Confused!

[webcricket]

I have owned many betta before and have kept them in small containers and they do just fine, and last a long time.

That makes me sad. "Last" is entirely the right word. If given a properly heated and filtered tank, these fish "thrive". Human beings can "last" many years in a jail cell. I wouldn't call that a proper life.

Both of the fish store employees you spoke with gave you iffy information. Mollies and African cichlids (unless a shell dweller as someone else pointed out) as well as goldfish are not appropriate for a 10 gallon tank. Neons can be sensitive fish and I would not recommend them to cycle a tank. Saltwater is more expensive to set-up than freshwater, and requires a great deal more work when it comes to setting up your water parameters.

Since you have decided to do a fish-in cycle, you have some work cut out for you. You should be testing ammonia and nitrite daily, and in some cases, more than once a day (morning and evening would work). The water needs to be changed immediately if either spikes to minimize harm to the fish. Keep in mind that once bacteria have established and the cycle completed, you have only built up enough bacteria to support the single fish you have in the tank. Any time you add new fish, the tank will cycle all over again as the bacteria builds up to support them. Fish-in cycling is a lot of daily testing and water changing over a period of months until you get your final stocking.

 

[mzaltadena]

This isn't exactly true. When you PMed me, I highly highly suggested you do research on FISHLESS CYCLING. I said that fishy cycling causes permanent burns to the gills, and suppresses the immune system, possibly leading to ill fish. I don't believe you really read my messages, because the last one said "I took your advice and bought a betta to cycle with." What I said was, that the cycle process NEEDS to be initiated with SOMETHING: either fish food or shrimp (organic material), liquid ammonia, or the waste products of a fish. I never encouraged you to go out and buy a fish for this reason - as I mentioned above, I strongly encourage fishless cycling. I will present my information below.

OK well, maybe I did not read it correcty, but I did put something in the tank. I do appreciate all your advise, but I am getting to many different opinions and fish keeping should not be that hard. I just going to take a chance on getting some fish that suit me, and take care of them the best I know how.

 

[mvigor]

Then at least be informed about what your fish are living in at any given moment. Buy a pack of ammonia test strips. Test the tank water every night and then change enough of the tank water with fresh new water to remove most of the ammonia. This labor is the cost of needing to have fish NOW. Or you could just let it ride and see if any of them live through the toxic shock. Perhaps one will.

 

[SHK_ATK]

OK well, maybe I did not read it correcty, but I did put something in the tank. I do appreciate all your advise, but I am getting to many different opinions and fish keeping should not be that hard. I just going to take a chance on getting some fish that suit me, and take care of them the best I know how.

Is there REALLY a need to have fish in tank without a proper cycle? IMO No. Just think more than likely you are going to loose a lot of fish in the process of establishing a fishy cycle, Trust me I've learned the hard way too (before i found AC ) But it going to be frustrating loosing fish taking it back only to loose those fish and repeating the process..over and over... It's best to just
1. Take the betta back....
2. Buy some PURE ammonia
3. Do a fishless cycle

in the mean time while you wait for the process to complete... you can do your aquascaping....research the fish you want, By then you will be able to completely stock whatever you want with out having to do 3X/ Day water changes or running back and forth to exchange dead fish.

Take the advise people on this thread are saying, the has to be a reason you registered to AC if not to learn and ask questions when you did not know about something pertaining to fish keeping.... Isnt that why we are ALL here anyways???

 

[mzaltadena]

Is there REALLY a need to have fish in tank without a proper cycle? IMO No. Just think more than likely you are going to loose a lot of fish in the process of establishing a fishy cycle, Trust me I've learned the hard way too (before i found AC ) But it going to be frustrating loosing fish taking it back only to loose those fish and repeating the process..over and over... It's best to just
1. Take the betta back....
2. Buy some PURE ammonia
3. Do a fishless cycle

in the mean time while you wait for the process to complete... you can do your aquascaping....research the fish you want, By then you will be able to completely stock whatever you want with out having to do 3X/ Day water changes or running back and forth to exchange dead fish.

Take the advise people on this thread are saying, the has to be a reason you registered to AC if not to learn and ask questions when you did not know about something pertaining to fish keeping.... Isnt that why we are ALL here anyways???

Well I have already grown attached to m betta so I am not going to take her back. I have not gone out to get any more fish yet, but I am planning to...I will test my water in about a half an hour from now, but I am almost certain there will be no change to my readings....thanks for all the information and anymore that is still coming,

 

[jm1212]

you'd be surprised how fast a 10 gallons parameters can change when it comes to ammoina. do not buy any more fish until your tank is cycled.

about the first guy, if he had really been the expert he said he was he wouldnt suggested a molly much less an african cichlid for a 10 gallon tank, and its even worse he said to put them together.

im with SF. invite him here, and he'll know how much we "dont know what we're talking about"

as for the SW thing, it is much more expensive, and the fish are more difficult to take care of. a 10 gallon freshwater tank isnt very stable as it is because its volume is so small. how stable do you think a 10 gallon SW tank is with salinity fluctuating because of evaporation?

 

[mvigor]

I will test my water in about a half an hour from now, but I am almost certain there will be no change to my readings....

Your tank doesn't have the bacteria necessary to convert fish poop and pee (AMMONIA) into Nitrite and it doesn't have the separate bacteria necessary to convert Nitrite into Nitrate.

Your test strip readings will show ammonia rising, rising, rising, rising to toxic levels before you ever get a reading for Nitrite or Nitrate. There is no other way about it.

 

[mzaltadena]

Oscars

I know, I may get yelled at but I do not care. I went out and got me 3 baby oscars from my LFS. I know that a 10g tank is not big enough for even one oscar, but I do plan on getting a bigger tank in Feb. Right now my fish are doing great. I doubt that my tank has cycled but I am hard headed and wanted fish. The betta that I had gotten to start the fish cycle has found its new home in a bowl.......

 

[mvigor]

You came here why?

 

[boofish2]

I know, I may get yelled at but I do not care. I went out and got me 3 baby oscars from my LFS. I know that a 10g tank is not big enough for even one oscar, but I do plan on getting a bigger tank in Feb. Right now my fish are doing great. I doubt that my tank has cycled but I am hard headed and wanted fish. The betta that I had gotten to start the fish cycle has found its new home in a bowl.......

:thud: