Taking a second leap

[Priest]

Earlier this month I posted on this site of solutions to cure the Ick that was on my goldfish, great response were given but regardless all of the goldfish died. I decided to take some time off from even thinking about fish again but now I am ready to take another chance at fish care. Before I begin that I would need to know what I will need to take care of my fish. Right now I have a 10 gallon tank, a new filter for 10 gallon and that is it. I used to have a complete test kit, Ick medicine and fish food but I was so enraged/hurt that I lost control and punched all these things until they exploded on to my hands. The fish I plan to get are neon tetras, so I want to know how many can I have, what can I mix with them and what would I need so that they live for many years. I would like to have a decent amount of fish but not to much that it jeopardizes their health and even though I always enjoyed looking at my goldfish, I would like a bit more color this time around. Thank you.

 

[librarygirl]

Sorry about your fish. I don't suppose you've kept the tank running and the filter media wet and dosing with ammonia to keep the bacteria fed during this time? If not it's likely you'll need to recycle your tank before adding fish. There's a link in my signature called: new empty tank; it'll guide you through the process. I'd highly advising getting the API Master test kit as well if you don't have it already.

As for your filter, I'd highly recommend upgrading to a larger size than what you have. An AquaClear 30 would be a good filter.

As for fish, you could do Neons in a 10 but I personally think they are very active swimmers and appreciate more horizontal swim space than a 10 gal can provide but that's just my opinion. Instead of the Neons perhaps you could consider a school of nano fish like Ember tetra, Celestial Pearl Danio or Chili Rasbora, or even a group of Endler's Livebearer's (very colorful fish). So a group of 6 of the Nano fish, and you could do a group of 5 Pygmy Cory and a Dwarf Gourami as a centerpiece. I'm sure others will have more suggestions. Good luck!

 

[Priest]

The filter I have is for a 20 gallon tank and yes I am buying an API master kit, that is what I has before I decided to box with it. When they died I completely clean the entire tank with boiling hot water because I didn't want that virus in the tank for when I get new fish in the future. Besides the test kit, I am going to get different types of food for them like flakes, bloodworms and other types so that they don't eat the same thing everyday. I am thinking about what ornaments to get because I don't want a cave that my fish don't use so that would be nice to know as well. Also if getting vitamins is a good idea, what kinds of vitamins would be good to buy because I am so untrained when it comes to this and I can't go to my pet store and ask them questions (It's about 5 miles away with no buses or trains near by and I don't own a car anymore) so I might as well ask here.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Nice to see you back! I'm sure everything will go much better this time. We are all here to help you through the cycling process and before you know it you'll have a happy healthy home for your new fish.

 

[Priest]

Okay I have an update now.

My cousin has sold me his 30 gallon tank with the filter and the ornaments, so I obviously will use the 30 instead of the 10 gallon tank. Is there anything different that I now need to do from when I was going to use the 10 gallon. Also how many fish can I have in the 30 gallon, a mix of about 2 different fish would be good but wouldn't mind more than 2 types.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Okay I have an update now.

My cousin has sold me his 30 gallon tank with the filter and the ornaments, so I obviously will use the 30 instead of the 10 gallon tank. Is there anything different that I now need to do from when I was going to use the 10 gallon. Also how many fish can I have in the 30 gallon, a mix of about 2 different fish would be good but wouldn't mind more than 2 types.

cool a 30 has heaps more options for fish.
Ok first question, was the tank and filter In use or are they dry? The 30 will cycle exactly the same as a 10 or any other sized tank. Only differences are more stocking options, more stable parameters (larger amount of water to dilute ammonia, nitrite, nitrate) and you will may need a more powerful heater. The amount of fish depends on what type you are wanting. You could have a nice school of neon tetras, another school of something some bottom feeders and a centre piece fish.

 

[Priest]

I do not know if the tank has been cleaned yet, I know it has been emptied of water and ornaments but not sure if a full clean has been done. Also the tank and filter were both in use (Filter is a AquaClear 50), the tank was cycled and the fishes were in that tank for about a year before he moved them into a 50 gallon. If the tank is cycled and not cleaned yet, is it a good idea to put fish into the tank since it has already been cycled or should I just clean it and start fresh.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

I do not know if the tank has been cleaned yet, I know it has been emptied of water and ornaments but not sure if a full clean has been done. Also the tank and filter were both in use (Filter is a AquaClear 50), the tank was cycled and the fishes were in that tank for about a year before he moved them into a 50 gallon. If the tank is cycled and not cleaned yet, is it a good idea to put fish into the tank since it has already been cycled or should I just clean it and start fresh.

If the filters where still being used and wet the bacteria would still be alive but since it's empty they would have perished. Since it hasn't been cleaned I would clean it and start fresh. You can use a half vinegar half water mix to clean off the glass, decorations and filter (including media). Rinse the gravel clean with hot water. Make sure you rinse them REALLY well to remove all the vinegar. IMO a fishless cycle is probably the best thing to do. Can your friend give you some of his gravel or a used piece of filter media? If he can, you can use it to help seed your tank with BB and make the cycle faster.

 

[Priest]

Okay after looking online for these past few days, I have decided to get 6 Neon tetras and 6 fancy guppies. I would like fish that are bottom swimmers but can't find that many, so a suggestion would be great. Also if they are fishes that are nicer looking than the 2 I mentioned please let me know but I do not want aggressive fish like Cichlids. Last question is that now that I have a 30 gallon tank, my cousin gave me 2 filters, both of them are good filters and I was thinking if it is a good idea to use both filters because they both fit on top but am not sure if they are negative effect towards doing this. Do not hesitate to mention some hard to obtain fish because I am going to another pet shop (Petsmart) and they have a HUGE selection of fish (5 times more than the fish in my local store and the local one has quite a bit).

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Okay after looking online for these past few days, I have decided to get 6 Neon tetras and 6 fancy guppies. I would like fish that are bottom swimmers but can't find that many, so a suggestion would be great. Also if they are fishes that are nicer looking than the 2 I mentioned please let me know but I do not want aggressive fish like Cichlids. Last question is that now that I have a 30 gallon tank, my cousin gave me 2 filters, both of them are good filters and I was thinking if it is a good idea to use both filters because they both fit on top but am not sure if they are negative effect towards doing this. Do not hesitate to mention some hard to obtain fish because I am going to another pet shop (Petsmart) and they have a HUGE selection of fish (5 times more than the fish in my local store and the local one has quite a bit).

Neon tetras are a nice little fish (I have 8 use to be 10). They can be a little bit sensitive, just letting you know Guppies are a good choice for a beginner. Quite hardy. If you plan on having males and females you ideally need a ratio of 1:2-3 male:female so the males don't bother the females too much. They are prolific breeders so its good to have a plan for all the babies Or you can just have males if you don't want babies. (I traded all my females there where just too many babies!) Corydoras (Cory cats) are a great little bottom dweller. Really cute and heaps of kinds to choose from. They like to be in groups of 4-6 or more.

You can most deffinately run two filters! The more filtration the better IMO.

So you could even get 10 neon tetras, the guppies, some cories and a centre piece fish if you like.