Newbie here, would like advice and comments!

[JawsTheme]

So 2 weeks ago I got a small 10 gallon freshwater tank. Me and my fiance started off small because this is our first ever experience at this along with the responsibilities that come with it.

We set up the tank and let it sit 4 days. We added StressZyme and conditioner and the bio cycle did its thing. Once done we added 2 silver mollies, 1 marble and 1 bumblebee along with 2 frogs. I thought that was a bit much to start with but my girl demanded it so.. yeah I went with the boss on that.

The marble made it 36 hours and went belly up. It acted weird from the start so I assume it was already sick. The silvers are doing great and so is the bumblebee. The african frogs are already getting bigger and we have a baby silver mollie swimming around in the tank!

Anyways I had a couple questions.

1. Went is a good time to use biozyme?
2. How often do I clean(or)change the filter?
3. They eat flake food obviously, but I mince bloodworms and baby shrimp and it all gets ate so I assume I'm doing a good job feeding them. What else do they like to eat?
4. I change 25% of the water every weekend, is that enough?
5. a)I keep telling my fiance 3 fish, 1 baby fish, and 2 frogs are enough for a 10 gallon tank... am I right?
b) She wants to add snails. Good idea or what? And what kind of snails?

So far it's been fun, and my 17 month old girl loves the fish. They are really active and are doing well. For me this is childs play as my sights are set on a salt water aquarium next year.

Any tips for a newbie fish keeper?

 

[alia258]

I say no to the snails, unless you're only getting one. You should either do 50% pwcs (partial water changes) or 25% every 3/4 days. And when you do a 50% pec you should dose dechlorinater for the whole tank (for you that's 10g) I suggest switching to granules, as they're easier to feed the fish, keep the water clean, and they're more likely to be eaten if they rest on the bottom. Remember that when you change the water you need to do a gravel vacuuming to keep waste and left over food from polluting the tank. Your tank is pretty fully stocked already, and if you do get more fish (please only one or two more max) then you'll have to do more pwcs to keep up with the extra waste from the fish. Make sure you feed those fish enough, and I also suggest dosing the tank with a medication for whatever that first fish died of because your other fish can still contract the disease. (you'll have to go to the pet store and look for any sick fish from the tank you got the one that died out of and buy the medication for that disease. It's most likely ich/ick or some kind of velvet) make sure your frogs are getting the proper food, they won't last if you're just giving them fish food because it won't get the right nutrients it needs. Frogs have a high tendency to create waste so I suggest doing more water changes anyway. I have a 10g myself, I have 3 guppies (very similar to mollies), 3 neon tetras, and 1 cory catfish (if you get more fish, I suggest these guys, they eat left over food before it goes bad, but you'll have to also give them algae discs, and they do better in groups 3+. I'm buying mine some friends soon) and I feed them tetra granules every day and add freeze dried blood worms into the mix every other day. I do a 50% water change every week to keep up with the bio-load. I think I covered everything you asked. Be careful that the frogs don't eat the fish!

 

[Fishy Aston]

You Could Get A Apple Golden Snail

Or a Asscain Snail

Keep them on there own.

Type them in Google and then you can see the imajes of them

And also both are very cheap.

 

[alia258]

I don't know what biozome is, I've never used it. Also for the filter question, you should leave it for a month, then wash it in the tank water (you don't want to shock and kill the BB aka beneficial bacteria with other water) and then it'll last another week and then you can change it out. Make sure you leave the little sponge thing alone! It grows BB and isn't meant to be messed with!

 

[alia258]

A ram shorn snail could be fun, they have cool shells!

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Welcome to AA!
This will answer most of your questions
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/artic...-to-Starting-a-Freshwater-Aquarium/Page1.html
Please pay close attention to the cycling information (fish in cycling article).

 

[JawsTheme]

I say no to the snails, unless you're only getting one. You should either do 50% pwcs (partial water changes) or 25% every 3/4 days. And when you do a 50% pec you should dose dechlorinater for the whole tank (for you that's 10g) I suggest switching to granules, as they're easier to feed the fish, keep the water clean, and they're more likely to be eaten if they rest on the bottom. Remember that when you change the water you need to do a gravel vacuuming to keep waste and left over food from polluting the tank. Your tank is pretty fully stocked already, and if you do get more fish (please only one or two more max) then you'll have to do more pwcs to keep up with the extra waste from the fish. Make sure you feed those fish enough, and I also suggest dosing the tank with a medication for whatever that first fish died of because your other fish can still contract the disease. (you'll have to go to the pet store and look for any sick fish from the tank you got the one that died out of and buy the medication for that disease. It's most likely ich/ick or some kind of velvet) make sure your frogs are getting the proper food, they won't last if you're just giving them fish food because it won't get the right nutrients it needs. Frogs have a high tendency to create waste so I suggest doing more water changes anyway. I have a 10g myself, I have 3 guppies (very similar to mollies), 3 neon tetras, and 1 cory catfish (if you get more fish, I suggest these guys, they eat left over food before it goes bad, but you'll have to also give them algae discs, and they do better in groups 3+. I'm buying mine some friends soon) and I feed them tetra granules every day and add freeze dried blood worms into the mix every other day. I do a 50% water change every week to keep up with the bio-load. I think I covered everything you asked. Be careful that the frogs don't eat the fish!

So you think I can put 2 cory cats in there? I heard they are good to help clean the tank but also heard they get big though.

I need to get a gravel siphon, that's for sure. These 2 frogs are making a mess of the left side of my tank.

There's our tank. We took out the fake tree stump looking think, and added 2 medium sized natural black rocks. Removed the fake plants and added bamboo, long stem weedy looking things and a small leafy plant.

 

[alia258]

2 cories sounds fine, but you'll have to do about 3-5 pwcs a week and they'll have to be 30-40% most of the time and 50-70% the rest of the time, and 40+% pwcs require dosing dechlorinater for the whole tank. Cories also need to be fed algae discs, and the highest quality ones are Wardley brand. Common catfish cories stay pretty small, about 3" max. Mines full grown and 2 1/3" long. When feeding the algae discs, you can cut them in half to feed them. The Wardly brand costs more, but other brands don't have high enough protein or fiber for healthy fish growth. I use Wardly brand, and my cory is thriving and happy and looking foward to many more years

 

[Mumma.of.two]

So you think I can put 2 cory cats in there? I heard they are good to help clean the tank but also heard they get big though.

I need to get a gravel siphon, that's for sure. These 2 frogs are making a mess of the left side of my tank.

There's our tank. We took out the fake tree stump looking think, and added 2 medium sized natural black rocks. Removed the fake plants and added bamboo, long stem weedy looking things and a small leafy plant.

No. Your tank is full IMO. Most species of cory get too large for a 10g tank. They also prefer schools of 6 of their own kind.

Did you read the cycling information? It's very important. Your tank will be cycling since its so new. Ammonia will rise to toxic levels and that can harm or kill your fish.

 

[alex07]

Welcome to AA!
This will answer most of your questions
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/articles/articles/131/1/Guide-to-Starting-a-Freshwater-Aquarium/Page1.html
Please pay close attention to the cycling information (fish in cycling article).

This good, also get yourself a liquid test kit asap and start testing your water.

 

[alia258]

Water test kits are very good! And yes, your tank is fully stocked at the moment, and adding cories will be over stocking, but you can keep them happy an healthy still. One person had 50+ glo fish in a 10g tank, and every other day he did back to back 50% water changes, and he's kept them happy and healthy for over a year! So overstocking isn't as bad but simply requires more work (and a test kit ) if you get live plants, it'll help keep ammonia, Nitrates, and nitrites from soaring