Looking for advice please! :)

T

thedogzoo

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Oct 4, 2005
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:help: Hello. I need advice on a 10 gallon tank.Now, I know that everyone says that this size take is hard to care for..a larger one would be easier....but this is what we could afford and it came to be through a crisis. I wanted to get my toddler a fish tank...so I went and talked to the people at the store and we bought a 2 gallon tank and set it up.After 2 days, we went and got her fish.I spoke at length with the sales clerk and I handed him the tank that we had bought (they had one on the shelf) and I asked"What can I put in here?" He said that 1 black Molly and 3 Neon Tetras would be good.Needless to say, we rushed the poor fish back 8 hours later because they were not doing well at all! I didn't care about the money....I felt a moral obligaton to these little guys! Anyways....now we purchased a 10 gallon tank solely because in that 8 hours, my daugher grew very attached to her "Nemo's" and we couldn't simply return the fish and end it there.It seems that you should be able to have more than 4 fish in 10 gallons, but I don't want to do the wrong things and have the fish suffer for it.So, I need to know if I can keep a molly and 3 tetras in this 10 gallon tank? Any other suggestions?We would not be able to change the tetras, but if there was a black fish that would be more appropriate....I could probably pull that off with my daughter. Right now she thinks that her "Nemo's" are having a slumber party at the fish doctor so they can get their check-ups! LOL Thanks in advance for any advice :)
 
10g would be more than enough room for the 4 fish. You might also want to add 3 small cory catfish to keep the bottom a bit cleaner - they get no bigger than the neons, and stay on the bottom.
 
you might want to keep the tetras "at the doctors" for a while because you are starting up a new tank. If you know about cycling a fish tank, then you'll understand, if not here is my suggestion. Get the tank set up with everything but fish, up and running. Make sure to put a couple of live plants in there, they take care of a lot of the ammonia that will build up quickly. After a day or two add a COUPLE of hardy fish, Mollies are excellent for this as are SOME tetras. This will start your cycle quickly. Make sure to monitor your water and do some water changes frequently. And if you little one asks, take her to the pet shop so she can see her fishies that are "staying" there while you get their new and bigger home ready. As for the 10 gallon, as long as you take care of the tank you will have no problems. But I would not put all the fish in the tank at once in the beginning. Oh yeah, make sure you have a good ammonia test kit as well as a nitrate kit. Ammonia is deadly to fish and can spike easily in a new tank.
 
although a 10 gallon freshwater may be harder than a larger tank, it is still very easy to maintain

4 fish will be fine in a ten gallon. you could even get some more.

i agree with Whippet. you should get a bottom feeder, maybe a squad of cory cats or a kuhli loach
 
I don't personally see the need for any bottom dwellers. Yes, they do a little cleaning, but still contribute to the bioload in your aquarium, and I'm afraid that they lead people to think that they can omit basic maintenance like weekly gravel cleanings.

I also think that adding plants at this point is one additional complexity that a new aquarist needs despite their advantages.

Anyway, do an internet search on "aquarium cycling" to learn about the nitrogen cycle, nitrifying bacteria and starting a new tank, or get a book like A Simple Guide to Freshwater Aquariums which I highly recommend and see at almost every pet or fish store.

You want to get the tank set up, filled with water, and the filter running for a day or two before introducing fish. Then you want to introduce your fish very slowly, starting with the hardiest. Then your tank "cycles." This is normally quoted as 4-6 weeks, and took right at 6 weeks for me (I was testing the chemistry - you can read about this, too.) I, personally, would start with one fish for the first 6 weeks before slowly adding the others, but that's a long time for the fish to be at the fish doctor.
 
[start threadjack]
Hey mvigor, what is that short partition surrounding the coconut decoration in your son's tank? Is that to seperate the cories from something else? I have never seen that before!

I'm still trying to set my son's 10G up as we speak and he is doin the happy dance daily! LOL!!
[/end threadjack]


mvigor said:
Good choice getting a fish tank for your kid! My son *LOVES* his:

CLICK
Click to expand...
 
A long long time ago I divided that tank with a partition that separated about one gallon in the front corner to fill with dirt and a potted plant. The height of the divider allowed another 4 gallons of water to form a small aquarium outside the divider.

It was a neat setup, but I've since reused the tank as an all-water tank again and the divider doesn't do much of anything. :) It's just in there making the tank harder to filter.
 
pretender, it is good to have fish on every level of the tank ,the top, middle and bootom. yes, they do contribute to the bio-load, but they also pick up uneaten food off the bottom, although i do see your point on people ommiting regular maintenance work
 
In general, there should be no/very little food on the bottom of the tank. That is a pretty good sign that you are overfeeding.... Plus the corys should also be fed sinking foods, and not be forced to live off what scraps might hit the bottom. I would just go with 6-8 neons, and leave the molly out if you could get away with it!! Tell her that the fish had a fight ro something!! :D
 
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