Stocking 8 gallon tank

[Hblume1999]

One more question:

I think this is the route I will go with stocking the ten gallon:

1 dwarf gourami
5 or 6 neons

If this will overstock or under stock the tank, let me know.

Thanks in advance!

 

[rmiller]

I would do 8-10 neons to make a decent school. They are super low on bioload.

I would recommend a fishless cycle, then add 6 neons. Wait a couple weeks, watching your water parameters. Once you're past any mini cycle you might see add 6 more. It's likely that you'll lose a couple per batch. The ones on the market right now seem very weak, but the ones that live should be pretty hardy. Let them all settle for a good month then add your gourami.

 

[Hblume1999]

I would do 8-10 neons to make a decent school. They are super low on bioload.

I would recommend a fishless cycle, then add 6 neons. Wait a couple weeks, watching your water parameters. Once you're past any mini cycle you might see add 6 more. It's likely that you'll lose a couple per batch. The ones on the market right now seem very weak, but the ones that live should be pretty hardy. Let them all settle for a good month then add your gourami.

What do you recommend when it comes to a fishless cycle? And how long should it take for a ten gallon?

 

[rmiller]

Check out this article. It explains how to cycle a tank. Most see it take about 4-6 weeks. You can cycle it faster with fish in, but I don't recommend it with neons. I'm also not a fan of buying a fish just to cycle with.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium/

 

[Hblume1999]

Another question:

My dad is concerned about if my dresser can support the ten gallon tank. It is 1.5' by 2.5' and 3.5' tall and it is made of solid wood. Could it support a ten gallon tank?

Any advice is gladly appreciated.

 

[Jolee0722]

I'd say the tank is around 120-130 pounds when filled with water and decorations so check with your dad if your dresser can hold that amount of weight.

 

[rmiller]

On average a freshwater tank weighs about 10 pounds per gallon. Most dressers can handle that easily. The bigger concern would be having water spill on it during water changes. If you want put down some contact paper like you would use in a kitchen cabinet. Either way make sure to wipe up any spills (and there will be spills) as soon as you're done with your water change.

 

[Hblume1999]

On average a freshwater tank weighs about 10 pounds per gallon. Most dressers can handle that easily. The bigger concern would be having water spill on it during water changes. If you want put down some contact paper like you would use in a kitchen cabinet. Either way make sure to wipe up any spills (and there will be spills) as soon as you're done with your water change.

My dresser is high quality, so I think it should be fine. I read that some people put much bigger tanks on dressers, and have no problems. The wood in between the top of the dresser and the first drawer is at least 1 1/2 inches thick of solid wood, which has numerous supports attached to it, which are each 1 inch thick. Honestly, I don't think there should be a problem with a ten gallon on my dresser.

 

[rmiller]

Sounds plenty sturdy.

 

[severum mama]

A lot of today's furniture is total garbage, but if you have a nice quality dresser that is made out of wood it will almost certainly be fine for a 10 gallon. It's that particle board stuff you want to watch out for.

 

[Hblume1999]

A lot of today's furniture is total garbage, but if you have a nice quality dresser that is made out of wood it will almost certainly be fine for a 10 gallon. It's that particle board stuff you want to watch out for.

I believe that it is a high quality piece if furniture. It is made by Stanley and is ten years old, but still in perfect condition. Here it is.

 

[severum mama]

I would think that's totally fine. 10 gallon tanks really don't weigh that much. I used to keep a 29 gallon on a wooden dresser and, although I would NOT recommend it, the tank was fine there for 3 years. I would agree with the suggestion for contact paper. You're going to spill some water eventually and it will damage the finish, guess how I know?

 

[Hblume1999]

I would think that's totally fine. 10 gallon tanks really don't weigh that much. I used to keep a 29 gallon on a wooden dresser and, although I would NOT recommend it, the tank was fine there for 3 years. I would agree with the suggestion for contact paper. You're going to spill some water eventually and it will damage the finish, guess how I know?

Thanks for the advice! I was planning to get the marine land biowheel ten gallon. Any recommendations for a better tank? And is the biowheel a good first tank?

 

[severum mama]

The biowheel is fine. I'm not a big fan of proprietary cartridges because they are expensive in the long run, but you can replace the cartridge with a sponge or some filter floss or whatever. The benefit to the biowheel is that, when you need to change your cartridge, you don't throw out all your good bacteria.

I prefer the Aquaclear filters because they are more customizable, but yes a biowheel tank kit is good for a beginner. I assume you are looking at something like this... Aquarium Kits: Marineland BIO-Wheel LED Aquarium Kit

 

[Sillyfishies]

Regarding fishless cycles)

A) the other poster had it backward. Fishless cycles are faster.
B) I would add all your fish at one time. 4 ppm of ammonia is A LOT of fish....

 

[severum mama]

I wouldn't, but then again, I wouldn't bother dosing up to 4 ppm anyway. You can fishless cycle with quite a bit less and just stock slowly.

 

[Hblume1999]

I wouldn't, but then again, I wouldn't bother dosing up to 4 ppm anyway. You can fishless cycle with quite a bit less and just stock slowly.

How do you recommend doing a fish less cycle?

 

[severum mama]

A piece of a raw shrimp is the set it and forget it method. If I were doing the ammonia dosing, I'd probably go up to 2 ppm or something. I wouldn't be comfortable chucking a full fish load into a brand new tank, so for me there wouldn't be any need to dose up to 4.

 

[Hblume1999]

A piece of a raw shrimp is the set it and forget it method. If I were doing the ammonia dosing, I'd probably go up to 2 ppm or something. I wouldn't be comfortable chucking a full fish load into a brand new tank, so for me there wouldn't be any need to dose up to 4.

Should I follow the directions of that link, but then use 2 ppm instead of 4?

 

[severum mama]

Either way will work, but if you dose much past 4 ppm you risk the possibility of stalling the cycle. Since I'd never put a full fish load in a new tank anyway, I just don't see the point. But however you want to do it is fine. Very few things in this hobby are absolutes.