allaboutfish
Aquarium Advice Addict
once your ammonia spikes your on your way (mine went up to like 8ppm)
Newbie with 2 Platy in a 10gallon...help?
- Thread starter aprlshwrs
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
OP
OP
aprlshwrs
Aquarium Advice Regular
Should I not do water changes until the ammonia spikes?
allaboutfish
Aquarium Advice Addict
it depends anything over .25 needs a water change bc it will be harmful
OP
OP
aprlshwrs
Aquarium Advice Regular
Ok...all of my readings for everything is 0, except my pH. So, I'll wait to see a change in the ammonia and then do a water change.
allaboutfish
Aquarium Advice Addict
cool good luck keep us posted
They didn't offer me a chemistry class in school, I just know a couple things from a good book on fish (plus a few other things from working various jobs).
1. Don't panic! You're making the hobby look difficult, and it's really not.
2. I'll bet that they were eating flake food at the store. Fish don't NEED to eat EVERY day. Let 'em get settled, maybe stake out their fav hidey spots, offer food, then if they don't eat try again in day or so.
3. There's no exact formula that I'm aware of to calculate the different cycling phases, but I think my last tank cycling was about 2 weeks before I started adding fish. (YMMV) Then I added 1-5 at a time (depending on size) per week until fully stocked to allow the tank to re-balance itself regarding bacteria / waste.
4. I probably used a pair of pliers to wiggle the plastic at the perforations on the lid. Pliers, vice-grips, whatever was handy for me at the time.
Wondering what my favorite fish-book is? i'll tell ya! Baensch Aquarium Atlas [Volume 1] - covers different freshwater fish requirements, water quality/chemistry, plants and more.
Local clubs are another great resource.
1. Don't panic! You're making the hobby look difficult, and it's really not.
2. I'll bet that they were eating flake food at the store. Fish don't NEED to eat EVERY day. Let 'em get settled, maybe stake out their fav hidey spots, offer food, then if they don't eat try again in day or so.
3. There's no exact formula that I'm aware of to calculate the different cycling phases, but I think my last tank cycling was about 2 weeks before I started adding fish. (YMMV) Then I added 1-5 at a time (depending on size) per week until fully stocked to allow the tank to re-balance itself regarding bacteria / waste.
4. I probably used a pair of pliers to wiggle the plastic at the perforations on the lid. Pliers, vice-grips, whatever was handy for me at the time.
Wondering what my favorite fish-book is? i'll tell ya! Baensch Aquarium Atlas [Volume 1] - covers different freshwater fish requirements, water quality/chemistry, plants and more.
Local clubs are another great resource.
OP
OP
aprlshwrs
Aquarium Advice Regular
They didn't offer me a chemistry class in school, I just know a couple things from a good book on fish (plus a few other things from working various jobs).
1. Don't panic! You're making the hobby look difficult, and it's really not.
2. I'll bet that they were eating flake food at the store. Fish don't NEED to eat EVERY day. Let 'em get settled, maybe stake out their fav hidey spots, offer food, then if they don't eat try again in day or so.
3. There's no exact formula that I'm aware of to calculate the different cycling phases, but I think my last tank cycling was about 2 weeks before I started adding fish. (YMMV) Then I added 1-5 at a time (depending on size) per week until fully stocked to allow the tank to re-balance itself regarding bacteria / waste.
4. I probably used a pair of pliers to wiggle the plastic at the perforations on the lid. Pliers, vice-grips, whatever was handy for me at the time.
Wondering what my favorite fish-book is? i'll tell ya! Baensch Aquarium Atlas [Volume 1] - covers different freshwater fish requirements, water quality/chemistry, plants and more.
Local clubs are another great resource.
Thank you...on many different levels. I'm getting so much information that it was causing me to panic a bit. I just needed someone to say, 'calm down'. Thanks for the voice of reason.
Also, thanks for the tip on getting the sections off of the hood. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I'm learning something new everyday.
I'll put the book on my wish list...I mean, I started an aquarium last week...I'm broke now. Lol...
Rosenweiss
Aquarium Advice Addict
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2011
- Messages
- 1,689
Also, be careful about too frequent of water changes. I say, if the ammonia is 0-.25, leave it. If it gets over .25, like .5, then do a water change. If you're constantly doing PWCs, your bacteria will never have a chance to grow, it'll be starved.
OP
OP
aprlshwrs
Aquarium Advice Regular
AN UPDATE: Both fish are doing well although my female is not happy about being chased around the tank constantly...so, I've decided to do one of two things...I may give her up and put in a couple of female mollies instead...or I may get a smaller tank and put her in there until I get my larger aquarium set up. Then, I'll had a few more female platy so she isn't the only one. Then, I'll still add a couple of mollies to the 10g. (So...I guess I'm getting a couple of mollies no matter what...lol).
Secondly, my water tests have remained normal. 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites. I think, as I add a couple more fish, that may change. I think with just 2 platy in a 10g, the water doesn't really get that dirty with a 15% pwc each week. So, after I add a couple more fish, we'll see how things go.
Future plans...I thought about getting a 55g tank but I'm thinking a 40g will do for now. I live on the 3rd floor in my apartment complex and the last thing I want to worry about is whether or not my floor can support a tank of that size. Others in my complex have had 55g tanks on the 2nd or 3rd floors but I still want to be careful about it.
So, beginning next month, I will begin acquiring what I need for my 40g tank. I want to have live plants with this tank so I'm going to have to make sure that I know how to take care of the plants first. I hear they are more work...not surprising...underwater gardening. I guess I'll need to work on my green thumb.
It's funny...I used to have this phobia of fish swimming around me in the ocean or freshwater lakes...to an extent, I still do. However, beginning this hobby is beginning to relax me. Occasionally, I'll stick my finger in the tank and just let my fish nip at them...for some reason, my fingertips are entertaining. Baby steps...maybe one day I'll be able to get in a lake and not worry about fish nipping at my legs and such. However, for now, I'll stick to the pool.
Secondly, my water tests have remained normal. 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites. I think, as I add a couple more fish, that may change. I think with just 2 platy in a 10g, the water doesn't really get that dirty with a 15% pwc each week. So, after I add a couple more fish, we'll see how things go.
Future plans...I thought about getting a 55g tank but I'm thinking a 40g will do for now. I live on the 3rd floor in my apartment complex and the last thing I want to worry about is whether or not my floor can support a tank of that size. Others in my complex have had 55g tanks on the 2nd or 3rd floors but I still want to be careful about it.
So, beginning next month, I will begin acquiring what I need for my 40g tank. I want to have live plants with this tank so I'm going to have to make sure that I know how to take care of the plants first. I hear they are more work...not surprising...underwater gardening. I guess I'll need to work on my green thumb.
It's funny...I used to have this phobia of fish swimming around me in the ocean or freshwater lakes...to an extent, I still do. However, beginning this hobby is beginning to relax me. Occasionally, I'll stick my finger in the tank and just let my fish nip at them...for some reason, my fingertips are entertaining. Baby steps...maybe one day I'll be able to get in a lake and not worry about fish nipping at my legs and such. However, for now, I'll stick to the pool.
allaboutfish
Aquarium Advice Addict
mollies get toooooooo big for a 10 gallon 30 gallon minimum for them. and yuo'll need around 2 watts per gallon in your tank of lighting. you'll also probably need Co2 but lets see what everybody else says about Co2
OP
OP
aprlshwrs
Aquarium Advice Regular
Well...I'm only gonna have them in a 10g for about a month and I'll be putting together a 40g beginning in June. I also have air stones in my 10g, at the moment and will most likely be doing live plants in the 40g.
allaboutfish
Aquarium Advice Addict
oh then that's perfectly fine. every thought of an angel for the 40 gallon? or a pair of apistogrammas?\
marbled angel
cockatoo apistogramma
marbled angel
cockatoo apistogramma
OP
OP
aprlshwrs
Aquarium Advice Regular
Actually...I have thought of angels but I'm taking it kind of slow. It may not be until August or September before I add any more fish to the tank. It really depends on my purchasing ability this summer. It also depends on how well I do with the plants. Fingers crossed that I don't kill them the moment I put them in the tank. Btw, what are apistogrammas?
allaboutfish
Aquarium Advice Addict
a dwarf cichlid im getting a pair that im expecting wednesday,
OP
OP
aprlshwrs
Aquarium Advice Regular
Ahh...well, I'm not quite sure how I'm stocking the 40g yet...still in the very early planning stages of that...right now, I'm focusing on the 10g and finishing the stocking...for now...in there.
Well...I'm off to bed...should have been sleeping ages ago! Lol...nite!
Well...I'm off to bed...should have been sleeping ages ago! Lol...nite!
OP
OP
aprlshwrs
Aquarium Advice Regular
allaboutfish
Aquarium Advice Addict
awesome just dont forget about upgrading the molly. also i dont see anything for the bottom. you might wanna look into pygmy corys or kuli loaches
OP
OP
aprlshwrs
Aquarium Advice Regular
Okay...this is what I have right now.
I decided to go ahead and get 2 more female platy. I got a Mickey Mouse platy and a Sunburst platy. I also got a Dalmatian Molly. So, this is what my tank looks like now.
I'm not adding anymore to this tank. Next, I'll be working on starting a 40g tank. Hopefully, by the end of the summer I'll have it up and running. At the moment, I'll be thinking about how I want to stock it.
I decided to go ahead and get 2 more female platy. I got a Mickey Mouse platy and a Sunburst platy. I also got a Dalmatian Molly. So, this is what my tank looks like now.
I'm not adding anymore to this tank. Next, I'll be working on starting a 40g tank. Hopefully, by the end of the summer I'll have it up and running. At the moment, I'll be thinking about how I want to stock it.
Attachments
allaboutfish
Aquarium Advice Addict
awesome
OP
OP
aprlshwrs
Aquarium Advice Regular
Ok...I am now treating my fish for ich. *sigh*. Question...when you take out the carbon filter (or empty it of it's carbon)...do you just leave the casing that the carbon came in with nothing else to filter it? I am in the process of taking the carbon out of the back of my filter at the moment. Am I doing that correctly?
Similar threads
