Hi,
I'm not precisely a newbie..my dad was a biology teacher and had all kind of tanks in his classroom when I was growing up, and my sister and I both had tanks -- she kept kissing gouramis and I had neon tetras and mollies.
However, that was more than twenty years ago, and I find myself getting back into the hobby again by default: my ex left behind a 10g tank that she set up for our daughter. Current occupants are a black molly, a dalmation molly, a pleco and a "fruit tetra" (it caught my daughter's eye and at the time we didn't know about the cruelty involved...ironically it is the longest-lived fish in the tank). Lately I've been struggling with high nitrate levels.
She also left behind a 20g long glass tank (with stand) that she got off Freecycle, and I'm looking to get it cleaned and set up, as I've read that a larger tank will be a bit easier to handle, and eventually expanding the population. For now I'm planning to stick with mollies and maybe some platies and glass tetras (non-injected, thank you) to keep the current one company.
I've scrubbed the tank down well with a non-soapy nylon pad, but there are still what look like hard-water marks on the inside. Not sure how to get rid of them...otherwise the tank appears to be sound. It sat on the patio for a few months and collected about 10g of rainwater, so I know it doesn't leak.
Anyway, I'll probably be posting from time to time with questions. I know that basic chemistry hasn't changed since I was a kid, but fish-keeping seems a lot more complicated now.
I'm not precisely a newbie..my dad was a biology teacher and had all kind of tanks in his classroom when I was growing up, and my sister and I both had tanks -- she kept kissing gouramis and I had neon tetras and mollies.
However, that was more than twenty years ago, and I find myself getting back into the hobby again by default: my ex left behind a 10g tank that she set up for our daughter. Current occupants are a black molly, a dalmation molly, a pleco and a "fruit tetra" (it caught my daughter's eye and at the time we didn't know about the cruelty involved...ironically it is the longest-lived fish in the tank). Lately I've been struggling with high nitrate levels.
She also left behind a 20g long glass tank (with stand) that she got off Freecycle, and I'm looking to get it cleaned and set up, as I've read that a larger tank will be a bit easier to handle, and eventually expanding the population. For now I'm planning to stick with mollies and maybe some platies and glass tetras (non-injected, thank you) to keep the current one company.
I've scrubbed the tank down well with a non-soapy nylon pad, but there are still what look like hard-water marks on the inside. Not sure how to get rid of them...otherwise the tank appears to be sound. It sat on the patio for a few months and collected about 10g of rainwater, so I know it doesn't leak.
Anyway, I'll probably be posting from time to time with questions. I know that basic chemistry hasn't changed since I was a kid, but fish-keeping seems a lot more complicated now.
