Small Displays

[Tmar]

I have just purchased a small 10 gallon starter aquarium from petsmart.
Includes:
Glass aquarium
Incandescent lighting and hood
Internal filter with cartridge
Guide to aquarium set up and care
Environment: Freshwater or Saltwater
Dimensions: 20.25 in W x 15 in H x 10.5 in D

I also bought a 5-10 gallon heater for $4 on sale to use with this kit.

I want to put 3-5 emerald eye rasbora in it, but:
do i need an air pump? or will the filter generate enough oxygen?
can i also put an otocinclus algae eater in later to help keep it clean?
can I use my own cured rock, driftwood and substrate?
can i just use water conditioner or should fishless cycle with ammonia?
I only have experience with betta fish, any help will be appreciated. I will be painting the background black and green! I would like to put fish in it within a month

 

[Caliban07]

It's up to you but I would cycle using fish. You would have to do a little research on the EE rasbora to see if they are suitable to cycle with. I used 4 harlequin rasbora after reading they were quite a hardy fish.

1) set your tank up
2) set recommended temp for rasbora.
3 add water and dechlorinate with a Tap safe conditioner
4) add a bacteria booster (effectiveness is questionable)
5) wait a few days to let your bacteria colonise. You might see the water go cloudy and this is normal it will subside in a few days. Oxygen levels are low at this stage so best not to introduce fish.
6) after a week add 3 EE rasbora.
7) be very careful not to overfeed even miss a day every few days. Feed a couple of flakes crushed up twice a day.
8) test water for ammonia using API master test kit.
9) water change 25% once a week. Always add dechlorinator to new water.

If you follow these steps everything should be fine. If you are careful with feeding ammonia should not go above 0.25ppm ammonia. After a couple of weeks add another couple of fish. It will probably take around a month before you get nitrates (API master test kit) when you have 0ppm ammonia 0ppm nitrite and a reading below 40ppm nitrate then you are cycled.

No need to add an air pump in my opinion. Just keep water surface moving using filter.

Good luck

 

[Sillyfishies]

I have just purchased a small 10 gallon starter aquarium from petsmart.
Includes:
Glass aquarium
Incandescent lighting and hood
Internal filter with cartridge
Guide to aquarium set up and care
Environment: Freshwater or Saltwater
Dimensions: 20.25 in W x 15 in H x 10.5 in D

I also bought a 5-10 gallon heater for $4 on sale to use with this kit.

I want to put 3-5 emerald eye rasbora in it, but:
do i need an air pump? or will the filter generate enough oxygen?
can i also put an otocinclus algae eater in later to help keep it clean?
can I use my own cured rock, driftwood and substrate?
can i just use water conditioner or should fishless cycle with ammonia?
I only have experience with betta fish, any help will be appreciated. I will be painting the background black and green! I would like to put fish in it within a month

I disagree fully, do a fishless cycle with ammonia.
Reasons-
1) It's a small tank. And ammonia will build up way to fast to knock It down with 25% waterchanges. When I did my fishless cycle in a 30 gallon tank with 4 zebra danios (I did a 50% waterchange every 3 days) 1 of them died and the other 3 got ammonia burn. Also this takes A LOT longer. Mine took 4 months. You would have to look at only 4 fish for potential 4 months.
2) you can add all your fish at once because there's a lot of bacteria built up.
3) it gives you more time to research what you want

 

[FishBoy185]

I 100% agree with SillyFishies he is right you should not do a fish-in tank process.

 

[azmodan]

A fish-in cycle would be fine as long as the OP understands he may need to do daily/bi-daily/possibly tri-daily 50% water changes for possibly 4-8 weeks or longer.


OP I'd suggest reading this article http://www.aquariumadvice.com/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium/ to get a better idea if you want to do a fish-in or fish-less cycle. I'd highly recommend "seeding" your new tank with active filter material to help jumpstart the cycle if you can. Someone will chime in on your other questions soon too.

 

[Tmar]

YaY!

For all the very helpful feedback! I have patience enough to do the fishless cycle properly and it is preferable to risking innocent lives

I do have 9 (soon to be 10) betta fishies to keep me busy while my tank is being readified!! My plan is to slowly build up a display of smaller tanks all housed within a lovely petstore type behemoth cabinet that my hubby is building me. He is also working on HIS own 4ft x 2ft plywood tank to start a saltwater. This little 10 gallon is just MY branching out from only betta

 

[Caliban07]

I guess every aquarium is different. I was cycled in 1 month in a 14 gallon tank using 4 harlequin rasbora. The waste production of 3 emerald would surely not do much damage to water parameters IF you are CAREFUL with feeding.

Of course seeded media would significantly speed up the waiting time. I never saw more ammonia than 0.25ppm and still have all my fish which look tremendously healthy. It's really not that much of a big deal if you follow the rules.

It's usually always fishless cycle queries on here because of ammonia dosing. (You could argue that us because more people do fishless cycles) Sky high nitrite readings and massive water changes to bring rocketing nitrates down. Seems more stressful to me. I haven't lost a fish since I started my tank 4 months ago.

 

[Sillyfishies]

I guess every aquarium is different. I was cycled in 1 month in a 14 gallon tank using 4 harlequin rasbora. The waste production of 3 emerald would surely not do much damage to water parameters IF you are CAREFUL with feeding.

Of course seeded media would significantly speed up the waiting time. I never saw more ammonia than 0.25ppm and still have all my fish which look tremendously healthy. It's really not that much of a big deal if you follow the rules.

It's usually always fishless cycle queries on here because of ammonia dosing. (You could argue that us because more people do fishless cycles) Sky high nitrite readings and massive water changes to bring rocketing nitrates down. Seems more stressful to me. I haven't lost a fish since I started my tank 4 months ago.

Your one of the few that had good luck fish in cycling. I however still had to do massive waterchanges up to 3 times a day. Much more stressful. Especially when all your fish have ammonia burn. Not to mention dealing with mini cycles every time you add fish...

 

[Caliban07]

Sorry to hear that

 

[Fishlover3578]

Started my 2.5 end of june then 29 gal early July and my ten gal was sometime in aug but just switched out 2.5 and 10 for 20 gal whic I used filters from 10 and 2.5 gal for it ... All tanks fish in cycle and was doing 50% WC once a week now I'm starting 25% WC a week . Only reason I lost fish in beginning was bad fungus infection from bad batch of new fish ... I have guppies cory cat and a dwarf gourami now and I have living fry about 3 weeks old and over a 12 fry born a few days ago I have my own test kit and test my water once a week

 

[Caliban07]

You must have got lucky too fishlover. Good job

 

[Fishlover3578]

Lol I never knew how ofte to change Betta 1 gal tanks and I had 10 Betta at one time Living off WC once a month or less.. Sice then I had given 5 away to convince roomates to let me get my big tank lol I'm back up to 7 Betta now. I change water once a week or every two weeks . Since I know they handle it

 

[Fishlover3578]

I have snails as well I'm hoping they lay eggs I hav seen them breed ...

 

[Caliban07]

That's great! We also have a betta in a 5gal it's looking really well and colours are awesome.

 

[Fishlover3578]

Forgt to mention they are all males and are in seperate 1 gal tanks and placed so they don't see each other I have a shelf. I have pics of mine in my photos

 

[brennae]

I always do fish in cycling with bacteria booster. Fish need to be added at the same time as the booster though. It may or may not work, and if you can get the refrigerated kind. Fish in and fish less cycling are all about how much work you want to do and can handle etc. I don't consider either right or wrong, just 2 ways of doing the same thing. Just don't go out and buy discus and try to cycle with them or anything else sensitive. Good Luck with your new tank!!