Just Got A New Tank Running. Need some basic help

[newcomer]

Hello:

So I just got a 10 gallon tank ( 20 X 12 X 10 ). I have only a betta in there . I want to add some more fish but do not know what species to get. need something that is easy to take care of. Also I want to change my incandescent bulb assembly to a fluorescence. can I use a 18: housing I have already . this bring me to another problem... I do not know how to use the gravel vacuum? Is there a video source that would show me how. Also how much decorations should be in there? And an Air pump. What should I get and how much approx $(cdn) want a wall of bubbles. i have a Hagen Starter kit ( red Box). Please send me an e-mail if possible. vjcgr@hotmail.com . Thanks for the help
[center:cd8a50fde2][/center:cd8a50fde2]

 

[jpphillips]

I assume your talking about the type that is merely a tube connected to a larger, solid tube.

they are basically gravity driven, all you have to do is have the tube full of water, place thin part of tube in a bucket, and place large part into the gravel. once the water starts flowing into the bucket, start pushing and pulling out the mouth of the vaccum in and out of the gravel.
continue this all over your tank, and don't let your water fall below half.

thats all there is to it.

Hope this helps.

 

[newcomer]

Thanks very much didn't want to kill my little friend. well I will try this. now do I need alot of hiding places for fish or can I add thing's later??

 

[jpphillips]

It depends on the type of fish you want. bettas really don't "need" any hiding places, but they seem to have more fun if there is sonething in the tank. My bettas always droop themselves on a plant leaf and sleep

my reccomedation is that you get a few leafy plants and some slate, don't get the plastic rocks, as fish can get stuck between the rocks where they connect. Plastic ships and the like are fine, just make sure you keep them relativly clean.
(mabe about every 6 months use a toothbrush and a mild bleach solution on the plastic stuff to remove excess alge and fish ickies)

 

[newcomer]

well that answer's alot of question's but as well raises a few more. Now what kind of fish can I get to go with a betta he's like 2 years old and well like to swim all over the layer's. Also should I get an algae eater my tank has been running for a while. Should I go and buy a cleaner. and maybe some tetras..if so which type of algea fish should I get?

 

[jpphillips]

as far as I've seen, betta's are pretty much frendly tward every fish I've thrown at them.

(goramis, angels, loaches, coreys, neons, sharks, plecos)

All you have to watch for are the fin biting fish. if buying at a walmart or someplace similar, look at the cards under the tanks to determine if the fish are agressive or passive. except for one of my sharks (a red-finned shark) all the fish I listed above are fairly docile.

my suggestions for fish are:
albino coreys, about 3 should be cool. they are really active most of the time and mine like to jump to the waters brim (really fun to watch) they are also ground feeders, so they'll eat any food that fall to the floor.

neons, no more than 5 for your tank, they are small and colorfull. always buy in groups, as they school and it also looks like a single larger fish to other fish in your tank. I like the Black neons. blue ones are cool too.

as for alge eaters, I would suggest the small thin suckermouths, no more than 2 that should be enough for your tank size.

I wouldn't reccommend a pleco (plecosomus)(I know it's spelled wrong) for your size of tank, as I had one in a 10 Gal that grew to 7 inches, and like to put racing stripes around my tank (I'll leave to your imagination what the stripes were made of)

if you REALLY want a pleco, I don't think the clown pleco's get very big.

 

[jpphillips]

one thing I forgot to mention.

Neons are VERY sensitive to environment. if there is something wrong with your tank, the neons are going first.

As long as you have some aquarium salt and change your water a few times a year, you ahouldn't have any problems.

(you'll prolly loose some in the transition from store to home, but thats normal to loose some fish in the first 24 hours)

 

[newcomer]

Thanks very much for you help I will try this tonight I will go to the store and see what I can Find.. Thank you again.......

 

[newcomer]

Sorry jus though of something else. How many tiny fish can I safety house in a 10 gallon tank.. only a few decoration's like a small tree for the betta and the two plastic plant's that came with the kit. Now planning on adding other decorations. like a log or something.. no idea yet. so approx how many fish?

 

[jpphillips]

Well, I gave you come numbers in a previous post, and adding 3-4 (like molleys or plattys) more to that shouldn't be too much of a problem, but don't go any more than that. if it does get overloaded, (which shouldn't be by much) you'll loose a few fish within about a month.

the tank would then be balanced. after I've lost fish in overcrowding situations before, I was able to add 1-2 more fish back into the tank. and wouldn't have issues after tat for a long time.

 

[newcomer]

Sweet Thank you for the help!!!
was a pleasure. I may be back with other questions, hope to hear from you again

 

[Cherry Barb]

Newcomer, I don't mean to be a spoil sport but i have a few disagreements with some of the information you have been given about your tank, fish, etc.

1. Bettas can be very territorial. In a 10g aquarium you may very well be asking for trouble by adding more fish. It sounds like your 2yr old Betta has been with you awhile, so if he has been by himself all this time, he may not adjust well to his territory being invaded by other fish.

2. If you are set on adding more fish there are several other factors to consider the first of which is: Are we talking about a NEW tank or has your tank been cycled? Adding a Betta to a 10g uncycled tank is fine, they require less maintenance than other tropical fish, that's why they're popular (along with the fact they're beautiful.) But to just go and add several more fish will almost certainly prove deadly to the other fish and in a very short amount of time.

3. Also, tropical fish require a constant tank temperature around 78 degrees. I didn't see a heater mentioned in your setup.

4. When determining the "full capacity" of any tank you can usually count 1 inch of "full grown" fish per gallon of water.

I hope I don't sound harsh, I just want you to know what you need to consider so you can REALLY enjoy fishkeeping. I researched months before setting up my tank. There was a whole lot I didn't know and this website has helped me a bunch. I hope I have been of some help to you.

Good Luck!

R

 

[Cherry Barb]

Oh, one more thing before I forget....PLEASE, please, please, please Do NOT buy fish at Wal-Mart! Find a reputable pet store or fish dealer around your area but fishes from WM are never a good idea.

R

 

[Oscar]

(you'll prolly loose some in the transition from store to home, but thats normal to loose some fish in the first 24 hours)

Good heavens, I hope this is not true. I have been keeping fish for 50 years and seldom, if ever, have I lost fish from store to home or in the first 24 hours. I have a small LFS and have a 10 day guarantee on my fish. I'm afraid I would go broke if everyone lost some fish as quoted. If this is a constant with your purchases I would look for a different LFS

 

[illuminum]

how often should one vacuum the gravel. My LFS told me that I shouldn't gravel for the first 4-6 weeks. Does that sound about right?

 

[newcomer]

Well hello everybody:

Cherry Barb: Thanks for the help. I do not need a heater I live in canada and well it's hot as hell. in the winter I will purchase one but until then. My new tank cycled for about a month butfor I added new fish. Now my betta killed 3 tetra's and a couple mollies. bite there eye's out. Will it live or should I just let the betta have it? Well the whole losing fish on the way home, never heard of this. I have lost them to the heat of the water. now the walmart thing I would not buy any animals from anything except for accessories or part's nothin g else. Now to try and answer illuminum the whole gravel thing I was getting curious of that myself. Let's hope some of the pro's can help us both...... Thanks yawl

newcomer

 

[Cherry Barb]

Well newcomer, I think your Betta has made his stand for his territory. I would put those poor fish out of their misery because the Betta won't actually "eat" a fish larger than his mouth. It'll just "pick" parts off, etc. I would suggest not putting that Betta with anymore fish.

On the gravel thing, yeah it'll be about 6 weeks before you should do your first gravel vaccuuming. This is because you want your tank "cycled" before you vaccuum and your helpful bacteria live in your gravel. (A bio-wheel filter is a great thing too by the way for bacteria). After your tank is cycled you should vaccuum when you water change at least 25% once a month. Myself I like the 25% every other week or so.

Good luck! 8)

 

[newcomer]

Sweet i will try this and well now in ontario we lost all of our power trying to access the damange

 

[Cherry Barb]

Newcomer, I hope your fishies survived the power outage! Let us know, however in the meantime I have heard of a great product that is made for just such emergencies. There is a battery operated aerator made for aquariums. You plug it into the wall and leave it, if the power should fail the aerator automatically detects lack of power and comes on. When the power is restored it kicks off. I will be getting this myself this next month because the past few winters my neighborhood has had some weird power outages and I want to make sure my little guys are prepared. its pretty inexpensive between $10 and $15. Well worth the investment especially after hearing about this massive blackout! Good Luck and let us know how your fishies come out!

 

[newcomer]

fishy's are fine was only about 22 hours of darkness but had a few toys up my sleave. had a dollar store special 2 AA fan. and a 4 inch tube from home depot ( the flexible stuff for dryer's) attached the fan and placed a adapter and brought it down to 1 inch hose, this gave me enough air to sustain the new friend's. Those battery powered fans you are chatting about I have heard of them but have never seen them in any stores in my town, I may have to go for a trip to a bigger town. How was the power outage down in the USA? Was many of our fishy friend's lost?
Well jsut let me know