need help with my 10 gallon tank

[zerox]

i recently bought a 10 gallon aquarium basic set it comes with a filter hood with light i bought the regular gravel. i have 1 molly 2 goldfish and 2 snail, and 2 clams and 1 corrie i need help should i leave the light that it came with and the regular filter or should i upgrade i plan to buy everthying little by little i am new at this and i want to end up using real plants with sand but i dont know which kind to get. i dont have a siphon and i need to do waterchanges i know its weekly and ive heard of carbon but i dont know what that is used for please help i am a noob at this and i would appreciate it if i can get help.

it would be nice if you guys can probalbly make a list for me or leave instuctions for me i really need help on my very first aquarium

[BettaFishMommy]

ok, first of all you have to take the goldfish back. goldfish get way too large for a 10 gallon tank and would not live a healthy life in there for long. when you are at the store, buy a 50 watt heater, as the other fish in the tank at home are tropical and like their water to be about 76 to 78 degrees.

i would get a few more cories, as they are a schooling fish and like the company of their own kind. get three more and that should round out your numbers for that size tank nicely.

from what i have read and heard mollies prefer brackish water, but i have also seen first hand mollies living a long and healthy life in a freshwater tank. others on here have more mollie mindedness, lol, than i do, hope they chime in.

i can't really comment on the clams, as i've never kept or researched them.

what you are doing with a brand new tank with fish in it is what's called a fish in cycle. beneficial bacteria will 'grow' in your filter and to some degree in your gravel and on other tank surfaces. this bacteria is what breaks ammonia (fish poop n pee and rotting food) down into nitrite, and then it changes it to nitrate. read the sticky in the newbie forum about cycling a tank, very informative. i suggest you do at least 50% water changes per day to keep your fish from succumbing to ammonia and nitrite poisoning, until the tank is fully cycled.

i wish you the best with your little tank, and don't worry, the MTS will hit ya soon..... and hard! lol.

[Nak]

I agree with BettaFishMommy in that you definately need to return the goldfish, not only do they grow far too big for a 10gallon, they are also a cold water species while your other fish are tropical fish who like it slightly warmer.

Once you get rid of you goldfish, you can get a couple more cory's, they are a schooling fish and are very very active and happy when with their own kind. You could probably also get some fish to fill up the mid-upper strata of the tank, tetras, guppies etc its really up to you.

I wouldnt get anymore fish until the tank has cycled and stabilized though, as adding anything to the tank now is pretty risky, losing fish during the cycling process isnt at all uncommon. Because of this it can become quite expensive and most people prefer to do whats called a fishless cycle. If you havnt already read up on cycling a tank (both fishless and fish-in) i would suggest you do ASAP, its something that every fish keeper must know.

For now, like bettafishmommy has said, keep doing 50% water changes every day to keep ammonia levels low until the tank has stabilized. Make sure you treat the water with a good quality dechlorinator such as Prime before adding it into the tank. I would also suggest purchasing a liquid test kit to test your water so that you know when the tank has finished cycling, otherwise you will have to take a trip out to the local fish store everytime to get your water tested.

Important purchases for your tank:
Heater, 50W should be sufficient
API master test kit (to monitor ammonia, nitrite and nitrates)
Gravel vac, makes water changes alot easier and allows you to vacuum the gravel

things that arent as important, but do help:
Fish net, to catch and move fish in case of emergencies
Thermometer
Algae scraper/glass cleaner
buckets and towels, buckets you use for your fish should be used for your fish and your fish only, dont use buckets that have been used to hold chemicals, soaps etc

[AfroCichlid]

Read this: http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84598. I would add onto Nak's list a good water conditioner, Prime is generally considered to be the best. Always use this when doing water changes. I agree also that you should hold off on adding any fish through the cycle. While you're waiting, this would be a good time to decide on your stocklist. Since you already have the Cory, you could start by figuring on at least 4 more. From there you'll be limited in the species and amount you can keep in a 10. The best thing you can do is keep reading and researching.

[bgcoop8784]

all above is good info and as far as the light it should be fine unless you just don't like how it looks, i'd worry more on buying the heater and watching the cycle closely and after your cycle has finished then play with the lights and other decorations.