Another newbie that didn't do his research

[cfosgate]

No worries. Most of the tanks oxygen comes from the surface and disturbing the surface actually helps oxygenate the water more than bubbles in the flow. You're in good shape.

 

[RightTurnClyde]

No worries. Most of the tanks oxygen comes from the surface and disturbing the surface actually helps oxygenate the water more than bubbles in the flow. You're in good shape.

Awesome. Thanks.

Still learning every day... After visiting the pet store today, I realized that my pleco is not a bristlenose, but rather a common. So I guess I really better not get too attached to him, since they can apparently grow to 24". Will fish stores generally take a fish off your hands to give it another home? Would a couple oto cats be a good substitute for him as small tank algae eaters?

I also fell in love with neon and/or cardinal tetras today. I'm hoping I can add a school of them to my tank once it's in good shape.

 

[tnfinfan]

Awesome. Thanks.

Still learning every day... After visiting the pet store today, I realized that my pleco is not a bristlenose, but rather a common. So I guess I really better not get too attached to him, since they can apparently grow to 24". Will fish stores generally take a fish off your hands to give it another home? Would a couple oto cats be a good substitute for him as small tank algae eaters?

I also fell in love with neon and/or cardinal tetras today. I'm hoping I can add a school of them to my tank once it's in good shape.

If they sold a common as a bristlenose, they ought to take him back! I'd ask for the manager and pitch a fit until they did. There are a ton of commons overgrowing their tanks and not a lot of folks with big tanks interested in having them.

Otos are notoriously fragile. They need an established tank with good algae growth and stable parameters. They're popular with planted tank folks because they are small enough to clean leaves but I wouldn't choose them for a newbie. I still think you really ought to look at shrimp. The ghost shrimp are popular but there are brightly colored varieties also.

If you have a lot of algae, nerite snails are great algae munchers! I have a 65 with a bristlenose and two nerites. I had issues with algae before I upgraded tank size and I moved the decorations over completely covered in it knowing I was getting a pleco at the beginning of the year. She was doing a decent job on those but wasn't keeping up with new growth on the tank walls so I added the nerites. Oh.my.goodness. I haven't had to clean a decoration since and I was scrubbing them once a month prior. I still wipe down the glass on the front and sides because I see a haze with trails through it but I leave any algae that is growing on the back. I'm starting to worry now that they'll go hungry soon. The pleco eats the supplemental veggies and wafers but the snails are determined to find algae.

 

[TXaggie]

I would second the nerite as a cleanup crew. Best cleaning snail for freshwater IMO! And Aquaclear filters are awesome. Consider removing the carbon, adding a second bag of biomedia and/or purigen. That will help your tank out in the long run much more than the carbon insert.

You may also consider dwarf corydoras as a bottom dweller for your tank. They can fit in a 10 gallon and are super fun to watch. There are 3 species that are the right size: corydoras pygmaeus, corydoras habrosus, and corydoras hastatus. C. habrosus is my favorite, c. pygmaeus is more of a mid level dweller than a bottom dweller.

Something to consider about the tetras; you said your pH is high, do you know what your hardness is like? Neon tetras will usually adapt to harder water/higher pH but cardinals may be more sensitive. If you do have harder water a smaller danio species might do better for your tank. Luckily there are a lot of great nano fish available for a tank your size! Look into Endlers livebearers if you like mollies and platies. I've seen them at Petsmart by me.

Good luck with your tank!

 

[RightTurnClyde]

Great info guys. I don't necessarily have an algae problem. At least not yet. I just really like the idea of having a cleaning crew in the tank. I don't like the idea of snails, but I'll take a look at shrimp. Will shrimp clean algae off the glass? I'd probably prefer one with brighter colors than the ghost.

 

[robbyno22]

I just got some fire red cherry shrimp. They are so fun! Just make sure you put a pretty filter sponge over your intake, or something to prevent the babies from getting sucked into the filter

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[RightTurnClyde]

Ah yes. I tried a pre-filter sponge on my first filter and didn't like seeing all the poop collected there. So I'd try to find another solution. I don't suppose it's easy to get a couple of the same sex so I don't end up with babies?

 

[robbyno22]

Not really, lol, but they like to clean the filter

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[robbyno22]

Just realized that pre filter got auto corrected to pretty filter! Ha!

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[threnjen]

I hate nerites. I must be the only one...

If you feel like the flow on the Aquaclear is high, remember you can turn it down just by moving that little knob on the top to the right

 

[RightTurnClyde]

Consider removing the carbon, adding a second bag of biomedia and/or purigen. That will help your tank out in the long run much more than the carbon insert.

You may also consider dwarf corydoras as a bottom dweller for your tank. They can fit in a 10 gallon and are super fun to watch. There are 3 species that are the right size: corydoras pygmaeus, corydoras habrosus, and corydoras hastatus. C. habrosus is my favorite, c. pygmaeus is more of a mid level dweller than a bottom dweller.

Something to consider about the tetras; you said your pH is high, do you know what your hardness is like? Neon tetras will usually adapt to harder water/higher pH but cardinals may be more sensitive. If you do have harder water a smaller danio species might do better for your tank. Luckily there are a lot of great nano fish available for a tank your size! Look into Endlers livebearers if you like mollies and platies. I've seen them at Petsmart by me.

Good luck with your tank!

Funny, I was considering taking out the carbon and adding more biomax in a media bag after the carbon is shot. Doesn't it only do good for about a week anyway?

Thanks for the corydora reco. They look like they would be fun. I do have hard water, so I'll research some danios too. Are there any particular species that are more colorful than the zebras? I'd like to have some brightly colored fish in the mix. I don't necessarily like the molly. She was chosen by my daughter. She's kind of a bully and gorges herself picking at anything I try to feed to the pleco like wafers and zucchini. Danios also like a current in the tank too, correct?

 

[TXaggie]

Funny, I was considering taking out the carbon and adding more biomax in a media bag after the carbon is shot. Doesn't it only do good for about a week anyway?

Thanks for the corydora reco. They look like they would be fun. I do have hard water, so I'll research some danios too. Are there any particular species that are more colorful than the zebras? I'd like to have some brightly colored fish in the mix. I don't necessarily like the molly. She was chosen by my daughter. She's kind of a bully and gorges herself picking at anything I try to feed to the pleco like wafers and zucchini. Danios also like a current in the tank too, correct?

If you're looking for colorful fish to keep your daughter interested, you really might consider a few (male only) fancy guppies or some of the Endlers live bearers (male only). Both are active and bright.

A couple danio species to consider:

Dwarf Emerald Danio:

http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/danio-erythromicron/

Celestial Pearl Danio

http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/search/Celestial+pearl+danio

However both these species prefer densely planted aquariums. Celestial Pearl Danios (CPDs) especially have a reputation for being shy if the tank doesn't have enough hiding spots or they don't have a large enough school.

Ultimately I think it depends on who the tank is for the most, your daughter or you. If you just want some colorful fish for your daughter to watch try some of the smaller livebearers, especially since she likes the Molly. If you're interested in live plants or keeping dwarf shrimp a nano fish would be a better choice. Dwarf cories are appropriate to both set-ups.

Snails, while not the most exciting to everyone are really the best algae eaters and clean up for a smaller tank. Nerites are the algae champs of freshwater tanks, Mystery snails are much more interesting and are omnivorous scavengers so will eat leftover food. Mine often dive from various points in the tank....hilarious to look over and see a snail diving.

Oh, and another resource that I don't think has been linked in this thread yet:

http://www.aqadvisor.com/

This can help you estimate your tank stocking level, although specific advice from members is better. But it's fun to play with, and a great way to see what capacity your tank really has.

Oh, and carbon does only last a few weeks to a month. Keep it in case you ever need to medicate your tank, but that's really the only time you'd need it.

I hope you can get your LFS to take those fish back, sounds like they sold your pleco under the wrong species.

 

[RightTurnClyde]

Thanks for all that good stuff, TXaggie. Yes, guppies were the other option I was considering. Since I'm doing all the work, I kind of feel like the tank should be mostly for me. Haha...

Do you think my molly would bully or chase/nip at guppies with their long tails? She seems to be fairly peaceful, but she is very active and curious.

After more research I also realized that my pleco is NOT a common either but actually a sailfin pleco. Still too big for my tank. I just have to break it to my daughter that he has to go.

 

[TXaggie]

I agree that the Pleco needs to go ASAP. Unfortunately, because I can tell your daughter is attached to it, the Molly should really be taken back too. I agree with the others in the thread that have said it will get too big for your tank. And the bioload is a lot too for a larger livebearer like that. A larger active fish like that will be too overbearing for the nano fish that I've been recommending. I had a couple of platy fish in my 29 gallon and they were not bullying to my smaller fish but I never saw my Pygmy cories while they were in the tank. If you want an easier to care for tank, plan on taking back your Molly and restocking with smaller fish. I'm really sorry you were given such poor advice starting out, it makes it so much harder.


On another note, do you know how your tank cycle is going? I know people earlier had talked to you about it, I was just curious if it's making progress. Waiting for the cycle to complete is the hardest part of a new aquarium!

 

[RightTurnClyde]

Hmm... That will be tough to take the Molly back. But I'm all for making the tank easier to care for.

The cycling is going ok. No dangerous spikes or anything. I'm still definitely in the high ammonia phase. I think I more or less started over when I got the new filter. But as others have said, I'm way overloaded with the fish I have. I'll try to take them back this weekend.

 

[TXaggie]

Hmm... That will be tough to take the Molly back. But I'm all for making the tank easier to care for.

The cycling is going ok. No dangerous spikes or anything. I'm still definitely in the high ammonia phase. I think I more or less started over when I got the new filter. But as others have said, I'm way overloaded with the fish I have. I'll try to take them back this weekend.

Well, long run I think you're making the right decision. Your daughter will hopefully forget about the Molly when you replace it with other colorful fish. Glad to hear your ammonia is stabilizing. Keep on with the frequent waterchangers and you'll get there!! Hopefully a smaller bioload will make things easier for you. Maybe just a couple guppies instead and then once you're cycled slowly add fish until you reach your full stocking level.

 

[RightTurnClyde]

It's weird though. On aqadvisor.com they don't have any warnings when I add a Molly to a 10 gallon. It's even in the list of appropriate fish. It just says that one Molly is 47% of my stocking level. Obviously I'm no expert, but is it unreasonable to keep her and then add a few guppies and some shrimp once I'm cycled?

 

[Fishperson]

It's weird though. On aqadvisor.com they don't have any warnings when I add a Molly to a 10 gallon. It's even in the list of appropriate fish. It just says that one Molly is 47% of my stocking level. Obviously I'm no expert, but is it unreasonable to keep her and then add a few guppies and some shrimp once I'm cycled?

This is why I personally despise aqadvisor. It is good for a few things, but in many cases it is absolutely horrific. For example, it condones 7 platys in a 10 gallon tank, which would be overstocked even in a 20 gallon tank.

 

[TXaggie]

It's weird though. On aqadvisor.com they don't have any warnings when I add a Molly to a 10 gallon. It's even in the list of appropriate fish. It just says that one Molly is 47% of my stocking level. Obviously I'm no expert, but is it unreasonable to keep her and then add a few guppies and some shrimp once I'm cycled?

I thought that was weird too. I put a 10 gallon tank in and got the same thing, no warnings or anything. But everywhere else I've read or anyone I've talked to doesn't recommend any larger livebearer than a platy in a 10 gallon. And even then you could keep one or two. It's also way off on the cherry shrimp bioload, it seems to count them the same way it does nano fish which is gotta be way off. But it's a decent estimator if you've got a resource for advice and have a general idea what is a good fit for your tank going in. Also, stocking is one of the topics on the forums that seems to have quite a range of opinions.

 

[Fishperson]

I thought that was weird too. I put a 10 gallon tank in and got the same thing, no warnings or anything. But everywhere else I've read or anyone I've talked to doesn't recommend any larger livebearer than a platy in a 10 gallon. And even then you could keep one or two. It's also way off on the cherry shrimp bioload, it seems to count them the same way it does nano fish which is gotta be way off. But it's a decent estimator if you've got a resource for advice and have a general idea what is a good fit for your tank going in. Also, stocking is one of the topics on the forums that seems to have quite a range of opinions.

I agree, it is strange because it's normally pretty good but in many situations like that it is bad. It also has chili rasboras at a higher bioload than CPDs when they are around half the CPDs size!