got a new fish tank

[reinhart]

1. i've had the tank running for 3 weeks now. It has 3 tetras, 2 adult mollies, and 1 bottom feeder. The fish poop seems to magically dissappear into the gravel. I hope this is b/c the bacteria is consuming the feces. How do i know if the tank is being overloaded with fish waste? If i buy an ammonia test kit, what should it read as? What do i do if there is too much ammonia? change the water or add in "AmmoLock2"? Is AmmoLock something that removes ammonia or does it merely act as a temporary fix as opposed to a solid cure?

2. how often should i be changing the tank? I've heard someone say "once a month" but some places on the web recommend one change per week. If i change the water every week, will that stress out the fish b/c i'm adding in 3 gallons of water that has no bacteria in yet and that has a different temperature?

3. i have 2 female mollies and one is somewhat aggressive. It attakcs the other molly often, especially when food flakes are added to the tank. is this b/c there is no male present to calm them down or is it b/c my 10 gallon tank is too small?

4. what do i do about ph levels? Is tap water in the city really likely to have a bad pH level? What do i do if i have 3 different kinds of fish and they all have different pH preferences?

 

[BIGMAC]

When your tank is cycled the ammonia should be 0 ,nitrite should be 0,and you should see a reading of nitrate but this should not be left too high.
Do weekly water changes,or more if your levels of ammonia and nitrite start to rise try to get the fresh water around the same temp as the tank water and do maybe a 25% water change each week.Make sure you dechlorinate the fresh water before adding it.

 

[SaltyMist]

There is no real fix for amonia, other than having a healthy system. If you dont overload the tank, and dont overfeed the fish, and do regular water changes weekly, then you shouldnt have any registerable amonia in your tank because your biological filter will be converting it.

Ammolock and other Amquel type liquids seem to neutralize the amonia so that it wont harm the fish, but in doing so, you arent getting down to the bottom line of why is there amonia in the tank to begin with. Am i overfeeding, not doing water changes, overstocked in fish or what? I'ts best to have a healthy system to start with and keep it all in place. It seems it's all about checks and balances in this hobby.

 

[Nina7777]

1. i've had the tank running for 3 weeks now. It has 3 tetras, 2 adult mollies, and 1 bottom feeder. The fish poop seems to magically dissappear into the gravel. I hope this is b/c the bacteria is consuming the feces. How do i know if the tank is being overloaded with fish waste? If i buy an ammonia test kit, what should it read as? What do i do if there is too much ammonia? change the water or add in "AmmoLock2"? Is AmmoLock something that removes ammonia or does it merely act as a temporary fix as opposed to a solid cure?

1st and foremost you have quit a few too many fish for cycling a 10 gallon. The usually rule is 1 inch of fish per five gallons. So DO NOT add any more fish at this time, untill your tank is cycled.
Secondly Go out and buy yourself an amonia test and also a nitrite and nitrate test kit as well. Your amonia should stay at 0 your nitrite should be 0 and nitrates under 40. Once you see these readings your tank will be cycled. Untill then test your water at least once per day. The moment you see either your amonia or nitrite go above the "safe" reading do a 25% water change. There is no such thing as doing too many water changes if there is amonia and nitrites in the water. And to ensure that the fish poop is not collecting on the bottom, buy a siphon gravel vac and vac the gravel once a week. Since your tank is not cycled yet, do half at a time.

2. how often should i be changing the tank? I've heard someone say "once a month" but some places on the web recommend one change per week. If i change the water every week, will that stress out the fish b/c i'm adding in 3 gallons of water that has no bacteria in yet and that has a different temperature?

As I mentioned above you should do a water change whenever your readings get above normal. Or if you cannot get a kit I would 25% twice a week. But you really should get a kit. You will not stress your fish out as long as you use dechlorinater in the water. (Such as Stress Coat etc.)

3. i have 2 female mollies and one is somewhat aggressive. It attakcs the other molly often, especially when food flakes are added to the tank. is this b/c there is no male present to calm them down or is it b/c my 10 gallon tank is too small?

Just make sure you have plenty of hiding spaces for the submissive mollie. As far as adding a male. I would wait untill your tank is stable and then maybe add a male depending upon what your bottom feeder is.

4. what do i do about ph levels? Is tap water in the city really likely to have a bad pH level? What do i do if i have 3 different kinds of fish and they all have different pH preferences?

You do not do anything about PH levels. As long as your level is stable than the fish can adjust. The last thing you want to do in a uncycled and cycle tank for that matter is keep adjusting the PH levels. This will cause more stress to your fish than if you just leave them alone.


Hope this all helps. GOOD LUCK and CONGRATS with your new tank!

 

[pendragon]

Hello, reinhart. to fishkeeping!

Before getting detailed answers to your questions, you really should spend some time with beginner FAQ's, you'll find some roundabout answers to your questions there, but more importantly you'll learn and understand many of the concepts of fishkeeping that you'll need for success down the road. Your questions lead me to believe you need to educate yourself a little more about the building blocks of aquarium setup. After you get some knowledge of the basics, you can ask more detailed questions and we'll help.

Read the pinned threads in this Beginner Questions forum (Advice For The Absolute Beginner, Some Newbie No-No's, etc.) and then this excellent beginner's FAQ.

It's worth giving some extra attention to the section on the Nitrogen Cycle. Understanding the cycle is all-important to establishing and keeping a healthy aquarium.

Best of luck!

pendragon!