New 10 g tank, seeking tips and advice

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Nelo

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Oct 6, 2013
Messages
31
Location
Texas
Hi there, this is my first post on the forum. I have been reading around on here and other sites for a while and have decided to join in. I currently have a 10 gallon Topfin starter tank from Petsmart. The only fish I have in there is my male Elephant Ear Betta, Brock (from Venture Bros..). My reason for getting a 10 gallon, a death trap as my dad would call it (he used to be a regional sales manager for Tetra.. has a lot of experience with freshwater tanks and ponds), is that it is really the largest tank that can fit comfortably on my desk. I live in an apartment with a roommate and we have to share the same tiny room. I really can't have a tank in our living room and a 20 gallon would be pushing it here at my desk. I'm really willing to do as much maintenance as needed since I know it will take more than a larger tank. I used some SafeStart and Aquasafe to treat my water.

I ordered an API master test kit but haven't received it yet, so I took a water sample to Petco and they did a strip test and everything was safe except the pH was a bit high. I'm weary about the accuracy of their test, but I'm still glad I got a vague idea of how the tank is going since I set it up yesterday.

One issue I'm having with the filter that came with the kit (big surprise..) is that the current is too strong for my betta.

I have some live plants, but it was dumb of me not to write down all of the names. I'm thinking I'll have to get different lighting for them to thrive but I'm not really sure where to start. I'm using Fluorite substrate with some plant food liquid.

Also, I want to eventually add some ADF to my tank. What number of frogs would you suggest so that the waste load isn't too crazy? Also, when would be a good time to add my first frog?

Another issue I will eventually have to face is that I'm a college student who goes home for breaks. I will be bringing my entire tank back for the month long winter break, but I'm not sure what to do for the 4 day long Thanksgiving holiday.

Thanks for reading through this jumbled post! I appreciate it.

Here are a couple pictures. The cloudy picture was taken when the dust from the Fluorite was still settling.

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I'm a college student in the same position as you. Transporting a tank is a lot if work because they are very heavy :/ I would suggest just sticking with the beta because you can bring him home with you in a cup for the car ride and he should be fine. Any other fish probably would not do well in a cup. Betas are able to go a week or more without food so don't worry about him over thanks giving :) One thing that might help with the water flow is to raise your water level. Raise it to the black plastic lip and that may help the water coming out of the filter be less disruptive. About the plants- it looks as though you have a swird of some type in the back left corner (will be ok in low light, but will need root tabs under it in the substrate, and will grow WAY too big for your tank- those things can grow like 2 feet tall), also I see a water wisteria in there to the right of the sword (will also be fine in low light and doesn't need root tabs), but I don't really recognize anything else, sorry:/ I would not recommend increasing your lighting to anything too strong, and to just keep the plants that live and throw out the ones that don't. Do you have the hood with incandescent lights or the florescent tube? Another plant that will do well that I don't see in your tank is anubias (these need to be tied onto a rock or piece of wood). But increasing your lighting too much=plants grow faster= They'll need a pressurized CO2 system or liquid carbon dosed daily= They'll need more fertilizers dosed daily= a lot of time and especially $$$$$. Not the best thing when you're trying to worry about classes as well :) If you have the incandescent lights the fluorescent or "deluxe" hood might be good to invest in, but if that's the one you already have then I'd just stick with that if I were you. Edit: also, don't worry about pH. As long as it's consistent it's fine. And it shouldn't change useless you're adding something like coral or limestone, driftwood or peat moss to your tank :)

Edit#2:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium/
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/i-jus...g-but-I-already-have-fish-What-now/Page2.html

Here are some articles to read that might be helpful
 
Thanks for the response, Khuligirl93! I only live 1.5 hr away from home, so the ride isn't too far and I figured I could devise a plan to transport my frogs and betta safely since I figured they do have to get shipped to petstores and spend more than 1.5 during that shipment time I'm sure. I was thinking about draining the tank for the most part so I'm able to carry it to my car, but still leaving a little bit at the bottom. Would my plants be fine just with root tabs and food for the water column??
The lighting in my tank is just two measly little LED light strips. I have a 60 watt lamp right next to the tank as well that I keep on while doing school work.

The main thing is that I am reaaally wanting more than just a betta. definitely a group of frogs.
 
Ok, well you could probably get a few African dwarf frogs then (ADFs). I've read things that say they can be difficult, but my friend has one in her 4g evolve and it's been fine for months- so I bet you could have them successfully:)
I'm not sure about those lights, maybe try to see if you can find any info about their PAR value. The 15w full spectrum fluorescent tube light that comes with the 10g deluxe hood at petsmart is sufficient for growing low light plants though, I did that for a few months.
 
Thanks again! I've been reading a lot about ADFs and have heard ones from chain stores often have fungal infections. It's a bummer as in College Station we don't have any little privately owned aquatic stores with livestock. I'm from Houston so I may just have to buy some from a store there if I can find healthy frogs. Ordering online is so expensive!
 
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