New Fish Keeper

[CrystalStars]

Hello, everyone!

I have recently discovered a newfound love with fishkeeping, and I am very new to the hobby. During the pandemic I got myself a betta because I felt like I needed something to care for (Pandemic was very hard on me). I asked my local pet store a bunch of questions that I honestly should have researched on my own. They told me he would be perfectly fine in a tiny betta tank. I named him "Buddy" because I got him in the winter time, and zipped up his cup under my coat. Every couple of minutes I would look down and ask "Are you still alive, Buddy?". Anyways, I finally did research and discovered the small tank was not enough for him. So, I upgraded him to a 10 gallon tank with some fake plants because live plants intimidated me.

I also wanted some shrimp to get to clean up the bottom of the tank. Unfortunately, the pet store did not have shrimp. But they sold me two corys and one oto, claiming they're perfectly fine like that... once again, I should have done my research. I did notice my receipt said "algae eater" for the oto, so that might be why she thought the oto was perfectly fine on its own. I did get two more otos, but I know that's not enough.

I recently got a 30 gallon tank, and just ordered some live plants. Once the tank is all set up, I will be ordering 4 more corys and 3 more otos. Totaling 6 for each species. I'm hoping I can add something else to this tank to add more colour. (Buddy has passed away recently, so the top of the tank has no action) I've been looking around, and I'm not sure what else to add. Or what I would have room for.

I apologize for the horrible mistakes I have made when I first started. I have since learned to not trust the word of my local pet stores, and to do my own research before purchasing fish. I'm hoping to improve with this larger aquarium and keep healthy, happy fishies!

 

[Ellie Potts]

What an exciting process! I applaud you for correcting your mistakes. People can be brutal, but coming into this hobby is hard and none of us are free of errors.

So right now you're on track to have a 30 gallon with 6 otos and 6 corys?
We'll need to know what temperature you're keeping the tank and what your water parameters are-particularly your pH level.
If you haven't already, most of us recommend you get the masters test kit. It's pricey but it lasts forever and will save you from a lot of stress.

 

[sharkweek178]

Every one of us has made mistakes. The important thing is that you're open to learning.
You've already learned that you can't trust fish store employees. The next thing you'll learn is a happier lesson. And that's that a larger tank is actually easier to maintain. The water parameters are more stable and you have more room for error.
Congratulations on moving to live plants. I was like you at first. I was intimidated by live plants. But I took the plunge and I love them. There are some challenges. But they're nothing that can't be dealt with. And the benefits easily make live plants well worth it.
You have a great resource with this forum. There are a lot of great minds for aquariums here.

 

[CrystalStars]

Thank you both for the replies! I feel very welcomed here!

@Ellie Potts Thank you for the kind words. I have learned that keeping fish is not as easy as just putting a fish in water, there's a lot to learn. But I am enjoying every minute of it! Yes, I just bought a 30 gallon. Hoping to start the cycling process this week. I have 2 corys and 3 otos. I will order more once I put them in the new aquarium and I can turn the old aquarium into a quarantine tank. The 10 gallon has kept a consistent 74F/23.3C temp. I have bought the API master test kit, it is amazing! PH was 7.2. I was doing maintenance every two weeks, but with the new tank I might switch to weekly if I add more fish.

@sharkweek178 Thank you. I was very scared of the live plants. I have killed potted plants before, but I've been doing lots of research on aquatic plants. It will make the tank look more natural and add a lot of colour to the room! And I think the fish will love it!

 

[sharkweek178]

Thank you both for the replies! I feel very welcomed here!

@Ellie Potts Thank you for the kind words. I have learned that keeping fish is not as easy as just putting a fish in water, there's a lot to learn. But I am enjoying every minute of it! Yes, I just bought a 30 gallon. Hoping to start the cycling process this week. I have 2 corys and 3 otos. I will order more once I put them in the new aquarium and I can turn the old aquarium into a quarantine tank. The 10 gallon has kept a consistent 74F/23.3C temp. I have bought the API master test kit, it is amazing! PH was 7.2. I was doing maintenance every two weeks, but with the new tank I might switch to weekly if I add more fish.

@sharkweek178 Thank you. I was very scared of the live plants. I have killed potted plants before, but I've been doing lots of research on aquatic plants. It will make the tank look more natural and add a lot of colour to the room! And I think the fish will love it!

Nice thing about aquatic plants is that you don't have to water them.

 

[Ellie Potts]

Thank you both for the replies! I feel very welcomed here!

@Ellie Potts Thank you for the kind words. I have learned that keeping fish is not as easy as just putting a fish in water, there's a lot to learn. But I am enjoying every minute of it! Yes, I just bought a 30 gallon. Hoping to start the cycling process this week. I have 2 corys and 3 otos. I will order more once I put them in the new aquarium and I can turn the old aquarium into a quarantine tank. The 10 gallon has kept a consistent 74F/23.3C temp. I have bought the API master test kit, it is amazing! PH was 7.2. I was doing maintenance every two weeks, but with the new tank I might switch to weekly if I add more fish.

@sharkweek178 Thank you. I was very scared of the live plants. I have killed potted plants before, but I've been doing lots of research on aquatic plants. It will make the tank look more natural and add a lot of colour to the room! And I think the fish will love it!

Great! there are lots of fish options you can have in a tank like that and it's largely up to your interests. I love to watch shoaling fish--a big group of harlequin rasboras, ember tetras, or something similar. The social patterns are fascinating.
Some people prefer to breed. You might be able to breed a pair of apistogramma cacatouide in there, beautiful fish and not to mean in my experience.
If you REALLY want to breed you can try livebearers -- guppies, mollies, et cetera.

If it were me, I would get a honey gourami or something similar as a 'show stopper', plant the bejeezus out of the tank, and then add a whole bunch of social fish.

But dig around on YouTube, look at people's tanks here, and see if there are any species you fall in love with. Once you get past that first hurdle of "holy ***** there are so many rules" the fun starts!

 

[sharkweek178]

Great! there are lots of fish options you can have in a tank like that and it's largely up to your interests. I love to watch shoaling fish--a big group of harlequin rasboras, ember tetras, or something similar. The social patterns are fascinating.
Some people prefer to breed. You might be able to breed a pair of apistogramma cacatouide in there, beautiful fish and not to mean in my experience.
If you REALLY want to breed you can try livebearers -- guppies, mollies, et cetera.

If it were me, I would get a honey gourami or something similar as a 'show stopper', plant the bejeezus out of the tank, and then add a whole bunch of social fish.

But dig around on YouTube, look at people's tanks here, and see if there are any species you fall in love with. Once you get past that first hurdle of "holy ***** there are so many rules" the fun starts!

Some of the options depend on the source water. Mostly the water hardness. But there are great fish for any parameters. One of the interesting things about this hobby is that if one option is not viable, there are always several more.

 

[Slaphppy7]

Welcome to TFF

 

[Acorno]

Thank you both for the replies! I feel very welcomed here!

@Ellie Potts Thank you for the kind words. I have learned that keeping fish is not as easy as just putting a fish in water, there's a lot to learn. But I am enjoying every minute of it! Yes, I just bought a 30 gallon. Hoping to start the cycling process this week. I have 2 corys and 3 otos. I will order more once I put them in the new aquarium and I can turn the old aquarium into a quarantine tank. The 10 gallon has kept a consistent 74F/23.3C temp. I have bought the API master test kit, it is amazing! PH was 7.2. I was doing maintenance every two weeks, but with the new tank I might switch to weekly if I add more fish.

@sharkweek178 Thank you. I was very scared of the live plants. I have killed potted plants before, but I've been doing lots of research on aquatic plants. It will make the tank look more natural and add a lot of colour to the room! And I think the fish will love it!

If aquatic plants don’t survive your tank then you can grow something like pothos with the roots submerged.