ABsolute beginer

[methical]

hi i've just purchased a 10 gallon tropical tank and i have no idea what i'm doing

its my first tank and i was hoping some one could explain the whole cycling progress ?
the fish store told me to set it up let it run for a week then introduce some fish into the tank.

i've been spending the last few hours reading up on tropical fish tanks and i've just realised they might be just as clueless about the cycle as i am

i've read that i should introduce a ornament from an already established tank to speed up the process so i puchased some driftwood with a plant grafted onto it.

its on its second day now
i've put in some tropical conditioner and all the other stuff the store gave me

can anyone tell me what i should do next ? and what fish would be suitable to keep in a 10 gallon tank ?

 

[Phantom Thief]

Ok, to cycle read the pinned article 'Avoiding and Treating New Tank Syndrome' in the beginners section. It explains everything better than i could.

Why dont you tell us what you want in your tank? Then we could tell you if its suitable or not.

P.T.

 

[methical]

thanks i've the fishless cycle so hopefully in two weeks i can start housing some fish

oh yeah
i was thinking oto's and if possible i really wanted to put a clownfish in there would it be suitable enough neon tetra, ghost fish, glow fish and any other suggestions u guys may offer. i basically just want fish for show but without doing too much harm to them by overcrowding



i'm planning to uprade to a 45 - 55 gallon later but the 10 gallon is just a tester so i can learn more about keepin fish.....

 

[sinistral]

to the forums!!

Glad to hear you are doing the fishless cycle, as I feel it's much kinder for your fish. Unfortunately clownfish are marine fish. I haven't kept them, but I don't think you'll be able to keep them in a freshwater tank. Neons and glowlight tetras are really nice fish. I'm partial to glowlights as you can imagine (from my sig ). Have you purchased a water testing kit yet? I'm interested to hear about your tap water parameters like pH, GH, and so forth.

Best of luck!

 

[Adrinal]

WELCOME

be sure to read all the stickys and get a for-noobs-book and read it twice

What are your water condidtions from the tap (assuming you are using tap water) That helps to narrow which fish to get (best if you get fish for the chemistry not chemistry for the fish).

I haven't had a small tank in many years... but check out the live brooders forum here guppy/beta would work I would think.
Guramis (sp) would be good too, very beautiful... though I don't know how many a 10g tank could hold... I mean using the inch to volume rule 3-4 would fill the tank... but I dont know if they should be in pairs, single, school... I am sure there are many here that do if you are interested though.

Have fun. GL

 

[Adrinal]

http/fish.orbust.net/forums/index.php?sh...showtopic=22541

Duh ya I totaly forgot zebras... They kick butt!

a school of 7-8 zebras and a catfish (corry believe the names are) would rock... again ask for more info on the corys... or a compatable cat.. in the cat section here
but this would give you top/bottom feeder combo!

 

[sinistral]

be sure to read all the stickys and get a for-noobs-book and read it twice

I thought I would highlight what Adrinal said about getting an introductory book for Aquarists, as I think it was probably the single best thing I did in starting out. It's invaluable to have a reference book, and even better to read it and understand it backwards and forwards. It'll save you a ton of frustration, time and money, and it'll help you love tropical fish even more!

 

[gordon1973]

any suggestions on a book then?

 

[Adrinal]

Sure... I think all of us revisit our noob books not only to see if we have forgotten something, but also to see how the hobby has changed... Remember this hobby is still at its infancy and things are confusing at best about most topics...
Unfortunatly, thats one reason you will get so much conflicting data and answers to questions ... OK BRB...


The Simple Guide to Freshwater Aquariums - Boruchowitz

There are many fine books out there for the nooblet... If you are ordering online give this a go... If you have the time read some and take notes at the library (then you can post here with conflicting data). You can also just check out your local book store / lfs page through them. If you find one you feel is easier to read go for it!

If you have decided on a species a specific book for that species would be better. They most all have basic info on fish keeping as well... just as basic fish keeping books have a little info on most starter fish

 

[suemack]

that's an awesome and very helpful book and the other one that was easy to read and made a lot of sense was the........

Aquariums for Dummies by Maddy & Mic Hargrove

both really excellent when you are starting out and for later reference too

sue

 

[Adrinal]

Ya AFD looked like a nice book as well

Remember any book's info is not stuck in stone for right or wrong but a must in having a good base knowlage to change and grow on

 

[methical]

yeah i am complying a folder now like setting it up just personal reference like when i get a fish i will print out stuff about it and place it there


and yeah after much research i decided that zebras might be cool and gouramis

i'll post the tap water test later when i buy a water test kit later on in the day

thanx for the welcome btw

 

[sinistral]

The Simple Guide to Freshwater Aquariums - Boruchowitz

I will third this as a terrific book for a newbie. I have it next to my comp right now