Just Bought A new 10 gallon...have a few questions..!

[dertyharry420]

I've been reading up on cycling and i was wondering how i measure all the nitrate and everything or what i need to buy..and so tips on cycling cause i have a brand new 10 gallon regent glass tank and i bought a penguin mini bio-filter and so far i added Start Right to the tank and Quick Cure.Thanks...and also i bought an All Glass Full hood with light and you know how it says it has rear cut outs ...will they be big enough for my pengium hob filter..?

 

[poppab02]

Welcome! Your lfs should have test kits you can buy to test your water at home for all the basics, and most fish stores will test your water for you as well. From what I understand fishless cycling is the best, let the tank run for a week or two with no fish to let natural bacteria build, and then buy a couple of starter fish (i.e. not expensive) to put in for a few days or a week to make sure your tankwater is ready. The filter you have is not big so the cutout in your lid should be just fine. Oh, and research your fish if you haven't already, because some require certain water conditions, temperature, and tankmates, and you don't want to end up with dead fish because of ignorance. Hope this helps!

 

[dertyharry420]

thanks i just want to know what kind of kit to buy online ....and what do you think i should get for my new 10 gallon..? im prolly gonna get tropical but all my friends say red belly pacu but im pretty sure i want tropical....and if anyone has a setup with a hang on the back filter with a full hood cause i wanna see how it would fit.

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

I'd get an AP Master Test Kit- it has everything you'll need.

DON'T get the pacu- they can grow to well over two feet in length and would probably outgrow your ten gallon in a month or so. You're on the right track with the smaller, tropical community fish.

Is your hood plastic or glass? If it's glass, there will an opening across the back side that'll provide more than enough space for your filter. If it's plastic, there'll be perforated sections on the back side of the hood: you just "pop out" enough of those to provide room for your filter.

 

[Menagerie]

[center:bd25be56cb] Welcome to AA, dertyharry420 [/center:bd25be56cb]
To learn about cycling, read these posts:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/showquestion.php?faq=2&fldAuto=15
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=15614&highlight=
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=25680&highlight=

 

[TankGirl]

Welcome to AA, dertyharry420!

If you do a search here on "10 gal" or the like you will probably come up with many threads discussing how to stock this size tank, which is easy to overstock.

Stay away from the cute little pacus and oscars, but go to the LFS and post back with what kinds of fish catch your eye, and we can let you know if they are appropriate for this tank. There are many that are, and many that aren't, lol!

 

[fishieguy]

Hi, dertyharry420. Good luck with your tank -- I just started my 10G tank six weeks ago, so I know what you're going through.

You picked the right board, btw. We seem to be in good hands with these helpful veterans.

Eager to see pics when you've established your tank!

 

[dertyharry420]

thanks alot for the support...and yeah this is buy the looks of it The best forum yet !

 

[thetmaxx]

any advise i have for some one buying a 10 gal is don't, go with a 29gal. 10 just cant hold many fish. but your in it now, look at some tetras. find some different species... i really love the tetras i got. the columbian is especially colorful!! stay away from puffers. they are cute, but cant live in 10 gallons. also look into ottocinclus' for your algae problems. and corydoras to clean excess food... barbs, white clouds, or danios are good too get the tank cycling, and you might find you like them!! hth... btw your filter will fit just fine with room to spare...

 

[dud]

What else can I suggest? White clouds and otocinclus! Not so much colorful at the first sight, but indeed they are beautiful after you watch them enough. Oh, not sure about the otocinclus though. I just don't have them *YET*.

But I think it also matters on what personality you want to give to the tank. I read Tom's post in another thread, saying that he messed up his tank because of the busy tetras he got. He liked his tank being a quiet and relaxing one, but probably the tetras he got were a little too busy for that concept. So maybe you want to get something that match your preference, not just by the appearances but also by their behaviour.

I've been keeping a white cloud for cycling, and although it can swim extremely fast, usually it will make very small jerky moves so it doesn't make the tank look too busy. But maybe that's because he's alone, so I'm not sure how they'd behave in a school. I also keep 2 neons, and in my opinion they are way too greedy, picky on each other, and hyperactive for me. But again, I only have 2, so I'm not sure when they are in a school.

Anyway, as another 10 gal owner, welcome to the club!

 

[Cafe Jeff]

The only two cents I will add is that two weeks is a very short cycle time indeed. That said, you can after a few days put a couple of danios in and wait for things to settle.
You could also do the fishless cycling route, but it's awfully boring watching ammonia. Jeff

 

[thetmaxx]

when schooling fish are kept in 2's it seems they always pick on each other. my tetras do it, as you can see i only have 2. i had 4 white clouds during cycling, and they always schooled together, and were very freindly to one another. they were kindda slow and hung out a lot, moving a little bit here and there. but they are jumpers too. i found the best way to jump-safe your tank is to put small netting over the exposed ares, like where the filter and heater cut-outs are. its better than finding a white cloud stiff the next morning from surfing the carpet ocean.

 

[Todd2]

I have a 10g as well. My zebra danios are very active and chase each other around, but they don't bully each other. You might want to consider them. Good luck with eveything.

 

[dud]

You are so right about the white clouds, thetmaxx!! Initially I started with two white clouds, just to find out that one disappeared overnight. I tried to find it everywhere, but didn't have a clue where it went, only after 2 weeks later I found its body on the carpet turned into a jerky. I remember them jumping every now and then, and he must've made a real good one when he got out. Now I covered the openings with clear wrap (such as sarans) so that the other won't be able to jump out.

I never knew that neon would constantly pick on each other when they are kept in two. But I really want to have a school of white cloud, so I'll probably wait until those two neons run their course... I mean, everything that's alive has to go some day, right?

 

[dud]

By the way, Carassius spp. are indeed delicious, thetmaxx... You just have to know which variety to choose, how to cook them, and more importantly, how to eat them.

 

[dertyharry420]

ill be posting pics as soon as im done setting it up and cycling ....

 

[thetmaxx]

i had seran wrap back there actually to start with, but my filter on day managed to start pumping water on top of the seran wrap, so i cut a hole in the bottom so it would go back to the tank, and not my carpet... then i saw some netting from some rocks i bought and had a brain storm. now i have netting, it hasn't been tested (by the fish) but i have a feeling it will work.

you know the funny story about my white cloud jumping is that i was about to go to sleep when i heard somehting flip in the water. i thought it was probably just a bubble from all of my bubble toys... but i thought, that was kind of a big one. then it occured to me, if something did jump it only has a 1"x4" hole to make it out of, the odds are slim, especially with the lights off! so i went to bed.

the next moring i couldn't get a proper head count, then i thought, oh no!!! so i looked around, sure enough. the little guy was stiff if i would have looked when it happened i coulda saved his life. i still feel kindda bad. but that was a year ago, and i must move on....