Help!!!!

[gersheff]

I just pulled my aquarium out of my basement that i had used as a kid, and I want to start using it again. I have a few question before I start. The aquarium is 10gallons is this too small or just i upgrade to a 20 gallon?

Should I use the Undergravel filter that I had or should I use an underwater filter (fluval 1)?

Any other recommendations?

please help

[tomm10]

Welcome back ;)

10g is fine to begin with, especially since you already have it. Make sure to give it a really good cleaning with Oxyclean or bleach. I prefer Oxyclean since bleach will require a very good rinsing and a heavy dosing with a dechlorinator once the tank is filled.

Undergravel filters can be a pain since they suck the dirt and grime into the gravel which can then reduce their efficiency. this problem can be solved by reversing the flow so the flow travels up through the gravel. Personally I would go with a hang on back filter like the Aquaclear from Hagen or a Penguin by Marineland. these filters hang off the back of the tank and suck water through an intake tube into a filter and then out again into the top of the tank. They're reliable, quiet (as long as the tanks water level is high enough to cut down on any "waterfall effect"), and because they're out of the water, its easy to change or clean the filter cartridges.

You'll need to cycle the tank once its up and running. Have a read through the Cycle sticky at the top of the forum. there's been a lot written about it so a quick search through the forum should answer a lot of your questions. Of course, you can always post back here with more.

Any ideas on what type of fish you'd like?

Tom

[gersheff]

I honestly haven't even thought about fish yet. any suggestions?

[gersheff]

should i go with plants if so how is it done?

[tomm10]

You can go with live plants. Low light plants like Java Ferns, Crypts and the like would work pretty well without having to get into expensive lighting setups.

If you're light hood has two sockets to accept incandescent bulbs, go to Walmart and pick up a couple of compact fluorescent bulbs. you can find them for about $4 in the fish section. They're usually rated at about 10W so two would get you 2 watts per gallon or WPG. you'll hear WPG thrown around a lot inreference to live plants. 2 WPG is on the low end of moderate when referring to light in a tank. If they have 15W bulbs you're even better off.

Plants in a new tank will help your fish in the cycle since they will eat some of the ammonia produced by the fish/food waste. Keep it simple with a couple of inexpensive, low light plants. Plants like crypts are rooting plants that you will plant in the substrate. Java Fern will cling to wood and ornaments in a tank but you'll have to anchor them there with fishing line at first.

Some folks will tell you that you need flourite substrate and fertilizers and CO2 and compact power fluorescent light kits to raise plants. those things will help but as long as you don't try to raise difficult or high light plants you'll be fine with 20W of fluorescent lights and gravel.

10g is not a huge tank so you are limited in fish choice both in size and number. Ask yourself what you want out of the fish in the tank. Lots of fish? A couple of really pretty fish? Active fish? Odd fish? Breeding fish? Colorful fish? When you have an idea of what you want out of the tank its easier to narrow down the choices.

Keep in mind that when you think about choosing fish you have to go by their adult size not the size they are in the store. For instance, a common pleco is only about 2" long in the store but they will grow to 18"! This is a really common pitfall.

Tom

[gersheff]

Just a gravel substrate?

[tomm10]

You can go out and spend money on flourite if you want. It certainly won't hurt but I've grown plants pretty well in just standard aquarium gravel. I'm growing them now in snad substrate.

[gersheff]

the less money spent the better :)

[gersheff]

do i need an algea eater if i put in live plants?

[Hound]

For a 10g tank 3 ottos would be fine as algae eaters, but you also need to feed them algae wafers.

[tomm10]

Originally posted by gersheff
do i need an algea eater if i put in live plants?

I wouldn't worry about it right away but you would want something to control algae at some point. I would look at amano shrimp for a 10g. They're good algae eaters and come with the added benefit of being a good cleaning crew. If you can't find them in your area then ottos would be another good choice.

Tom

[gersheff]

I only have room for 1 lightbulb. So should I just use a 20 W fluorescent lightbulb. Will it harm the fish?

How much gravel? How deep should it be? Do I need fertilizer of any sort?

[tomm10]

The light shouldn't be harmful to the fish. One 20W bulb should be okay.

1.5-2" of gravel is good. I think the guideline of 1.5lbs of gravel per 1 gallon of tank works okay.

Check the Aquatic Plants section regarding ferts. There's a sticky in there on the topic.

Tom

[Hound]

On the flourescent lighting don't use a cool white one. Head to a hardware store or two and try to find one that is in the 5000k to 6500k range. You will probably be able to keep plants with a plain flourescent bulb, but with a good bulb you will be better off.