Could use a little extra help.

[Zacharyws]

Hi, Im new to the aquarium scene, well kinda new; I dont think that you can count the aquarium I had when I was in the first grade.

Found the forums a few days ago and have been reading everything in sight. learned a few new things and found a few mistakes already...

I went to my LFS and picked up a 10 gal startup kit which consisted of:
10 Gal. glass tank,
PERFECT-A-HOOD (basic NO hood i guess)
Tetra Whisper Power filter (the one that uses the bio-bags)
a basic 50w 6" heater
the cheap mercury thermometer

I also got 5 lbs of 2-3mm diameter gravel and 5 lbs of 3-5mm diameter gravel

I set all of that up added my tap water and "aqua plus tap conditoner" and let it sit for 3 days

Then I went back and picked out a few plants:
I picked up a "Brazil Sword" and something else that floats that I figured would look cool (DOH!) Can anyone tell me what it is? (top right corner)
http://images.myphotoalbum.com/z/za/zak/zakw/zakwa/zakwashere/albums/album01/DSCF1334.sized.jpg

I would really like to upgrade my lighting and go for some more plants however the LFS is kinda slim pickins as far as plant life goes, any ideas on online ordering? i see the clasifieds occasionaly have the "overgrown" posts

I can already see one of my mistakes now:
I knew nothing of lighting required for planted tanks

Are theese plants O.K. to have in my tank?
What should I do about lighting; I would like the hood to stay "stock looking" so i would like to avoid compact flourecent style fixtures

Then at about day 7 I made another voyage to the LFS; this time to get fish.

Not having seen theese forums until the day I got the fish I basicaly walked in and got what looked "Cool" but yet in the hardy section of the store.

I seriously feel like a total idiot saying this but can anyone tell me what kind of fish i bought and save me a trip to the store to check?

http://images.myphotoalbum.com/z/za/zak/zakw/zakwa/zakwashere/albums/album01/DSCF1332.sized.jpg
http://images.myphotoalbum.com/z/za/zak/zakw/zakwa/zakwashere/albums/album06/whatisthis.sized.jpg
theese are the same family i am guessing; I belive the one in the foreground is a golden?
http://images.myphotoalbum.com/z/za/zak/zakw/zakwa/zakwashere/albums/album06/whatisthis2.sized.jpg
I got 2 of theese and 1 of the golden ones
http://images.myphotoalbum.com/z/za/zak/zakw/zakwa/zakwashere/albums/album06/whatisthis3.sized.jpg
i got 2 of theese

so all together I have 5 fish in there right now. Eventualy once the tank cycles I want to get a school of tetras in there.
I like the neon tetras but at the same time I know that there is a larger world of tropical fish than what I can see at the LFS.

I would eventualy like to get into breeding fish and larger tanks. I just moved so I have plenty of room to start this new hobby.

TIA

-Zak


EDIT: When should I be looking into doing my first PWC?

Full tank shot
http://images.myphotoalbum.com/z/za/zak/zakw/zakwa/zakwashere/albums/album06/DSCF1378.sized.jpg

 

[Gill]

None of your pictures are working for me. But no matter what fish you got, you added them in too early. A cycle takes a month or more, even longer if you let the tank cycle with fish because you must perform constant water changes.

If you want to avoid a nasty cycle, buy lots of fast growing easy plants such as hornwort or anacharis. These will soak up ammonia and ease the process. I also recommend buying a product called "Stability" by Seachem. This can cycle your tank within a week or two without any horrible spikes in ammonia or nitrites.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, do a thorough search on these forums about the cycling process.

 

[Gill]

And to address your other questions:

Does your light fixture have slots that a regular household lightbulb would fit into? If it does, you can simply put in a couple compact flourescent lightbulbs in. Not any bulb, though. You must find bulb(s) that are the correct Kelvin and wattage for your tank. Anywhere between 30 and 40 watts would be fine for you. Again, research this topic.

Also, you should at the very least invest in ammonia and nitrite test kits. In a nutshell, the waste from your fish causes ammonia levels to rise in your tank which can kill your fish. "Cycling" a tank means letting beneficial bacteria grow in your tank which will turn ammonia into nitrite which is also toxic to fish. As the cycle continues, a different kind of bacteria will grow to turn this nitrite into nitrATE, which is much less toxic to fish.

With the test kits, you will know when to do a PWC.

 

[TomK2]

I have found petsmart to have a better plant selection than most of my LFS's. Yep, with 5 fish in a 10 gal uncycled tank, you are going to have some ammonia and nitrite spikes, despite all the plants you could possibly add. You need a quality liquid reagent test kit to monitor the situation. I also could not view any of the pics.

 

[plecoperson]

Good for you; you recognize that there are problems and are trying to fix them. If I were you, I'd return the fishies to the store (pics aren't workin' for me, either) and then cycle your tank properly. Do some more research on the kinds of fish you like, and see how big they will get, what kind of environment they like (tank temp, general pH, hardness etc) and if they will be compatible in your tank. Then once your tank is cycled you can be more confident in your choices and hopefully avoid losing any of your new fish.

And welcome to the forum from another new-ish member! Smart people here, and a great resource.

 

[Zacharyws]

I changed all the pic offsite links to URLs. maybe that will help

Thanks for the advice, Im going to plan on going out in a little and picking up a test kit and take a look at the "Stability" product mentioned above.

Im going to look for hornwort or anacharis to fill in my tank a little.

Does your light fixture have slots that a regular household lightbulb would fit into? If it does, you can simply put in a couple compact flourescent lightbulbs in. Not any bulb, though. You must find bulb(s) that are the correct Kelvin and wattage for your tank. Anywhere between 30 and 40 watts would be fine for you. Again, research this topic.

Unfourtunately, no. it just fits a normal flourecent bulb.. 18 inches...

http://www.petco.com/Shop/petco_Product_Nav_229_sku_563056_R_2970_enemerch_1.aspx
how does that look for a test kit?
Thanks everyone, Huge help!

-Zak


Edit:

Ran out at lunch today and grabbed a Tetratest kit at the LFS

I now have all the numbers:
NH3 /NH4 = 1.5 mg/l
PH = 7.5-8.0
NO2 = < 0.3 mg/l
GH = 12
KH = 7

I am a bit concerned about the amonia content... is it time for a PWC? how much out of my 10 gal should i exchange?

 

[Fishyfanatic]

The fish pics:
1) Molly
2) White Cloud Minnow
3) White Cloud Minnow
4) Molly

I do not have experience with the Tetratest kit but I feel that the AP kit is the best.

 

[JustOneMore20]

The 1st and 4th picture are sailfin mollies. The 2nd and 3rd look like longfin danios. Either that or congo tetras. They don't look like white clouds.

How big are they?

If they are danios, you didn't do too bad. They are hardy fish and should make it through the cycle.

HERE is a link to an article on the nitrogen cycle, so you'll know why you are testing the water.

1.5 ammonia isn't too bad. When it gets around 2-3ppm, then I'd do a small water change. Don't gravel vac, just change out some of the water.

Too bad the light is one fluorescent. I'm pretty sure you can't get a higher watt bulb. You will be better off getting a new fixture and a glass top.
If you don't want to upgrade your lighting, you can get some low light plants. Anubias, crypts, java fern, java moss, and wisteria will all work. I'm not sure your light will be enough for the sword, but maybe it will. I wouldn't get anymore swords though.

Here are some online plant places (hopefully you are in the US):
Aquarium Plants
Aquatic Plant Depot
Freshwater Aquarium Plants
AZ Gardens

Most of them have a link to low light plants. I know the 2nd one doesn't so I'd just look for the plants I mentioned above. Many of them have some great plant choices so don't be tempted to buy anything that looks nice. Make sure they are lowlight plants.

I can't find a good picture of a longfin danio, but HERE is a link to an ok picture.[/url]

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Kristen is correct. I spoke too soon. Yes, it looks like a long finned danio. That's what I get for not looking it up before posting. haha

When the ammonia levels gets near 1 do a water change. Anything above that can cause ammonia burns and leave long term damage to the gills.

 

[Zacharyws]

both kinds are about 1 1/2 in long.

I belive that they are danios... i can remember the guy at the LFS saying that they were extremely hardy and could survive in an uncycled tank.

I'll plan on doing a PWC later in the week then and keep testing throughout.

the top is glass; atleast where the fixture is... is there any chance of being able to upgrade the ballast to support a larger light?

I am going to keep my eyes open for the plant-x-change threads and try to get my hands on some of the lower light plants that you mentioned above.

Thanks all!

 

[JustOneMore20]

LFS always push the danios since they are hardy. That was my first fish, well 3, in a 10g tank.

Oh, I totally forgot. AH Supply sells retrofit kits that will fit into your hood. You can get the one that fits 2 13w compact fluorescent bulbs. That will be 36 watts or 3.6 watts per gallon over the tank, which will allow you to grow low, medium, and some high light plants. If you upgrade to that much light, I'd plant the tank pretty heavily, or you'll have some algae going on. I'm not sure how they work, but I think the website tells you, so check it out.

 

[Zacharyws]

LFS always push the danios since they are hardy. That was my first fish, well 3, in a 10g tank.

Oh, I totally forgot. AH Supply sells retrofit kits that will fit into your hood. You can get the one that fits 2 13w compact fluorescent bulbs. That will be 36 watts or 3.6 watts per gallon over the tank, which will allow you to grow low, medium, and some high light plants. If you upgrade to that much light, I'd plant the tank pretty heavily, or you'll have some algae going on. I'm not sure how they work, but I think the website tells you, so check it out.

2 13w bulbs? isnt that 26w not 36?

 

[Gill]

My local Petsmart carries $15 dollar hoods that have two crappy incandescent bulbs. I bought one of these, trashed the bulbs, and screwed in two 6500k 20 watt bulbs from WalMart. They light up the tank wonderfully and my plants seem to be growing well!

 

[JRagg]

I'm not sure how they work, but I think the website tells you, so check it out.

I just installed one today. If you get the upgrade kit, it's pretty simple. As long as you remember to order them, you'll get a step by step instruction sheet on how to assemble it. It won't matter if you have an incandescent or floursecent hood. You basically strip everything but the power cord and the switch and replace it all. The only "odd tool" it required was a 1" drill bit. I don't know about you guys, but I have never owned a drill bit that large. If you don't mind wasting some time making lots of smaller holes with a smaller bit and hacking at it with a knife, then it will still come out looking fine.

For a 10g tank, with the 26W of CF bulbs that puts you in the "medium light" category.

 

[JustOneMore20]

2 13w bulbs? isnt that 26w not 36?

Sorry...that is right. For some reason I thought they had a 36w kit. Sorry about my bad math skills.

 

[Zacharyws]

well it looks like when i get my paycheck on friday i will be ordering a new hood/fixture; not sure of which yet.

I just ran thrugh some tests again, just on my tap for reference
KH = 9
GH = 10
PH = 8
Ammonia = 0

why is my tap hardness differ from my tank?

 

[Lonewolfblue]

I have the hood from Walmart with the 2 screw-in incandescents as well. I replaced the incandescents with 2 20W bulbs as well. Just make sure if you get the bulbs for it, it needs to be 6500k bulbs. Don't get the 3000k bulbs, they won't do any good for the plants.