Total newbie!

[nbenoit]

Hi all!
A few weeks ago I started up my first 10 gallon aquarium. Prior to that, I had a betta in a 2.5 gallon mini setup, and really didn't know much at all about keeping a proper aquarium (just being honest).

I've learned a great deal during the last 3 weeks learning about the nitrogen cycle. Like many people, I jumped in too quick and wish that I had spent more time learning. We started our tank with 2 pleco's (yup, i now realize how large those little darlings will be!), 6 ghost shrimp, and another shrimp I don't know much about. They are all still doing well. Sadly, without knowing better (and getting some poor advice from a local petstore), we added cardinal tetra's (who I have since learned are far more sensitive than the petstore implied) to the tank before it had stabilized, and we lost all 5.

After that lousy experience, I was determined to learn more. We have done lots of water tests and adjusted the water. Finally we are at ideal water quality, and last night I added 1 Dwarf Guorami and a yellow and white spotted Molly.

Anyhow, this is long winded. But basically I joined because I want to be as informed as possible moving forward & my husband and I already want to upgrade our tank to something much larger.

Thanks for reading!
-Nicole

[myhobs]

That was the most common mistake of new aquarists.. They doesnt know anything about aquariums and fishes, researching first is a must before planning to buy anything..
Btw, mollies are hardy fish they can be used in aquarium which is not cycled or being cycled..

[Mebbid]

Welcome to the forums and the hobby! new people to keeping fish almost always make the same mistake because they think its simple to keep them. But its nice to know you are taking the steps to properly learn how to keep fish. A lot of people get discouraged and stop trying which is what I did for years.

[bmarine]

Welcome! And i did that exact same thing, i sadly lost about 5 fish before I figured out what went wrong ;(, but i'm glad you figured it out and can begin on this awesome hobby!

[nbenoit]

Originally Posted by Mebbid

Welcome to the forums and the hobby! new people to keeping fish almost always make the same mistake because they think its simple to keep them. But its nice to know you are taking the steps to properly learn how to keep fish. A lot of people get discouraged and stop trying which is what I did for years.

Thanks! I was definitely discouraged - but more so I felt sad that I harmed the fish. So I've been doing all my research to get informed.

[nbenoit]

Originally Posted by bmarine

Welcome! And i did that exact same thing, i sadly lost about 5 fish before I figured out what went wrong ;(, but i'm glad you figured it out and can begin on this awesome hobby!

Thanks! I was pretty sure I wasn't the only one who had jumped in thinking that keeping fish would be easy. I just wish the staff at your average petstore would ask more questions when they see you walking out of a store with a full setup and bringing fish home that same day. Live and learn I guess.

[nbenoit]

Originally Posted by myhobs

That was the most common mistake of new aquarists.. They doesnt know anything about aquariums and fishes, researching first is a must before planning to buy anything..
Btw, mollies are hardy fish they can be used in aquarium which is not cycled or being cycled..

The fish all seem to be doing well! I've been doing water tests to make sure there aren't any spikes, and so far so good. Thanks.

[bmarine]

Originally Posted by nbenoit

Thanks! I was pretty sure I wasn't the only one who had jumped in thinking that keeping fish would be easy. I just wish the staff at your average petstore would ask more questions when they see you walking out of a store with a full setup and bringing fish home that same day. Live and learn I guess.

Haha yeah definitely. And figure out which is the most trustworthy and knowledgable fish store lol.

[Mebbid]

Originally Posted by nbenoit

The fish all seem to be doing well! I've been doing water tests to make sure there aren't any spikes, and so far so good. Thanks.

It's nice to know things are going well!

[myhobs]

yeah, happy fish keeping..

[WetlandDad]

Originally Posted by nbenoit

Hi all!
A few weeks ago I started up my first 10 gallon aquarium. Prior to that, I had a betta in a 2.5 gallon mini setup, and really didn't know much at all about keeping a proper aquarium (just being honest).

I've learned a great deal during the last 3 weeks learning about the nitrogen cycle. Like many people, I jumped in too quick and wish that I had spent more time learning. We started our tank with 2 pleco's (yup, i now realize how large those little darlings will be!), 6 ghost shrimp, and another shrimp I don't know much about. They are all still doing well. Sadly, without knowing better (and getting some poor advice from a local petstore), we added cardinal tetra's (who I have since learned are far more sensitive than the petstore implied) to the tank before it had stabilized, and we lost all 5.

After that lousy experience, I was determined to learn more. We have done lots of water tests and adjusted the water. Finally we are at ideal water quality, and last night I added 1 Dwarf Guorami and a yellow and white spotted Molly.

Anyhow, this is long winded. But basically I joined because I want to be as informed as possible moving forward & my husband and I already want to upgrade our tank to something much larger.

Thanks for reading!
-Nicole

Welcome nbenoit! I am a bit of a newb myself I haven't even gotten my tank yet, and already within the last 24hrs I have learned so much from this group of folks. Just keep at it and research as much as you can from the wealth of knowledge that is here already.

Best of luck!