Why is my sand in my 10gallon tank so dirty?

[paytertot]

That all depends on where you live and where you shop. I know petco is known for having dollar per gallon sales. Also what is your cleaning schedule? You HAVE to have one

 

[Ryleyman]

That all depends on where you live and where you shop. I know petco is known for having dollar per gallon sales. Also what is your cleaning schedule? You HAVE to have one

Every mondays

 

[jakester334]

If you can only get a 30-35 you might be able to have some Yellow Lab cichlids and nothing else in there. Like 3-4 I think, not to sure. And it depends if you can go on craigslist and find one for like $40-60 then get it or else I think at petstores they are over $100 maybe.

 

[Lady_Alia]

Do you know how much it would cost for a 30-35 gallon

Craigslist is your BEST FRIEND when searching for aquariums and equipment!!! You can find some stuff super cheap!!!

 

[Labenator65000]

il just get my mom to take back all my fish :/

Hang on there, buddy. You can salvage what you have, not have to spend any more money, and still have a nice-looking tank. Here is what I would do:

- Keep your 2 male guppies and red platty.
- Give your Pleco to your brother if his tank is big enough and has tank-mates are compatile.

-Return your cherry red cichlid, yellow lab cichlid, blue electric zebra cichlid and kongi cichlid. You should get a good chunk of change. If the store is not willing to give you cash back get store credit.

- In mid-posting here, I don't recall if you were heating the tank. You heed a heater to keep the tank at about 78 0.

- Let your tank settle down for a few weeks with just those three fish. Do partial water changes once or twice per week. I would say 15-20%. I've never had sand so I'm not sure if you should use a gravel-vac or just sift it to remove the waste and debris. Take water samples to your Pet Store every week or so and have them check the water parameters. You want zero ammonia and Nitrites, and Nitrates no more than 20. You need to be patient here. It may take a while but it really needs to be done.

- When your water parameters are acceptable, start shopping. Don't do Cichlids though. 10 gallons is just too small. Really, I would recommend getting small community fish. Then you can have plenty of variety. If you get bigger fish you won't be able to get as many. Subscribe to the "Freshwater & Brackish - General Discussions" Forum and ask plenty of questions before you purchase. Community fish are a lot easier than Cichlids are.

I've had several 10 gallons since my childhood and have always had good luck with them and enjoyed them. Don't get discouraged. Have fun with it!

 

[Ryleyman]

If you can only get a 30-35 you might be able to have some Yellow Lab cichlids and nothing else in there. Like 3-4 I think, not to sure. And it depends if you can go on craigslist and find one for like $40-60 then get it or else I think at petstores they are over $100 maybe.

Il have to wait till my party because then il get about $120 from all the money counted up

 

[paytertot]

Every mondays

What about every Monday? Details hun what do you do lol

 

[jakester334]

Il have to wait till my party because then il get about $120 from all the money counted up

After that just go on craigslist. You can find 55's and more on there for pretty cheap.

 

[Ryleyman]

What about every Monday? Details hun what do you do lol

I change the water about 20% of it from the bottom of the tank and then I put half a cap of prime in the bucket of the new water I put in the tank

 

[Labenator65000]

Il have to wait till my party because then il get about $120 from all the money counted up

Just prive everything out ahead of time. I have a 55and let me tell you the costs can add up quickly. I am notoriously cheap, and I have still spent several hundred dollars on my setup from start to finish. On top of that I am still limited as to what I am able to put in there. It's very challenging. Take a look at my last post. Consider community fish.

 

[Ryleyman]

Dose any one know about gouramis?

 

[Ryleyman]

Indeed, +1. Is the tank in fact cycled? How are the fish? Have you rehomed them yet? What are the parameters? What is your cleaning schedule? What is the temp?

Dose cycled mean moving water?

 

[Ryleyman]

Hang on there, buddy. You can salvage what you have, not have to spend any more money, and still have a nice-looking tank. Here is what I would do:

- Keep your 2 male guppies and red platty.
- Give your Pleco to your brother if his tank is big enough and has tank-mates are compatile.

-Return your cherry red cichlid, yellow lab cichlid, blue electric zebra cichlid and kongi cichlid. You should get a good chunk of change. If the store is not willing to give you cash back get store credit.

- In mid-posting here, I don't recall if you were heating the tank. You heed a heater to keep the tank at about 78 0.

- Let your tank settle down for a few weeks with just those three fish. Do partial water changes once or twice per week. I would say 15-20%. I've never had sand so I'm not sure if you should use a gravel-vac or just sift it to remove the waste and debris. Take water samples to your Pet Store every week or so and have them check the water parameters. You want zero ammonia and Nitrites, and Nitrates no more than 20. You need to be patient here. It may take a while but it really needs to be done.

- When your water parameters are acceptable, start shopping. Don't do Cichlids though. 10 gallons is just too small. Really, I would recommend getting small community fish. Then you can have plenty of variety. If you get bigger fish you won't be able to get as many. Subscribe to the "Freshwater & Brackish - General Discussions" Forum and ask plenty of questions before you purchase. Community fish are a lot easier than Cichlids are.

I've had several 10 gallons since my childhood and have always had good luck with them and enjoyed them. Don't get discouraged. Have fun with it!

Would this be good for guppy fry when I get rid of my cichlid and Pleco?

 

[paytertot]

Cycled means you've gone through the steps to allow a buildup of beneficial bacteria in your filter media by adding ammonia

 

[Ryleyman]

Cycled means you've gone through the steps to allow a buildup of beneficial bacteria in your filter media by adding ammonia

Ok then yes my tank has been running since January 10

 

[paytertot]

So did you do a fishless cycle? I'm sorry for asking so many questions lol but could we maybe get your water parameters?

 

[Ukdans1k]

You really need to upgrade your tank or rehome your cichlids. I keep and breed cichlids and I use 10 gallon tanks for a single holding female, and then the fry for a couple of months till they get placed in a bigger tank. And that's all I will use them for.

The main problem is that although they may seem fine in size now, they will want to grow, which will lead to stunted and short lived fish. Not nice for your and especially the fish.
If you decide to upgrade and keep cichlids, which are beautiful fish. The best thing you can do is research the fish before you buy. As they require different things and vary in aggression levels.
If you have any questions feel free to private message me and I will help you where I can.

Ate you in the us or uk? I may also be able to help with bigger tank if you need one.

Good luck

 

[Ryleyman]

You really need to upgrade your tank or rehome your cichlids. I keep and breed cichlids and I use 10 gallon tanks for a single holding female, and then the fry for a couple of months till they get placed in a bigger tank. And that's all I will use them for.

The main problem is that although they may seem fine in size now, they will want to grow, which will lead to stunted and short lived fish. Not nice for your and especially the fish.
If you decide to upgrade and keep cichlids, which are beautiful fish. The best thing you can do is research the fish before you buy. As they require different things and vary in aggression levels.
If you have any questions feel free to private message me and I will help you where I can.

Ate you in the us or uk? I may also be able to help with bigger tank if you need one.

Good luck

Canada:/

 

[Ryleyman]

So did you do a fishless cycle? I'm sorry for asking so many questions lol but could we maybe get your water parameters?

I think I did it for about 3 or 4 days

 

[paytertot]

Well that isn't cycling really

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...started-check-out-these-resources-154837.html