scott9 said:
1. We are looking for tropical community fish, what would you recommend for us rookies? The store recommended mollies and tetras.... And how many should we buy at the first visit?
Mollies almost get too large for a 10 gal in my opinion. If you decide on them, get one male and two females, otherwise the females will be endlessly harrassed by the males. Alternatively, you could get 2-3 males or 2-3 females and not have to worry about babies so much.
Tetras are nice, but sometimes hard to keep alive. They are sensitive to water conditions and not good for a new, uncycled tank really.
One of my favorite 10 gallon setups is one male betta and 4-5 panda or pygmy cories. Both provide lots of personality and entertainment
scott9 said:
2. What type of water tester should we get?
The main things you need to test for are pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. If you can get a kit that also tests for GH and KH, that can be helpful also.
scott9 said:
3. We would like to get some algea cleaner type fish, but I would assume you wouldnt want to get them for a bit, until algea has actually started to grow in tank - right??
An algae eater isn't an absolute requirement for any tank, but they can be helpful if you have an algae problem. I'd probably hold off getting one up front. Even if you have algae present and add an algae eater, you will still need to supplement their feedings with algae wafers. Plecos are too large for a 10 gal, so I'd look for otocinclus catfish. They stay small and are much more suitable for a 10 gal tank.
I can't close this post without saying that I recommend fishless cycling. It may seem like a lot to learn, but you can always post here for help anytime along the way. It may also seem boring to keep your tank empty for 4-6 weeks, but that gives you plenty of time to research your fish choices and setup all your decorations. It's also a great way to learn about the cycling process and testing your water without worrying about harming any fish along the way.
If you mention a fishless cycle to the pet store people, they will likely tell you you're crazy, but that's mainly because they bank on people buying a tank, setting it up and adding a bunch of fish only to have most of them die and come back to buy more
If you do decide to add fish right away, add just one at a time 2-3 weeks apart. That way the ammonia and nitrites will be more controllable and you won't end up doing so much work with water changes to keep things stable so your fish don't get sick or die.
Welcome to Aquaria Central and to the hobby. Just by researching like you are, you've already started out better than most people do!
