New to fish tanks and in need of some advice!

[BridgetW724]

Hello all!! I am new to fish tanks and in need of some advice! I just decided to start a small 10 gallon aquarium and I need a little advice. I saw some fish at my local pet store and they were called Glofish. I thought they were kinda neat looking so my husband and I decided to buy a blue LED light and a 10 gallon tank and set that up and go with 5 of the "Glofish." At the advice of our local pet store we set our tank up and let it run for 24 hours. We added a conditioner to the water before putting any of the fish in our tank. We then purchased Complete Water Care Kit fizz tabs which includes Start Zyme to add beneficial bacteria and kick start the new tank cycle. Start Right to condition and chlorinate tap water and Correct pH that will adjust and maintain healthy pH levels. I added 2 tablets because that is what it called for. It then stated I could add my fish. I acclimated my fish to the water before placing them in my tank. I wasn't entirely sure when to feed them so I added a little pinch of food to the tank and they seemed to eat what I put in. Then this afternoon I gave them a little more and they didn't eat the entire amount I gave them. Now my water seems to be slightly cloudy. I tested my water with the quick dip paper strips and my Hardness level was at 300 and my pH was at 7.2 my nitrate was at 0 nitrite was at 0 and my alkalinity was at 80. I of course have my filter running and a heater in the tank as well. My fish seem to be happy and swimming around without any problems. I am just concerned about the cloudiness and the hardness in the water. I also am not sure how often to feed my fish and how often to clean the tank. I am open to any and all suggestions and advice. Like I mentioned I am totally new to all of this and I would love to be able to upgrade to a larger tank once I am a little more experienced.

 

[monaro_gto]

Hello and welcome.
Check out this article it will help you along. Your tank is new and has not yet cycled.
I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice

By your self a freshwater master test kit, those strips can be misleading. good luck!

 

[azmodan]

Hi and welcome to AA!

Here's another helpful link to get you started: Guide to Starting a Freshwater Aquarium - Aquarium Advice

 

[henningc]

Just a quick note A.-Get some carbon for your filter as your about to need it. B. Glow fish are injected with dye. Most of the aquarium old timesers are deadset against the dying of live fish. I recently fund dwarf african frogs they dyed. Enjoy the hobby and the creatures for what they are. Once your tank is cycled go on aquabid and get sme killie fish eggs and toss them in. You will be glad you did.

 

[Mebbid]

Just a quick note A.-Get some carbon for your filter as your about to need it. B. Glow fish are injected with dye. Most of the aquarium old timesers are deadset against the dying of live fish. I recently fund dwarf african frogs they dyed. Enjoy the hobby and the creatures for what they are. Once your tank is cycled go on aquabid and get sme killie fish eggs and toss them in. You will be glad you did.

Glofish are actually genetically altered to have that color. While other are dyed or tattooed those particular fish are bred to be that way so it does no harm to the fish. It was originally developed for certain scientific experiments.

On the note of the dyed frogs and fish.. That is one practice that I absolutely hate. It needlessly kills most of the fish that get put through that practice.

Any type of baby fish that is added to an aquarium that is uncycled have a very slim chance of surviving the cycle. Especially baby killifish which need specific food to eat which wont be found in a new aquarium.

Tank maintenance:
I would suggest a routine weekly 20% water change. With your tank being uncycled I would suggest testing the water with an API liquid test kit every 2 days or so and do a 50% water change if any ammonia or nitrites are detected.

I started out using the dechlorinating fizz tabs for my 29g and realized that they are a pain. I would suggest buying either Seachem's "Prime" or API Stress Coat for dechlorinating your water.

The cloudiness of your water is perfectly normal and will go away on its own. It just takes a little time.

I would feed your fish once daily with 1 day per week fasting to clear out their digestive systems. This seems to be the common consensus with most people.

 

[huntsvilleghost]

Just a quick note A.-Get some carbon for your filter as your about to need it. B. Glow fish are injected with dye. Most of the aquarium old timesers are deadset against the dying of live fish. I recently fund dwarf african frogs they dyed. Enjoy the hobby and the creatures for what they are. Once your tank is cycled go on aquabid and get sme killie fish eggs and toss them in. You will be glad you did.

Glofish are not live injected fish, they are the product of bio engineering, the embryos of such fish as tetras, danios, or barbs have been spliced with the dna of jelly fish to give them their glow in the dark qualities. This process is completely painless to the embryo and in no way inhumane, unlike live injection. So enjoy your glofish with the peace of mind that they were born that way, not injected. As for your tank, your tank is just in the process of cycling. It will be cloudy until it is fully cycled. As your tank is cycling remember to do frequent partial water changes, about a 25% change every 3 or 4 days should be ok. Just make sure to leave plenty of the "old" water still in the tank otherwise you will start the cycling process all over again.

 

[BridgetW724]

I really hope I replied to this right. I normally don't do forums. I was not aware that Glofish were so controversial when I bought them! I just really liked their colors! I'm a little confused still about the cycling. I haven't fed my fish since yesterday morning because of the cloudiness. So should I "fast" them today and do a 25% partial water change on it? Everyone has said that the strips I bought are no good. Should I buy the liquid test kit? I feel like an idiot and I apologize for all the questions but I literally feel like I have no idea what I am doing now after reading and researching. I never realized how useless pet stores can actually be! When I do a water change should I be sucking the left over food from the rocks I have on the bottom of my tank or should I just literally change the water? Also should I condition my water that I am adding to the tank?

 

[Mebbid]

I really hope I replied to this right. I normally don't do forums. I was not aware that Glofish were so controversial when I bought them! I just really liked their colors! I'm a little confused still about the cycling. I haven't fed my fish since yesterday morning because of the cloudiness. So should I "fast" them today and do a 25% partial water change on it? Everyone has said that the strips I bought are no good. Should I buy the liquid test kit? I feel like an idiot and I apologize for all the questions but I literally feel like I have no idea what I am doing now after reading and researching. I never realized how useless pet stores can actually be! When I do a water change should I be sucking the left over food from the rocks I have on the bottom of my tank or should I just literally change the water? Also should I condition my water that I am adding to the tank?

Eh, there's nothing controversial about glofish. Sometimes people don't really understand the background behind them. Its the dyed / tattoed fish that we have a strong feeling against. Here is an example of a picture I took at a lfs.

The cloudiness in your tank is a bacterial bloom. There isn't really an issue with the water being cloudy, but there also isn't much you can do to fix it short of buying a UV sterilizer. But with a water change, if you're ready to why not? A water change is almost never a bad idea.

I would definitely suggest that you go with an API master test kit. They are much better than the strips imho.

For doing water changes it is a good idea to suck out any detrius that has accumulated in the tank as well as giving the gravel a good cleaning with a gravel vac when you do your maintenance. This will help keep ammonia / nitrites / nitrates down across the board.

 

[BridgetW724]

You all have been so helpful!! Thank you so much! I seem to be gaining such useful information from this forum! When I replace the water after doing my water change should I use the water conditioner again?

 

[Mebbid]

You all have been so helpful!! Thank you so much! I seem to be gaining such useful information from this forum! When I replace the water after doing my water change should I use the water conditioner again?

Yep, every ounce of water that goes into the tank needs to have a dechlorinator added to it.

 

[BridgetW724]

Ok great! Thank you! I am going to do a 25% water change right now and then do another test on the water. I will go this afternoon to get a new test kit. I didn't realize that the strips I bought were not good. The pet store told me that they would work. Again I trusted them not knowing they were basically useless. The readings I have gotten from the strips seemed to show that everything except my water hardness were alright. So I haven't been really too worried about my tank. My fish seem to be doing great. Should I feed my fish today or should I fast them because of the cloudiness? I read that they should be fed once a day and I haven't fed them yet today.

 

[Mebbid]

Ok great! Thank you! I am going to do a 25% water change right now and then do another test on the water. I will go this afternoon to get a new test kit. I didn't realize that the strips I bought were not good. The pet store told me that they would work. Again I trusted them not knowing they were basically useless. The readings I have gotten from the strips seemed to show that everything except my water hardness were alright. So I haven't been really too worried about my tank. My fish seem to be doing great. Should I feed my fish today or should I fast them because of the cloudiness? I read that they should be fed once a day and I haven't fed them yet today.

As long as you aren't overfeeding the fish a daily feeding won't contribute to the cloudy water. So I would go ahead and feed them.

 

[BridgetW724]

Alright. Thank you again for all of your help! I hope I have researched enough to be able to continue on my own from here! I believe that from reading and researching that I will know the cycle process is finished once my levels are stable.

 

[BridgetW724]

Just finished my 25% water change and already my tank looks less cloudy! I'm pleased with this. Maybe this is normal? Of course I am a newbie so I don't know. I was wondering though how will I know if the cartridge inside my filter needs replaced?

 

[huntsvilleghost]

Just finished my 25% water change and already my tank looks less cloudy! I'm pleased with this. Maybe this is normal? Of course I am a newbie so I don't know. I was wondering though how will I know if the cartridge inside my filter needs replaced?

Depends on the type of filter you have. I am assuming you have a standard hang on the back filter, if this is the case simply rinse it using clean declorinated water about once every couple of weeks and it will last a while when you notice the fibers starting to wear thin, then replace the cartrage. Ive done my tanks this way for over twenty years and never had a filter issue. This is just what we in the hobby call mechanical filtration it simply removes particles of food and other waste floating in your aquarium. Actually if your looking to save money on those expensive cartridges simply buy a pack of poly-fil make sure it is not the mildew or flame treated kind. And when your cartridge starts thinning remove the rest of the soft filter and dump the carbon leaving just the plastic frame. Put the frame back in the filter then stuff some of the poly-fil behind the plastic frame. The poly-fil will do a better job of removing particles and polishing your water. And reusing the same plastic frame will provide you with more surface area for beneficial bacteria to grow. Now all you have to do is replace the poly-fil whenever it starts getting dirty. A bag will last you forever.

 

[BridgetW724]

Thank you for the help! I've noticed doing some reading that while cycling my tank that nitrite and nitrate readings will always seem to vary. Mine has been staying at zero. Is this normal? I've been testing it 2 to 3 times a day it has not changed at all. I have been a little concerned about mostly because of what I have seen everywhere that during cycling everyone seems to have trouble with theirs rising. My local pet store said they use the same water as I do but I can't remember what they said about it. To be honest I sort of didn't pay attention because they really didn't know that much about what they were telling me anyways. So I guess what I am trying to get at is basically is it normal that my levels are staying at zero? It seems that all my levels are getting better instead of worse. I am going to test again right now because I did do the 25% water change a while ago and I would like to see what the levels are now after doing that. I will post what they are now after doing so.

 

[Mebbid]

Thank you for the help! I've noticed doing some reading that while cycling my tank that nitrite and nitrate readings will always seem to vary. Mine has been staying at zero. Is this normal? I've been testing it 2 to 3 times a day it has not changed at all. I have been a little concerned about mostly because of what I have seen everywhere that during cycling everyone seems to have trouble with theirs rising. My local pet store said they use the same water as I do but I can't remember what they said about it. To be honest I sort of didn't pay attention because they really didn't know that much about what they were telling me anyways. So I guess what I am trying to get at is basically is it normal that my levels are staying at zero? It seems that all my levels are getting better instead of worse. I am going to test again right now because I did do the 25% water change a while ago and I would like to see what the levels are now after doing that. I will post what they are now after doing so.

So what you're saying is that your nitrite and nitrate levels are staying at 0? If thats the case then it probably hasn't progressed beyond the stage of using ammonia. You should almost never have a 0 nitrate reading

 

[BridgetW724]

Here are the readings I just got. Bare with me I wasn't able to get the API master test kit that I wanted to get because the place I went to didn't have them. I am going to get one tomorrow so I am still using the paper test strips. my pH is between 7.8 and 8.4 (hasn't changed) my Alkalinity is at 80 (no change) my water hardness is at 150 (no change) my nitrite is 0 (no change) and my nitrate is at 0 (no change) Like I said these have all been the same since I have started my tank. Maybe this is because the test strips are junk I can't be certain of that or because I am a newbie and have NO idea what I am doing. I have been doing a TON of research so please don't think I am just coming on here and asking you all and doing nothing because that isn't the case. You all are very helpful I truly appreciate all the information and guidance.

 

[BridgetW724]

So what you're saying is that your nitrite and nitrate levels are staying at 0? If thats the case then it probably hasn't progressed beyond the stage of using ammonia. You should almost never have a 0 nitrate reading

Yea they are always at 0. They have never went up at all. I think I may need to read up a little on the ammonia. Will this kill my fish?

 

[huntsvilleghost]

Ammonia is very toxic to fish that is the whole point of a cycled tank. Waste in the tank breaks down into ammonia as the ammonia level rises beneficial bacteria takes the ammonia and converts it into nitrate and nitrite which is less toxic to your fish and much easier to control with water changes