low. Small bottom sucking cats are hearty and you can pick a variety of kinds.

Finally, for anybody, I would suggest blind cave tetras. They come from Mexico and Central America (I think) and they make awesome pets. They navigate their tank using their lateral line, but they still bump into stuff, like plants and other fish! They love to skit around the top of the tank around feeding times like hyper bumblebees. They enjoy mid levels the rest of the day. They take any food, but floating flakes are a favorite. They are also super easy to sex; females are fatter and rounder with the ocasional hint of red on the anal fin. They like to school, so get a least three, but they don't get very big at all.

Good luck! Ten gallons are a great tank size. I hope your fish do well!
lashilia

 

[SixFootDaisy]

I have a gourami who I think the world of. They are fun to watch!

Dwarf African frogs are awesome too, and get an upside down catfish! Mine was hilarious until the day he died [the other day ]

As for real versus fake on the plants... I really don't know what to tell you. I had real plants that made me angry. Or maybe it was me not knowing how to care for them. I tried the plastic and hated how fake they looked... now I've got silk plants that look beautiful and add color.

Keep us updated on what you decide!