Help Please

Anglerman

Anglerman

AC Members
Dec 28, 2005
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Washington
I set up my 10g. tank with gravel(cleaned), I used Aquasafe(1 tsp./10g.) to start the cycle.I also have a Whisper filter and a MarineLand submersible 50 watt plastic heater. I also purchased Amquel+ for future water changes. It has been three days now with just the filter running.

What do you all reccommend for fish, plants(fake or real), decoration, and should I buy a pump for bubbles and airation, or is the filter enough?

Is the tank ready for fish yet and what kind?

Thanks for any help.
 
aquasafe is tap water conditioner, it removes chlorine, chloramine, and harmful metals from the water but does NOT contribute to cycling.

First off, pick up a test kit that tests for ph, ammonia, and nitrite (nitrate and hardness tests would be good too but not absolutely necessary)

after you have your kit, either use clear bottled ammonia or 2-3 small fish to start your cycle (read the sticky about cycling). Test your water regularly until ammonia = 0ppm and then you will be ready to add fish.
 
Your tank is not ready yet. Aquasafe is a dechlorinator right? It doesn't start a cycle at all. What it does is remove the chlorine and chloramine that is poisonous to fish. I"m not sure what amquel does but you said its for water changes is it also a dechlorinator?

Anyway if you fully stock your tank right now you are going to lose some of the fish. You tank cannot cycle right now without a bioload. Some people do fishless cycling or they stock their tank with a few hardy fish to cycle the tank. What i like to do is get some existing filter gunk from an established tank and rub it on the new filter media that you have right now.

What i suggest you do is read about the nitrogen cycle and find out what cycling actually means. If you want to know for sure when its safe to put fish in i'd get an Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate testing kit but thats going to cost you a bit of money. If you want a short cut. Yes there are shortcuts, get your filter media (the sponge thing in your filter) and rub it against some filter media from an established tank and then put it in your filter and stock a few fish in right away. You must keep the filter media wet with dechlorinated water though throughout the process.

As for easy beginner fish i suggest live bearers such as guppies, mollies, platties. They are usually quite tolerant of poor conditions so if you make a mistake or two they'll probrably survive. An air pump is not necessary, your filter should produce enough surface agitation and circulation to provide adequate oxygen.
 
if your want to cycle the tank quickly and want the fish badly use white mountains! probably the most hardy aqurium fish i know
 
Amquel states that it removes Nitrate, Nitrite,Ammonia, Chlorine, and Chloramines.
I will bring a sample of my water right now to the pet store. I will probably add a few fish right now if the ammonia levels are 0ppm.
Thanks.
Should I keep you all updated?

When should I add plants? Live or fake?
 
Read up on the fishless cycle, and use the time it takes during the fishless cycle to research what fish are compatible with your tank and each other. Use these 3 weeks to make an educated decision and prepare yourself for the work involved in fishkeeping.
 
Since this is a brand new tank with nothing in it to create ammonia, it will have 0ppm ammonia. The problem is, it also does not have the bacteria to break down that ammonia, so any fish you add will cause the ammonia to rise rather quickly, and will require you to monitor it and make frequent water changes to keep them at safe levels (0.25ppm or less).

Doing a fishy cycle is ok (some will vehemently disagree, but if you are diligent and serious about keeping your fish, you can make the cycle pretty harmless). Another option is to get a pouch of Bio-Spira from the pet store (make sure they have it REFRIDGERATED) and add that to the tank along with all your fish. Bio-Spira contains the bacteria necessary to breakdown the fish waste. You should still keep an eye on your amonia and nitrIte levels, however, because if the Bio-Spira was stored improperly anywhere along its route to your tank, it could be bad.
 
if your want to cycle the tank quickly and want the fish badly use white mountains! probably the most hardy aqurium fish i know
Click to expand...

Uhhhh.... What are white mountains???
 
Ohhh Ok hahahaaa
 
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