TheKraken
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Hello Everyone,
Newbie here! I recieved a 10 gallon tank for christmas this past year and finally have the tank set up! I'm super excited as I have been wanting to give the hobby a shot for a little while now. Anyways, I have several questions in regards to my setup and I thought Id come to the experts for some advice! First I will let you know what kind of tank I currently have and what I have done so far:
Top Fin
10 Gallon Beginners Kit (came with the heater, filter and various other stuff a beginner would need)
Have it on a stand which unfortunately is not completely level as the floors in my home are not. Nothing too drastic and barely noticeable.
I have added a sand substrate with a small cave decoration and a larger decorative bonsai tree. (Looks pretty cool) I have also added a few live plants and a moss ball as well as hear they are good for combating algae.
I have cycled my tank for about a week with no fish. The directions that came with the tank said let it cycle for 24 to 48 hours but i figured id give it a week. After the first week, I took my water to get tested at Petsmart and these were my results:
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate- 0
pH- 6.8
Alkalinity - 120
Hardness- 300
Chlorine - 0
At this point I figured it was ok to add my first fish to the aqurium. So my first additions were a red wag platy and a balloon belly molly. I know its early as I have only had them 4 days but they look pretty healthy.
Ok now that you know what I have...here come the questions related to both fish additions, plants and some general.
1. I know about the whole 1 inch rule and according to petsmart the platy and balloon belly molly get to be around 3 inches, wasnt sure if this was accurate or not? I know I am kind of limited with what i can do with a 10 gallon so I wanted to know what recommendations you have as to future fish additions i could make in another week or two. Maybe some bottom dwellers? If I cant add too many more no big deal.
2. If i go slightly over 10 inches of fish is it going to have a drastic effect? Some of the petsmart people who seemed fairly knowledgeable and seemed to be into the hobby themselves acted like it would be ok.
3. Kind of touching on question 1. In regards to schooling fish, corys for example, do they HAVE to be in schools? Do they get too stressed alone? It was recommended to me to get some bottom feeders but i dont know if i will have the room for them.
4. In the short time I have had my two fish, I noticed that they do poop alot. The sand substrate i have is nice, but the poo is definitely more noticeable. Do I need to clean a tank with sand any more than I do vs one with gravel in regards to health of the fish? How often should I clean it? Also, any recommendations on how to clean a sand bottom...I've read some info online about it, but thought id get some ideas here.
5. Do you recommend keeping a dechlorinated bucket of water ready for water changes and evaporation? Additionally, if you let tap water sit for a few days will the chlorine evaporate so i dont need to add dechlorinator?
6. I've only been feeding them once a day. How long should i keep that up for?
7. Should I add an airstone? Not sure if the Top fin filter gives off enough oxygen, fish seem ok and arent hanging out by the surface too much. If so, how often should I replace them.
8. Due to the tank light being on for 8 to 12 hours a day, my water temp rises from 76 to 80 degrees over the course of that time, are these gradual temp changes ok for the fish?
Now in regards to plants...
1. Can plants still thrive in sand? Obviously they can get uprooted easily but wasnt sure if a sand substrate was ok for plant growth.
2. Dont know how familiar you are with the top fin 10 gallon, but i have read the lights that come with it arent the best for plant growth (came with two tiny bulbs, one on each side of the cover). I went out and bought a 20 inch Aqueon Single Tube Strip Light which includes an 18 inch "Aquarium Spectrum Flourescent Lamp" Will this do the trick for the plants? I didnt notice the Aqueon box saying anywhere that it "provides day light".
3. I bought some Leaf Zone plant food. Is it worth buying or does it really help with plant growth?
Sorry for all the questions, didnt realize I typed so much. There is alot of information on the web, sometimes conflicting, so I wanted to get some opinions here. Thanks for all your help!
Newbie here! I recieved a 10 gallon tank for christmas this past year and finally have the tank set up! I'm super excited as I have been wanting to give the hobby a shot for a little while now. Anyways, I have several questions in regards to my setup and I thought Id come to the experts for some advice! First I will let you know what kind of tank I currently have and what I have done so far:
Top Fin
10 Gallon Beginners Kit (came with the heater, filter and various other stuff a beginner would need)
Have it on a stand which unfortunately is not completely level as the floors in my home are not. Nothing too drastic and barely noticeable.
I have added a sand substrate with a small cave decoration and a larger decorative bonsai tree. (Looks pretty cool) I have also added a few live plants and a moss ball as well as hear they are good for combating algae.
I have cycled my tank for about a week with no fish. The directions that came with the tank said let it cycle for 24 to 48 hours but i figured id give it a week. After the first week, I took my water to get tested at Petsmart and these were my results:
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate- 0
pH- 6.8
Alkalinity - 120
Hardness- 300
Chlorine - 0
At this point I figured it was ok to add my first fish to the aqurium. So my first additions were a red wag platy and a balloon belly molly. I know its early as I have only had them 4 days but they look pretty healthy.
Ok now that you know what I have...here come the questions related to both fish additions, plants and some general.
1. I know about the whole 1 inch rule and according to petsmart the platy and balloon belly molly get to be around 3 inches, wasnt sure if this was accurate or not? I know I am kind of limited with what i can do with a 10 gallon so I wanted to know what recommendations you have as to future fish additions i could make in another week or two. Maybe some bottom dwellers? If I cant add too many more no big deal.
2. If i go slightly over 10 inches of fish is it going to have a drastic effect? Some of the petsmart people who seemed fairly knowledgeable and seemed to be into the hobby themselves acted like it would be ok.
3. Kind of touching on question 1. In regards to schooling fish, corys for example, do they HAVE to be in schools? Do they get too stressed alone? It was recommended to me to get some bottom feeders but i dont know if i will have the room for them.
4. In the short time I have had my two fish, I noticed that they do poop alot. The sand substrate i have is nice, but the poo is definitely more noticeable. Do I need to clean a tank with sand any more than I do vs one with gravel in regards to health of the fish? How often should I clean it? Also, any recommendations on how to clean a sand bottom...I've read some info online about it, but thought id get some ideas here.
5. Do you recommend keeping a dechlorinated bucket of water ready for water changes and evaporation? Additionally, if you let tap water sit for a few days will the chlorine evaporate so i dont need to add dechlorinator?
6. I've only been feeding them once a day. How long should i keep that up for?
7. Should I add an airstone? Not sure if the Top fin filter gives off enough oxygen, fish seem ok and arent hanging out by the surface too much. If so, how often should I replace them.
8. Due to the tank light being on for 8 to 12 hours a day, my water temp rises from 76 to 80 degrees over the course of that time, are these gradual temp changes ok for the fish?
Now in regards to plants...
1. Can plants still thrive in sand? Obviously they can get uprooted easily but wasnt sure if a sand substrate was ok for plant growth.
2. Dont know how familiar you are with the top fin 10 gallon, but i have read the lights that come with it arent the best for plant growth (came with two tiny bulbs, one on each side of the cover). I went out and bought a 20 inch Aqueon Single Tube Strip Light which includes an 18 inch "Aquarium Spectrum Flourescent Lamp" Will this do the trick for the plants? I didnt notice the Aqueon box saying anywhere that it "provides day light".
3. I bought some Leaf Zone plant food. Is it worth buying or does it really help with plant growth?
Sorry for all the questions, didnt realize I typed so much. There is alot of information on the web, sometimes conflicting, so I wanted to get some opinions here. Thanks for all your help!