2nd attempt!

[Goonermatt]

Hi all
Ok, so I had my first 10g tank for about 10 weeks with two comet goldfish and both have now died (because I knew nothing about cycling, etc).
I am not going to let this unpleasant experience put me off and now that I have picked up good advice and tips from AA I am confident of doing a better job next time around!
However I do have one question......
If i were to start a new tank would it be advisable to use the gravel, plants, filter that I already have bearing in mind the second of my fish died from a severe case of fin rot. I don't want to transfer any bad stuff to a new setup and have same problems over again!
By the way I will be doing a fishless cycle this time (that is the biggest lesson I have learnt thanks to all you AA members)
Any advice welcome.

 

[ejaramillo01]

If you like your gravel, you can keep it, Just boiled for 15 minutes to eliminate any possible problem.

The tank must be clean also, some people recommend vinegar diluted in water, like 10%, and after that rinse a lot the tank to eliminate all remaining of the vinegar (acetic acid).

If you are not in love with the gravel, it is time to change!!!

 

[Goonermatt]

Was also thinking about going for smaller fish with less of a bioload. I know very little about types of fish so would welcome any recommendations for such a small tank

 

[nereksnad]

greetings goonermatt;

Goldfish require atleast 150 litres of water, as they can grow to significent sizes.

in contrast to what Ejaramillo said, i might add that i did not boil my gravel. this recommendation came from both my father, who's a previous aquarium expert, and from my local aquarium specialist. who is an current expert. they both said that it is not requried to boil the gravel, just clean it with water.
i also have no idea why you would be putting 'vinegar' in the water, i've never heard of such a thing, though, i cannot tell wether or not this is a positive thing to do.

although i'm not familiar with 'bioload' (i've never had issues, and i don't look into chemicals biological filters experimental test sortiments etc) i might add that ten gallons, if i'm correct, is just 35 litres? and that is far too little for fish to live in. in my pov, any type of fish needs atleast 100 litres of water, and gravel that is a natrual color, aquarium plants [alive ones, ofcourse], and preferebly a so-called tree stump that is suitable for being in an aquarium. you sould keep in mind, you're not just having fish because it's cool to try and keep them alive in the smallest space possible and with as little natrual things as possible, you're entirely responsable for their health and their quality of life[i do not mean use of "water enhancement" chemicals], what food they eat, the medicine they get when they're sick, and the environment they live in, such as other specimins of fish etc. that being said, i'm not aware of any specific fish that can thrive at below 50 litres of water. i would recommend asking a local aquarium specialist, or engaging in excessive knowledgable reading, which could be on online sites. though, if you're doing this, always compare 2-3 sources and determain which of them is giving the correct information. sometimes, information could be wrong.

sincerely;
nrk.

 

[ejaramillo01]

Sorry for the confusion, I was trying to said that he can clean the tank with water+vinegar, then rinse enough and dry, before the re start of the tank.