Newbie :)

[Flossie]

Hey guys!!! I'm new here ... Obviously -wink- ive posted some things in the wrong place I'm sure ... I'm definitely here to learn how to do things correctly... I currently have a ten gallon but hoping to upgrade to a 29 g soon seeing I started out wrong with a 10g and five tiger barbs and a pleco... I know I know... Now... Lol!!! Can't wait to get a larger tank and start it off right here's a pic of my ten gallon... I've had it a couple of months now...

 

[fort384]

Welcome to AA.

 

[Coleallensmom]

Welcome!

 

[Homedog98]

Welcome!

 

[Flossie]

Thank u

 

[Mr. Limpet]

Welcome aboard!

Cool looking bridge in your tank .

 

[Flossie]

Thanks mr. Limpet that was how I got my husband interested... He seen the bridge and took over the decorating lol

 

[melosu58]

Welcome aboard. We are glad you found us here at AA.

 

[Flossie]

Thank you very much... I'm happy too ...

 

[CoyoteWildfire]

Welcome! Glad to have you! I'm definitely appreciating your husband's sense of decoration. The centerpiece is simple but elegant, in my opinion.

It's hard to see, but are your plants fake? If so, have you considered replacing some (or all) of them with live ones? They're excellent for tank cycling and look authentic too.

And for what it's worth, I started with a 10G as a newb, and made mistakes too. Didn't even know about cycling! I'm now into a 29G and my stocking options exploded. I think you'll appreciate the extra space, should you migrate to one.

As always, if you have any questions, there are plenty of people willing and eager to help. Welcome aboard!

 

[Flossie]

Lol thanks.. I think he did pretty good... My plants are fake Live plants are awesome but I'm afraid I don't know anything about them... I am thinking about purchasing a 29g tonight or tomorrow. I want to try and start it off right... I barely had my ten gallon a week before gettin the wrong fish to stock it !! I've been nervous the whole time bc I started reading on cycling after I already had my fish. I've had it for a couple months now. My fish seem fine besides some messed up fins cause they are meanies hoping the larger tank will help. Everyone has been awesome.I really appreciate the help. I feel more at peace knowing I can get some real help

 

[CoyoteWildfire]

Well, from experience, I started off my 10G without cycling it either. Stuck a Serpae Tetra and a Common Plecostomus in it only after having it for a week. So I started a fish-in cycle, essentially.

Barbs are cool, but they do tend to be a bit nippy and competitive. Not much you can do about that... The extra room will more than likely help, but probably won't fix the fin-nipping. If you're looking for nicer, more community fish and you're not too attached to your barbs, you might want to return them if you can.

One thing I had to learn the hard way is stay calm. Don't let the nervousness or stress get to you. Unfortunately, experiments with tanks like this take days, if not weeks, so patience is a huge factor.

After having had your tank for a couple months, your cycle is probably well on its way. I saw your other thread, and getting that test kit is key to making sure your tank is cycling. Don't fret about having put your fish in first before cycling, as a lot of people do that to cycle anyway. That way it gives consistent ammonia to get the filter going--just can be hard on the fish if they're not hardy enough. Seems yours are doing well, but once you get your cycle completed, your fish may become a little more docile as the levels of ammonia will drop and stress the fish less.

Have you been doing your PWCs?

 

[Flossie]

Well I really do like the tiger barbs a lot but I don't want them if they are going to keep nipping each other... makes me crazy bc I don't know much about tiger barbs... been doing a lot of research... I have done a few PWC it's about time to do another Do you recommend a certain test kit? I think i would feel much better if I could keep that monitored ( i've actually never tested water before...besides checking ph ) Getting started seems to be pretty pricey so I have been a little limited however I would like to start a larger tank the right way but IDK if my barbs will be okay in the 10g for another month... one of their pelvic fins are almost completely gone... poor guy

 

[Flossie]

sorry I just seen the other thread where you told me about the test kit... I think i'm repeating myself LOL

 

[GoldfishNewbie]

wow its beautiful! Welcome to AA
I started off with a 10 gal too! haha... now I have a 20, and a 50 as well as the 10... beware of mts (multiple tank syndrome) its a problem that lots of people on here suffer with... not that we mind

 

[Flossie]

Thanks lol I'm sure I do have MTS but hey... I have to stop at the 29g or my husband will kill me LOL

 

[GoldfishNewbie]

That's what my parents told me... it didn't help haha, soon you'll convince him to trade your 10 gal into a "slightly bigger" tank, and end up with like a 90 gal. Mind you after a few weeks they really start to love the tanks too

 

[CoyoteWildfire]

Well I really do like the tiger barbs a lot but I don't want them if they are going to keep nipping each other... makes me crazy bc I don't know much about tiger barbs... Getting started seems to be pretty pricey so I have been a little limited however I would like to start a larger tank the right way but IDK if my barbs will be okay in the 10g for another month... one of their pelvic fins are almost completely gone... poor guy

For what it's worth, I recently had four black skirt tetras that I got last Friday. Returned them yesterday because they were so territorial that they were ripping each other apart. I too loved the fish themselves, but I didn't want to have ones that were going to upset my tank.

Sadly, I don't think the 29-gallon would fix the nipping... :-\ You can get fin-nipping even amongst community fish... Water conditions can certainly stress fish out... And that really tends to suck. But also you are dealing with an individual, and even fish have personalities that can play a role in this too.

 

[Flossie]

Man... That really stinks ... I didn't think those guys were aggressive at all ... I've been thinking about it a lot and I'd rather not buy a larger tank and have the same problem... I may just stick with community fish that are non aggressive... Was thinking about some glofish or a couple of koi swordtails but I've not researched them much yet ... Did u get something to replace your tetras ??

 

[Deckape]

That is a real nice tank! Welcome