I just got a new ten gallon tank starting kit, the exact kit i got was right here - Aqueon » Basic Aquarium Kit | Products , a ten gallon tank that comes with a lid, 2 iridescent bulbs, a filter, and i believe aerator. I have some additional questions to help start my tank.
I apologize if this post gets lengthy, I'm new to the aquarium world and have a bunch of questions.
I bought 5 pounds of sand and 5 pounds of gravel, so the bottom of the tank is a mixture of the two, mostly sand and bottom and gravel on top as i figured that would hold the sand down better, I got a couple of water plants as well, and the lady at Petco said they would survive just fine under the two iridescent lightbulbs.
From what i understand, i am supposed to keep the tank empty of fish for a couple of days, so right now it is full of water and the plants, as well as water treatment, there is also a filter and aerator running but i am concerned with the actual power of the two. Aqueon » Aqueon QuietFlow? Power Filter | Products That is the filter / aerator i have, an Aqueon Quietflow 20 (says its suitable for up to 20 gallons and mine is 10 so it should be great, right?). The water plants also came with the roots wrapped up in sponges, i left the sponges on the roots and just buried them under some gravel and sand to anchor them down, i hope thats all good. Should i be changing water regularly while there are no fish and it goes through this cycle, or just let it run solo for about a week, will there be enough filtration with what i currently have, will there be enough oxygen, and will the plants survive?
Now that i got the questions about the tank set-up out of the way, the fun part, the actual fish. I love how the Dwarf Gourami looks and would definitely like one in my tank, i read that having two can cause problems, as they will likely fight, i also like some of the cichlids, but my understanding is they are too aggressive to put in a tank with another fish. Aside from those two fish, i would like to have some schooling fish, which should i be looking at? Guppies do not really interest me, and i do prefer bigger fish but understand i am limited with the size of my tank, if they can't be bigger at least make them colorful or have cool designs .
Final off topic question, is it safe to stick my hand in the tank to move the gravel around every once in awhile?
Big thanks in advance to anyone who helps, especially if you managed to make it through this whole post and answer the questions.
I apologize if this post gets lengthy, I'm new to the aquarium world and have a bunch of questions.
I bought 5 pounds of sand and 5 pounds of gravel, so the bottom of the tank is a mixture of the two, mostly sand and bottom and gravel on top as i figured that would hold the sand down better, I got a couple of water plants as well, and the lady at Petco said they would survive just fine under the two iridescent lightbulbs.
From what i understand, i am supposed to keep the tank empty of fish for a couple of days, so right now it is full of water and the plants, as well as water treatment, there is also a filter and aerator running but i am concerned with the actual power of the two. Aqueon » Aqueon QuietFlow? Power Filter | Products That is the filter / aerator i have, an Aqueon Quietflow 20 (says its suitable for up to 20 gallons and mine is 10 so it should be great, right?). The water plants also came with the roots wrapped up in sponges, i left the sponges on the roots and just buried them under some gravel and sand to anchor them down, i hope thats all good. Should i be changing water regularly while there are no fish and it goes through this cycle, or just let it run solo for about a week, will there be enough filtration with what i currently have, will there be enough oxygen, and will the plants survive?
Now that i got the questions about the tank set-up out of the way, the fun part, the actual fish. I love how the Dwarf Gourami looks and would definitely like one in my tank, i read that having two can cause problems, as they will likely fight, i also like some of the cichlids, but my understanding is they are too aggressive to put in a tank with another fish. Aside from those two fish, i would like to have some schooling fish, which should i be looking at? Guppies do not really interest me, and i do prefer bigger fish but understand i am limited with the size of my tank, if they can't be bigger at least make them colorful or have cool designs .
Final off topic question, is it safe to stick my hand in the tank to move the gravel around every once in awhile?
Big thanks in advance to anyone who helps, especially if you managed to make it through this whole post and answer the questions.