New Member With A New Aquarium, HELP PLEASE ...

[turbojha]

Dear Friends,

I have recently bought a freshwater aquarium with 10 fishes in it. I need to know the most important things I need to know so that I can avoid any harm to my fishes in any way. Here are some of the things I would like to know..

Q 1. How do I deal with Nitrogen Cycle ? (I know why it happens but I wanna know how to deal with it effectively)

Q 2. How many times should I wash the spongy thing in my filter, I have heard that it contains good bacteria.. so I am confused how many times to clear it in a month ?

Q 3. I would like to know the names of all the fishes I bought. I don't even know the name of any fish save for two, which is gold fish and guppies.. that i recognize.. apart from that, I need some serious help... I would try to upload the pictures of all my fishes with serial numbers if i can..

Q 4. How many times should I feed my fish in a day ?

Q 5. Since I am an impulse buyer so i bought the aquarium (10 Gallon) without any research which I now know was a mistake to begin with but can anyone please clarify how not to kill any of my fishes in it. I am a student and this is one of my new hobbies and I can't buy a new aquarium just now.. so I need all the help I can get, also I don't have any money left to buy too many fancy stuffs, so please recommend only those things I can't do without.

Here are the pictures of my fishes...


1.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=820458618009682&l=9b35458d9b

2.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=820458931342984&l=4a68591081

3.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=820458994676311&l=d420d83d84

4.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=820459021342975&l=8bbb70c908

5.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=820459084676302&l=fe534ec16f

6.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=820459131342964&l=182a0389f8

7.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=820459201342957&l=3f5b29d6c6

8.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=820459248009619&l=264cc4f44d

9.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=820459311342946&l=756e7a6ef1

 

[sinibotia]

Ok, I'll play the fish ID game first:

Most of what you have appear to be either koi or common goldfish. You also have an angelfish and a black skirt tetra.

This is a huge problem. Except for the angelfish and tetra, all of those fish get huge and generally require a pond. The goldfish and koi need cooler water while the tetra and angelfish require tropical water. And none of those fish are appropriate for a 10 gallon. If you don't want to kill them, the best thing you can do is return them.

There are lots of cool fish you can keep in a 10 gallon- even certain kinds of pufferfish! (I have some myself ) But you have to return the fish that you already have because there is just no way any of them will survive in a tank that small. Even the angelfish needs at least a 30 gallon tank.

 

[turbojha]

Confused A Lot More Now...

Dear Sinibotia,

First of all, thanks a lot for your help, I really appreciate it...


But could you please name those fishes according to the number I have already provided with the image, just like the tests we used to have in school but this time, no one is failing... I promise ya..

And are you saying that I have to return all of them ?

I liked the goldfish too much..

And if I do return them all of them then what kinds of fishes would you recommend... please give me a lot of options to choose from.. I wanna make a communal tank with 8 to 10 fishes living peacefully.. no one should bite the other's head off...

and one more thing.. how many times should I change the tank's water in a week when the tank is new and the Cycle thing is going on ?

also.. when to wash the spongy thing in the filter ?

please be a little patient with me as I am new at this.. so.. I might ask all kinds of silly questions...

thanks in advance..

 

[sinibotia]

Unfortunately yeah, you're gonna have to bring back every single one of those fish. I'm going to list out the species and the minimum tank size requirements so you'll understand why.

1. Common Goldfish- 75 gallon

2. Koi- large outdoor pond

3. Koi- large outdoor pond

4. Common Goldfish- 75 gallon

5. Koi- large outdoor pond

6. Angelfish- 30 gallon

7. Angelfish- 30 gallon

8. Black skirt tetra- 30 gallon

9. Koi- large outdoor pond

For nearly all of your current fish, you'll need a massive pond. Angelfish and black skirt tetras are manageable in a 30 gallon, but if a 10 gallon is your limit here's something fun and easy to try:

3 platys OR 3 guppies OR 3 endlers OR 1 betta
AND
6 pygmy corydoras OR 6 kuhli loaches

There are more options than that, but those are some of the best, most forgiving fish if this is your first real aquarium. Check out those options and if you aren't satisfied then I can come up with some more.

Don't worry about mistakes and "silly" questions. We all start somewhere. Some of my earliest fish were way too big for my first tank, just like you. Being willing to fix your mistakes and get good information means you're taking a really good first step.

When your tank is cycled, changing 50% every week should be plenty. During cycling, it depends on if you do fish-in or fish-out. I recommend doing a fishless cycle once you return the stuff you already have. It's WAY less labor intensive. If you do a fish in cycle you'll be doing water changes at least every other day.

Do you have test kits? An API freshwater master test kit is one of the most important things to have as a fishkeeper.

I almost never wash the filter pads in my tanks. They hold important beneficial bacteria so I only rinse them when the flow rate in my filters gets too low- every 4-6 months. Just rinse them in a bucket of tank water.

 

[ImACoolguy]

+1000 to everything sinibotia has said.

We all start somewhere. My first fish was a goldfish in a 2.5g tank. It was dead in a week.

If this is a standard 10g a common goldfish will get almost as long as that entire tank if properly cared for. Needless to say that's why it needs a much larger tank.


Caleb

 

[turbojha]

Ufff... I wish I could keep my goldfish..

Dear Friend...

Would you be kind enough to look at the first image again ? Coz that fish is red in colour and you said it is a COMMON goldfish... I thought goldfish were supposed to be golden ?

 

[turbojha]

Ufff... I wish I could keep my goldfish..

Dear Friend...

Would you be kind enough to look at the first image again ? Coz that fish is red in colour and you said it is a COMMON goldfish... I thought goldfish were supposed to be golden ?

and if it is not true then how can it be COMMON ...

Also, you did give me some options, I am glad for that but can I get some more colourful fishes.. and not options like loaches.. are you trying to scare me off my new found hobby


Also, I would like to know how will I know that the cycle is complete so that I can relax a bit.. and no I have no kit right now and no API kit is available here and one website is offering it at a very high rate.. I can't really afford it.. they are asking almost the whole amount I spent on my 10 gallon set-up..

and thanks again for the help.. really appreciate it..

 

[turbojha]

Thanks..

Any other advices ?

 

[ImACoolguy]

#1 is not a common it's like a stunted lionchu. Goldfish are not my thing though.

Test kits are vital to this hobby. There is NO WAY to tell if your cycle is completed without one.

If a $30 test kit is out of your price range then is honestly take back ALL of the fish you have. They need larger tanks than what you have and will indefinitely stunt their growth and die.


Caleb

 

[ImACoolguy]

Also don't diss loaches till you try them! They are some of the best fish you can own and each species has a unique personality. They are funny and just all around great. One of my loaches will eat directly from my hand. Don't see fish doing that do you


Caleb

 

[samram0829]

Guppies are great beginner fish! That's what I started out with and theY come in a Wide variety of colors! I'm still kind of New to the hobby as well but I've done a good amount of research I also had some ghost shrimp when I first started my 10 gallon cause someone recommended them but shrimp also come in a variety of colors as well.

 

[turbojha]

Man, I am not in the mood of disrespecting anything... I just wanted more options for my aquarium and you don't have to be hurtful just because i can't afford something today.. If I were careless then i would not be here asking for help. By the way I had ordered the API master test kit before you said so.. so.. be a little more supportive or just don't reply at all.. okay.. i did not ask for orders.. just advises..

 

[Delapool]

Hi, included some articles to get started and a website where you can check stocking.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...ou-get-started-with-your-aquarium-154837.html

http://www.aqadvisor.com


The API master kit is the way to go. Congrats on the purchase, the tests last a very long time and are fairly reliable. The tests will tell you if the tank is cycled and stable.

I feed my fish once a day. About as much as they can eat in several minutes. Missing a day say once a fortnight does them no harm.

Q5 - water changes of say 30% to 50% each week is best and cheapest you can do to keep the tank healthy.

I have tropical fish so also have a heater to go with the filter (winter here so tempted to sleep with the fish).

 

[ImACoolguy]

I was not trying to sound disrespectful, merely just give sound advice and what will happen if the fish are not rehomed.


Caleb