I want fish!

[Fishtankkeeper]

Hi, I am a noob at fish keeping. I have had 5 fish flip on me; 3 guppies, 1 balloon molly, and 1 angelfish. I just got a 10 gallon tank two weeks ago and the starting cycle killed my fish I think. All my levels are still adjusting, but I want to get some new fish in a few days/weeks and need something that goes with a pleco (the death of my angelfish) and a balloon molly. I like colorful fish, but want peaceful ones unlike the guppies I had. Please help!

Ps: Will a cory cat do well with my fish?

 

[Hholly]

Please read these articles. They will help you and your fish.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium/

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/fishin-cycling-step-dark-side/

If you have a common pleco, I strongly urge you to take it back or get a much bigger tank. They get to be very large and a 10gal. tank won't do. Good luck!

 

[bamadude91]

Well, your biggest problem is that you put too many fish in the tank to start the cycling process. Adding 5 fish into a tank that had no buildup of beneficial bacteria probably caused really high ammonia levels and it poisoned your fish.
There is split consensus on whether or not fish should be used for the cycling process. If you want fish now - colorful fish now - I would say your best bet would be hardy species like the Buenos Aires Tetra. It's a relatively large Tetra with a silver body with bright red and black colored fins. Another hardy species is the Black Skirt Tetra. Both of these guys could be placed in a radioactive sludge or battery acid and I swear they'd still be swimming right along.

 

[Fishtankkeeper]

Please read these articles. They will help you and your fish.

Guide to Starting a Freshwater Aquarium - Aquarium Advice

Fish-in Cycling: Step over into the dark side - Aquarium Advice

If you have a common pleco, I strongly urge you to take it back or get a much bigger tank. They get to be very large and a 10gal. tank won't do. Good luck!

I wish I could take it back but Petco doesn't allow the return of fish. Also I like my pleco minus the fact it killed my angelfish. I hope by the time it gets too big for the 10 gallon tank I have I can afford to buy a larger tank. Thanks for those links also they have increased my knowledge and I have a fear they are going to increase the amount of money missing from my pocket tomorrow.

 

[Karay]

In my opinion neon tetras in a school is quite fascinating. Also steer clear of angels for a tank that size. They need more room

 

[Hholly]

Craigslist is a good place to find bigger tanks for low prices.

 

[Fishtankkeeper]

Craigslist is a good place to find bigger tanks for low prices.

I hope I can find something i'm in a mess here is my sob story from the thread Common Newbie Pitfalls,

Please do research BEFORE buying anything! I am a beginner who bought a 10 gallon starter kit thinking I could put anything in it, I was wrong. Now I have a 10 gallon tank, a bunch of equipment, and 2 fish I have no idea what to do with or how to get my money back. It has already cost me a decent sum of money to buy everything and how its looking in the long-run I have lost money and some fish. Please Please Pleas research what fish you want and how to cycle a tank before buying one. If you don't know what fish you want yet go to a good size fish shop even if they don't have the best reviews and get a good idea of different fish to buy. When I first got my tank I had the image of a green spotted puffer in my head and it turned out it needed like a 30 gallon tank and I had a 10. It also needed brackish water. Now I like the red blood parrot fish and it also needs a 30 gallon tank. So you see tank size is of the utmost importance when buying a fish. Also cycling takes so much work if you don't know what your doing I literally learned almost all my knowledge of it today and that is a very small amount at the time. I will list some links given to me earlier and I hope my story helps whoever is a noob at buying a fish tank and fish.

 

[Hholly]

You could have a pea puffer or two in a ten gallon. As long as there are no other fish in there. They aware cool little fish. There are also plenty of other fish you could have. We just need to get your tank cycled so they stay healthy.

 

[CharlieKlein]

If you plan on bigger tankin the future, you need at least 150 or bigger.

 

[homienbabe]

Like you I started out with a 10 gal and thought the same way. After a weekend camping trip and a round of ich with cooling temps Ilearned a great deal. We advanced to a 38 gal and I thought it was huge so another trip to the local pet shop. I returned to the house with 2 violet goby's and 2 clown knives. The people at the pet shop had no idea how large any of the fish I had purchased could get. I had no idea either. Now that I have moved on to a 150 gal. I will be seeing if the bass pro shops or local zoo will want to display the surviving clown knife that I have. With all that being said do a little "lot" of research prior to buying your ideal fish or the one that interest you. This is for the sake of your wallet and the friend you are going to make. Don't just buy a fish you find interesting for it may be one you may not be able to afford.

 

[homienbabe]

Sorry but for example I have spent well over $2000 for substrate, tanks, chemicals, plants, rocks, testing equipment, lights, filters, pumps, and others just to help my buddy jaws and make sure he is comfortable so please be wise in your choosing of tank mates and their needs.

 

[Karay]

I'm sure that most of us started out the same way so you are not alone. My first tank was a 20 gallon given to me by a neighbour and I struggled with for a 1 1/2 year before learning about the cycle. And not anytime did our big retail pet store give me any useful info about cycling. After I learned the cycle process and proper maintenance did this hobby become fun and rewarding. In regards to dwarf (pea) puffer I agree that they are interesting but I suggest to hold off on those guys as they do require a bit more work and not to mention having can be done but it should be heavily planted to block line of sight

 

[librarygirl]

Hi, I am a noob at fish keeping. I have had 5 fish flip on me; 3 guppies, 1 balloon molly, and 1 angelfish. I just got a 10 gallon tank two weeks ago and the starting cycle killed my fish I think. All my levels are still adjusting, but I want to get some new fish in a few days/weeks and need something that goes with a pleco (the death of my angelfish) and a balloon molly. I like colorful fish, but want peaceful ones unlike the guppies I had. Please help!

Ps: Will a cory cat do well with my fish?

With a pleco (regardless of what kind it is; even the "Smaller" types of pleco need at least a 30 gal) and a molly (which are large messy fish) in a 10 gal you can't add anything else. And the tank is still cycling so the fish you have now are in danger of toxin poisoning without the proper measures. Read this article, get a good liquid test kit with dechlorinator (whatever you have on-hand now is fine but if you can get some Seachem Prime it's one of the better brands out there) and start doing frequent water changes:
I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice With a pleco and a molly in such a small tank though you're going to have a hard time keeping up on water changes to keep the toxins low enough for the fish.

To keep the fish you have now long-term and add more (once the tank is cycled) you'll need to upgrade to at least a 30 gal tank (assuming the pleco is one of the smaller types; if it's a Common it will need hundreds of gallons as it matures). A 29-30 gal kit would be a good purchase to start with, or check Craiglists for a used tank but you'd need to upgrade filter and heater.