first tank - 10 gallon - help appreciated

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matthew0331

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
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Dec 30, 2011
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Hey all, I'm a 15 year old fish lover who just got my very first tank ever. (Sorry in advance if I'm boring you fish experts) I just got a starter tank to experiment with before I get too involved.

The tank is a 10 gallon aqueon from petco. It has been very nice so far. I'm not sure what type filter I have, just the one that came with the tank, but I also have a 100 watt heater to keep my fish warm.

As far as equipment goes, that's pretty much it. I put in gravel and 3 small sized decorations for shelter (including one that bubbles and aerates the tank).

I started with 3 painted swordtails and have just recently put in 2 cardinal tetras (with plans of putting in 4 neon tetras to keep the ct's company).

Other ideas? Sorry about the lengthy post. Help would be appreciated :) thanks
 
Welcome to the site! I am sorry to say that your first fish are not really very good choices for a 10g tank IMO. Cards reach 2 inches and would do better in a 20g tank. Swords can get pretty big and messy, so they are not really the best choice either IMO. Sorry to be a buzz-kill. But, there are lots of super cool fish that would do really well in a 10g tank. :) Platys are similar to swords, but stay smaller so they would be well in there. :) I can give you a nice list of other nano fish to look into as well if you are interested. Congrats on the tank!
BTW, did you cycle it?
 
absolutangel04 said:
Welcome to the site! I am sorry to say that your first fish are not really very good choices for a 10g tank IMO. Cards reach 2 inches and would do better in a 20g tank. Swords can get pretty big and messy, so they are not really the best choice either IMO. Sorry to be a buzz-kill. But, there are lots of super cool fish that would do really well in a 10g tank. :) Platys are similar to swords, but stay smaller so they would be well in there. :) I can give you a nice list of other nano fish to look into as well if you are interested. Congrats on the tank!
BTW, did you cycle it?

Yes I cycled the tank.

I realize that these fish can get rather large for a 10G but I have plans on upgrading to other tanks once my fish grow. I believe my mother has a 30 gallon hiding somewhere around the house. It hasn't been used in years and might need some work, but I'm up for the challenge. Thanks for the welcome :)

What fish do you suggest?
 
Sweet! A 30g would be awesome for those guys. Swords grow pretty fast IME, so I suggest getting the upgrade ready to go sooner rather than later. Its better to have the upgrade ready before you think the fish are too big for their current tank because you don't want to stunt their growth. Besides, everybody loves getting another tank! :)
Here are some species to look into for a 10g: dwarf gourami, betta (splendens and other species), ember tetras, sparkling gourami, croaking gourami, dwarf puffer, least killifish, clown killifish, shell dwelling cichlids (brevis and multifaciatus), celestial pearl danio, neon tetra, guppies, Endler's livebearers, chili rasbora, micro rasbora, gold-ringed danio, scarlet badi, pygmy sunfish, pygmy cory (C. pygmaeus, habrosus, hastatus), otocinclus, and Asian stone catfish. :) Keep in mind not all of these fish can be mixed and some have some very specific requirements, but I think they are all pretty cool species. :)
 
Awesome (lol figuring out this site)! Thank you so much! I'll keep those in mind. Do you think I can fit in some neon tetras before my swords get too big? I want my cardinals happy and I know they get along very well with neons. Also I don want my cardinals to get nippy which I've heard can happen when they are lonely.

I'll keep updating this but suggestions are welcome :)
 
Depends on how big the swords already are. One problem with swords is that they have a really high bioload, so they do not do well in smaller tanks even they themselves may not be big yet. Yeah, most of the 2 inch torpedo shaped tetras like cards are peaceful, but can get nippy in tight spaces or when they feel insecure IME. Thats why I think the best thing for you to do would be to get on the bigger tank pretty soon here to avoid those issues. :) If you just got them not too long ago, they will probably be fine for a bit though.
Out of curiosity, why do you want neons and not more cards?
 
The swords are about 2.5 in right now and I expect them to grow to 4 or possibly a bit larger for the females.

Like you said the neons are smaller, but more cards would work as well.

Because of the swords, how much of the water should I replace every time I clean? 25%? Or is that too little?
 
Do you have a test kit? A test kit is a pretty important resource for a fish keeper to have because that helps diagnose issues with water quality. Thats the best way to know how much water you should be changing out.
If you do not have one, I suggest getting the API master kit for freshwater. If you can't get that one, at least get a master kit that has liquid tests, not strips because the strips are not accurate. In the meantime, I suggest you do about 50% every 5-7 days.
I was hoping the swords were a little smaller. At 2.5 inches, they really should be moved asap IMO. I know you are going to work on that though. :) They tend to get nasty to each other in cramped spaces. I have to say that a 30g tank is actually easier to maintain than a 10g tank. The parameters in bigger tanks tend to hold steady more easily, so they are a bit easier to deal with.
 
Agree with Absolutangel. It would be great if you can upgrade the tank very soon. A liquid test kit is also a must if you don't have one. I'd do a couple of 50% water changes weekly until you can move them to a larger tank. Also a test kit would let you know what's going on in the tank and whether the water needs to be replaced more often.

Also just out of curiosity how did you cycle the tank? If you listened to PetCo and just let the tank run for a week that didn't properly cycle it unfortunately.
 
Hmm, I did just listen to PetCo. Will my fish be okay? :(

I will definitely do a 50% over the weekend. I have water conditioner, should I add that into the replacement water before or after I put the water back in the tank?

30 gallon has broken glass, so that's a dead end. I'll get a test kit over the weekend as well and try my best to keep levels in line.

Debating getting a smaller tank for my desk and using it as a small collection for tetras? I know they need space to swim, but how much for like 6 small tetras?

:thanks:
 
Hmm, I did just listen to PetCo. Will my fish be okay? :(

I will definitely do a 50% over the weekend. I have water conditioner, should I add that into the replacement water before or after I put the water back in the tank?

30 gallon has broken glass, so that's a dead end. I'll get a test kit over the weekend as well and try my best to keep levels in line.

Debating getting a smaller tank for my desk and using it as a small collection for tetras? I know they need space to swim, but how much for like 6 small tetras?

:thanks:
Your fish will be ok for awhile. Its not ideal, but they won't just drop dead either. Honestly, there is a chance they could develop problems though (either physicly or behaviorally), but they should be ok for a bit. Just make sure to keep an eye on them while you are working on getting a different set-up. You seem pretty enthusiatsic about keeping fish, so that great!
The tank size totally depends on the tetra. Little tetras like embers don't even reach an inch when they are adults, so you can keep like 8 or more in a 10g (depending on tankmates). Most of the common tetras like x-ray tetras need about 20g minimum.
People who have been in this hobby for awhile will pretty much tell you that you can't go wrong with getting the biggest tank your space allows. When in doubt, go with the bigger option. :)
If you have space for a 20g, you could easily have some cool stock for it. Of course, if all you have space/money for is the 10g, there is some really cool stock for that too!
 
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