I picked up a used 10g tank from someone last night. It already had used, wet gravel in the bottom of it. I emptied out the gravel and rinsed it in hot water in a collander, then washed the actual tanked with a cloth and hot water. I went and got a Aqua-Tech 5-15 power filter at Wal-Mart and hooked it up after putting the gravel back in and adding the water. The water was very cloudy last night, but after running the filter all night, it looks very clear now. If I move the gravel around, it stirs up the cloudy debris again, though. I also put in those live plant bulbs you can buy at Wal-Mart, but I will have to wait for them to grow. Anyway, I want to know what kinds of fish I should start out with. Do I need algae eaters, plecos, or whatever, right now since there is still remains in the gravel from the last fish that were in there, or should I wait until I've had some other fish first? I read somewhere that zebra danios are good starter fish because they help develop the biological filter. I'm just really new to this and want to have a successful, happy tank.
New/Used 10g Tank
- Thread starter severina418
- Start date
actually the bulbs should be sprouted before planting in a damp cloth by a window.
you may need fertilizer depending on plants you chose. in a 10G 2-3 1" fish should be a good start for your biofilter and nutrients for the plants. they will help with cycling. the thing about danios is that they are hardy and can take the cycling, unlike a Ram per say.
you may need fertilizer depending on plants you chose. in a 10G 2-3 1" fish should be a good start for your biofilter and nutrients for the plants. they will help with cycling. the thing about danios is that they are hardy and can take the cycling, unlike a Ram per say.
Pleco's will get way too big for a 10 gallon!
Algea eaters, etc, don't bother unless you get algea! Even then oto's will do a better job and are small enough for your 10.
Make sure the tank is cycled first (with danios-hardy fish) before adding them.
Don't count on that Aquatech 5-15, had one on 10g for around 6 months and it completely broke down. Then bought another that lasted about 8, same story. I switched to a Whisper and it's been running for the last year and a half-still going strong.
5TankHarmony said:
It only cost $10, so I'm not too worried about it. But thanks for the heads up!
i think you should read up on fishless cycles. 10 gal is a little to small for danios. they are really active fish and need room to swim. i think there is 3 things you need to do.
1 read
2 read
3 read some more
1 read
2 read
3 read some more
A trio of guppies would work for cycling. Or just get a single female and provide cover for fry, and eventually you will have a tank full of guppies!
Swordtails will get too big. Platies might work, though some people have trouble with aggression.
Swordtails will get too big. Platies might work, though some people have trouble with aggression.
Mgamer20o0 said:
The reason I picked danios is because they were specifically suggested for a beginner 10g tank. And I READ that in several places. LOL
kcooley said:
The plants took off great on their own. They are overtaking my tank - LOL - and all I did was drop the bulbs out of the package into the tank, nothing special. So I guess this is a good, low cost idea for anyone who wants live plants.