Another newbie here

[JJ-Serenity]

I've always been interested in aquariums as we had them when I was a kid and I always wanted a saltwater aquarium. Recently (this past week) I went fishing and didn't want to throw the minnows and goldfish out so I got a 10 gal aquarium and got it set up (granted not the way I should've, come to find out after reading on here. oops). I live an hour away from the closest bait shop for minnows and 30 min from a lake. So I thought I'd store them myself. Any how, it got me interested in aquariums all over again. I need to learn more about freshwater, the cycling (oh..man..cycling. something about fish poop = ammonia -> nitrite -> nitrate...something like that. I'm so lost on cycling. Maybe I should take a chemistry class to understand. lol) and keeping what fish I do have alive. Right now I got 5 fathead minnows and 2 goldfish in a 10 gal. Once I learn some more, I hope to get another tank to try my hand at some freshwater tropical fish and get the 'feel' for aquariums a little better. If I can find the right section to post for more info on cycling I'll do that. I'm so glad I found this forum as I'm sure it will definitely help me getting started on learning and growing to a sw later on. I'm also new to forums in general so I'll see if I can try to navigate to the right areas.

-JJ-

 

[Skyrmir]

Cycling is pretty easy really, the only trick is patience. Easiest method is to just drop in a small raw shrimp or two, wait a month and check the water. You should have no ammonia or nitrate and a good amount of nitrate. if there's still nitrite, then check it every few days until that gets used up. Once that's done, remove the shrimp (or gooey left overs) change 80-90% of the water, and start adding fish a few at a time.

 

[Zagz]

Welcome to AA! I find it interesting to read how our members got into the hobby. If you need any help navigating just pm me or one of the other mods and we'll be more than happy to help.

 

[Ziggy953]

Welcome to AA!!! There is an article section on this site that has some great information on how to setup and cycle your tank.

Glad to see you have joined us and are getting back into the hobby!

 

[Sahabo]

Welcome! You'll find lots of knowledgeable people here and good doses of encouragement

 

[Purrbox]

If you think reading up on cycling makes your eyes cross, just wait until you get into all the SW specific information. Don't worry with some time and practice it all starts to make sense and you'll wonder what was so difficult about it in the first place. Good luck and welcome to the forum!

 

[warped1]

Welcome --- You will learn all you need to learn here. I'm a newbie myself and the members here are helping me and mys son set up a tank. -- Yes, the cycling reads a little confusing at first. But your not doing everything it tells you to do in one day as Skyrmir patience and time are key.

 

[melosu58]

Welcome to AA

 

[roka64]

Welcome to the site!

 

[Paty]

Welcome to AA! I'm a newbie too, but I found all the help and information I needed on this site, everyone here will help you have a successful tank!

Good luck! : )

 

[neilanh]

Welcome to the site. Like was said earlier, doing your research is a lot to take in all at once, but it does sink in and make sense as you put it to practical application. This is definately the right place to get all your questions answered.