My First Aquarium! How Do I Start?

I am getting a 10 gallon aquarium. What should I stock it with? What is the first step after getting it? (It is a used aquarium off of craigslist). I am hoping to stock it with dwarf cory cats or some kind of danio or tetra. I have read lots of books and they all say different things about tank sizes for fish. All of this is so confusing for me. Please help. Thanks!

 

Welcome! just letting you know everyone will start by asking if you know the nitrogen cycle follow by telling you to read over the nitrogen cycle which you can do by clicking on the blue word. Secondly you should decide on whether you go fishless or with fish and whether you want to add plants which I highly recommend and your future fish will too

 

I would recommend not to blend together goldfish with community fish. The goldfish family produce too much acid that the freshwater community fish aren't able to endure. Welcome to the wonderful world aquarium. Nothing better for relaxing when setting up is accomplished

I am getting a 10 gallon aquarium. What should I stock it with? What is the first step after getting it? (It is a used aquarium off of craigslist). I am hoping to stock it with dwarf cory cats or some kind of danio or tetra. I have read lots of books and they all say different things about tank sizes for fish. All of this is so confusing for me. Please help. Thanks!

 

Thank you! I have studied the nitrogen cycle a little. It is sort of confusing though whether I can add fish right away or if I have to let it cycle. Does the fact it is a 10 gallon aquarium make a difference? I also definitely want to have fish in the tank.

 

Well first you want to cycle your tank. You can do this by grabbing some PURE ammonia (I found some at Wal-Mart and the dollar store) then you grab an API master freshwater test kit so you can look at the parameters next you learn about the nitrogen cycle which is THE MOST IMPORTANT THING in the fish keeping hobby. Next you grab some plants and finally after your cycle is done (0,0,10-20) you accumulate your fish in your filtered clean declorinate cycled tank water. (If you get any new ones make sure to quarantine them first. BottomDweller knows a thing or two. I personally reccomend a betta as they are a great beginner fish (and their the only fish I've taking care for.... for now)

I would recommend not to blend together goldfish with community fish. The goldfish family produce too much acid that the freshwater community fish aren't able to endure. Welcome to the wonderful world aquarium. Nothing better for relaxing when setting up is accomplished

Plecodreams said nothing about a goldfish so I am unsure as why you are mentioning one and goldfish need to be kept in ponds not in 10g. It depends if your doing a fishless cycle or a fish-in cycle. Most people reccomend a fishless cycle as it is more humane and you don't expose your fish to ammonia most fish can't survive a fish-in cycle

 

Thank you! I have studied the nitrogen cycle a little. It is sort of confusing though whether I can add fish right away or if I have to let it cycle. Does the fact it is a 10 gallon aquarium make a difference? I also definitely want to have fish in the tank.

A little with 10 gallon you have limits on what fish can live in the tank of course. you can use tetra safe start if you want to add fish right away, but as a precaution, you will need to add more tetra safe start or tss periodically until the beneficial bacteria or bb can be established. It's also recommended to get prime to prevent ammonia burn and nitrite poisoning while doing this. If you get live plants they will also help as they absorb ammonia and nitrites as well.

edit:as a warning you will make mistakes as we all do with our first tank and in fact still do periodically. Don't give up if something goes wrong and just ask questions

 

Well first you want to cycle your tank. You can do this by grabbing some PURE ammonia (I found some at Wal-Mart and the dollar store) then you grab an API master freshwater test kit so you can look at the parameters next you learn about the nitrogen cycle which is THE MOST IMPORTANT THING in the fish keeping hobby. Next you grab some plants and finally after your cycle is done (0,0,10-20) you accumulate your fish in your filtered clean declorinate cycled tank water. (If you get any new ones make sure to quarantine them first. BottomDweller knows a thing or two. I personally reccomend a betta as they are a great beginner fish (and their the only fish I've taking care for.... for now)

Thank you. I am getting water conditioner tomorrow and I will make a note to pick up some ammonia and a test kit.

A little with 10 gallon you have limits on what fish can live in the tank of course. you can use tetra safe start if you want to add fish right away, but as a precaution, you will need to add more tetra safe start or tss periodically until the beneficial bacteria or bb can be established. It's also recommended to get prime to prevent ammonia burn and nitrite poisoning while doing this. If you get live plants they will also help as they absorb ammonia and nitrites as well.

edit:as a warning you will make mistakes as we all do with our first tank and in fact still do periodically. Don't give up if something goes wrong and just ask questions

What kinds of live plants do you recommend for a 10 gallon tank to absorb the nitrites and ammonia?

 

Depends on what lighting you have but anubias,amazon sword,hornwart,java fern,java moss here's a list
Plant info

 

One reason cycling seems so confusing is you'll get 15 different answers from 15 different people.

A cycled tank means the toxins in your fish waste are broken down by beneficial bacteria to create the least toxic environment possible.

There are many different methods and people using very different methods can achieve the same thing eventually.

Fish in vs. fishless. With fish-in, you have to continually monitor water readings with a good test kit for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates, and do water changes to keep toxin levels low enough they don't harm the fish. There are legitimate arguments in favor of using fish-in cycling. It's the method I use.

There's also fishless, another legitimate method. Instead of using fish to produce the waste products, you use pure ammonia. The cycle will occur with this method. When it's complete, you add fish.

There's the method of letting nature take its course and waiting for the beneficial bacteria to form on its own ( I don't know of any definitive studies that say where the bacteria comes from - from the air? from the source water?). There are also products you can add that are made to introduce the beneficial bacteria to the tank. There are pros and cons to either method, and most people swear by one way or the other.

The number and volume of partial water changes depends on which method you use.

Personally, I use fish-in, let nature take its course, test the water every day for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates, and do water changes based totally on what my water readings are, not a set schedule. I add plants in the beginning to seed the bacteria. It doesn't make it cycle instantly, but it cuts down the time from around six weeks to about a month. Many people will suggest adding cycle products to speed up the cycling process. If you do that you have to do water changes according to a schedule - if you do them too frequently it won't work.

Figure out whether you want to do fish-in or fishless, then figure out if you want to do the completely natural cycling process, or use bottled bacteria. Then the different suggestions will start making more sense.

 

Most danios and tetras need a bigger tank. Cories need a bigger tank too. You could do a school of gold ring danios, celestial pearl danios or ember tetras though.

 

Before you start any cycling or adding fish, you need to make sure your tank holds water, and you need to sanitize your tank. If there were any illnessess in the tank before, you don't want it transferring to your beloved pets.

First, fill your tank up all the way to the tippy top in either a bath tub/shower or outside. You should let it sit for about 12-24 hours. During this time, you can add a bit of bleach to sanitize the tank. When you come back after the 12-24 hours, make sure to carfully observe the water level. Keep in mind, depending on how hot it is where you're at, the water can evaporate fairly quickly, but it should be pretty close to where you left it. Also observe each corner of the tank, as well as the top and bottom rI'm (if it has them), and the area around your tank.

If all is well, empty the tank (with a syphon or cup, don't tip it out!) And rinse it out with hot water really really well. Don't wash your tank with soap! Let your tank dry completely before using it.

** TIPS ON FISH TANKS **

Using soap on anything that goes into your tank is bad as it leaves a residue that's harmful for your fish. Also, some things can have harmful chemicals in them and shouldn't be put in a fish tank (mostly plastics and painted things like toy cars and dinosaur figures). A good rule of thumb is that of it's food safe, it's fish safe. And Legos . Lastly, water is very heavy and your tank needs all the help it can get. Make sure to never move your tank when it has even an inch of water in it. It also needs to be on a sturdy surface where the whole bottom of the tank can be supported.

Keeping fish requires a lot of patience, discipline, and observation. Cycling your tank will take quite a while and it's gruling. But once cycling is done, it's really fun. Another thing g is if your think your fish is sick, it's best to trt to find the cause of sickness and/or research about it before trying to medicate it as that can kill your fish faster.

** Tip: nothing will kill your fish faster than stress
What causes stress? Everything. (Jk) the biggest stresser in fish keeping is poor water quality, and poor stocking. Other stressers can include pH, gh, kh and temperature swings, too much light, too much human interaction, constantly changing environment (if you keep changing the decor), not enough hiding areas, too much water flow from filter or pumps, ect. (Basically everything lol)

For stocking your tank, a ten gallon doesn't give you a ton of options as it's quite small (anything under 75 gallons is considered a nano tank). is a great place to get AN IDEA of a good stocking list, but isint always 100% accurate, so it's best to get an idea of your stocking list (keeping an open mind) and then double checking it on here.

Some suggestions right off the bat:
- Don't get corydoras until you've kept fish for a little while, they're delicate creatures.
- don't get any plecos, too small a tank
- a betta will be the #1 most recommend fish for you
- guppies would be good. Any small schooling fish you decide to get will require a group of at least 5, but the more the better (guppies, Cory's, plattys, tettras, ect.
- small rasbora's would be a good option
- if you decide to get shrimp, I recommend bamboo shrimp. They're big, and easy to see. They do jazz hands. They don't keep dieing like all the ghost shrimp I got.

Sorry about this being so long, but I hope it helps!! Good luck

PS. Don't be afraid to ask lots of questions! And we LOVE pictures! Send lots!

 

Thanks for the great information

 

I am getting a 10 gallon aquarium. What should I stock it with? What is the first step after getting it? (It is a used aquarium off of craigslist). I am hoping to stock it with dwarf cory cats or some kind of danio or tetra. I have read lots of books and they all say different things about tank sizes for fish. All of this is so confusing for me. Please help. Thanks!

I wouldn’t go for danios. They need at least 20 gallons, as they are very active. Maybe tetra, but you would have to get a small school. I would suggest a betta or guppies. If you wanted something more oddball, African dwarf frogs, or ADF’s are great and easy to take care of.

 

I wouldn’t go for danios. They need at least 20 gallons, as they are very active. Maybe tetra, but you would have to get a small school. I would suggest a betta or guppies. If you wanted something more oddball, African dwarf frogs, or ADF’s are great and easy to take care of.

OK, thank you for the advice. I might try guppies.

 

Depending on what substrate you are getting I recommend neon tetras if it's a dark colored substrate. They're gorgeous to me. Their color really pops in dark substrates and they remain tiny so since they're a schooling fish you can get a good school going.

 

I think harliquin rasbora's would be better than neons.. and they're a bit different