My 10 Gallon Freshwater

[HarpyFishLover]

I decided I probably should have a journal of my fish tank, so what better place the here, where I can get advice?

One-and-a-half months ago, I started a 10 gallon freshwater aquarium because I got the tank for my birthday. I have learned not to do this now, but when I started it, I only let it run for a week before getting fish. First mistake. When I dumped two guppies in the tank, the ammonia levels skyrocketed! (So did everything else lol) So I waited a week, and it all settled out. Then I waited 2 weeks to be sure, and then this past weekend I went to the fish store to get some fish.

The LFS didn't have any tetras at all, and so they persuaded me to get another guppy. I got him (at least I hope it is a him, not so sure though because of a dark spot on his/her belly) and named him (or her) Coral. I'm thinking of getting some Rasboras (maybe 6) this Thursday.

So Coral now has a tear in his fin, which I believe to be finrot. I got some Melafix, put it in, and now I'm in my 2nd day of treatment. It hasn't gotten any worse, so I think it's working.

I'll keep you guys updated as often as possible!

 

[ginaekdal]

Congratulations on your tank. I bought one tank and got one tank for my birthday as well.
 
Do you have hard water or soft water? Guppies are hard water fish, while Tetras and Rasboras live in soft water. You should pick fish species after your water parameters, which would likely rule out either the guppies or the other species depending on whether your water is hard or soft. I bought my first tank because I was taken with guppies, but water testing showed I have soft water which rules them out for me and so I will be stocking mine with Rasboras, Cories, and possibly Tetras.
 
Without having seen a picture I would wager a guess the tear in the fin of your new guppy is due to nipping and not finrot. If you have plastic plants it might also have snagged on them. If you're currently keeping three males the aggression won't be dispersed between many fish, and reversely if the new guppy is a female the male-female ratio is wrong and she will be harrassed by the two males. Ideally you'd want more females than males so the females get a breather. A female guppy will also likely be carrying fry which means your tank will very quickly be at or even above its stocking limit, so for that reason I would forget adding other fish if it is indeed a female (and with that tank size I would stick to males only unless I had more tanks, and planned to breed).
 
I'm sure someone more experienced can offer more advice, the above was just what stood out to me as I recently encountered the same topics whilst reading up on my new tanks.

 

[HarpyFishLover]

I have absurdly hard water here. What kind of hard water fish like tetras or rasboras would you suggest?

 

[ginaekdal]

If your water is very hard you should stick to livebearers with a tank that size. Forget about the Rasboras and Tetras, like I said they need soft water which is the opposite of what you have.
 
Have you had a look on Seriously Fish? If you have a list of fish you like, you should look them up there and see what requirements they have and whether they will be okay with your water parameters. I spend hours browsing there, easily.

 

[HarpyFishLover]

I was thinking an angel, but apparently they get to be like a foot long and half that high. What is the difference between life span in a tetra in hard water verses one in soft water?

 

[ginaekdal]

Since I do not keep those I will just quote from Seriously Fish on Pterophyllum "scalare".
 
- they need an aquarium measuring minimum 100 x 40 x 50 cm
- they need a pH between 6.0 and 7.4
- they need a hardness between 0 - 15 dH
 
Furthermore they might eat small fish such as tetras, which are about the same size as guppies.
 
IMO, if your water is "absurdly" hard you should not be looking at soft water fish. They might appear outwardly "fine" for a while but the damage will be done inside them where you cannot see.
 
In your shoes I'd stick to male guppies (Poecilia reticulata) as there are so many beautiful colour variations to choose between. Poecilia wingei, or Endler's livebearer, might also be an option. Just be sure to go for males only unless you want fry.

 

[HarpyFishLover]

Since I do not keep those I will just quote from Seriously Fish on Pterophyllum "scalare".
 
- they need an aquarium measuring minimum 100 x 40 x 50 cm
- they need a pH between 6.0 and 7.4
- they need a hardness between 0 - 15 dH
 
Furthermore they might eat small fish such as tetras, which are about the same size as guppies.

Yup, as soon as I get a tank that big I'll be getting angels. Lol.

 

[HarpyFishLover]

Well, I went and got two new fishies, Rain and Bo. Sadly, it looks as if I will be waiting another week to get more fish, as I believe I just came down with the flu.
I was meaning to ask if it is safe for the fish if I cleaned their tank while I had something like the flu... I was thinking not, as they might catch it because it's airborne. And if they did catch it (if they even can) would it kill them?

 

[HarpyFishLover]

I've been busy lately. My brother noticed that Gordon is a bit fat (which is almost normal for him), but I noticed that he has odd-looking scales. His body seems rough, and he has 2 little bumps on the side, both colored dark brown. (To clarify, he is yellow, fading down to orange, so this is not normal coloring.) I'm not entirely sure if his scales are raised or not. I can't really get a photo, but I will attempt to, and then attempt to get my mom to put the photo on the computer. Lol.

 

[HarpyFishLover]

Not sure where to post this question, so I figured here might be best...
Am I allowed to post a "looking for this type of tank" thread, where I am looking for good prices on bigger tanks, but I don't want to buy in the near future? If so, would it go in the "wanted" subsection in the "classified" section?

 

[HarpyFishLover]

I woke up today and found my yellow fish, Gordon, seemingly stuck against the filter intake. I opened the cabinet below to grab something to get him off, and he swam away. I thought he was OK... then I came back 5 minutes later to him laying on the rocks, still alive and breathing, but with no energy. I think he is dying, for real this time. I have to go to a friend's recital, and I hope Gordon is still alive when I get back. The question I need answered is this: if he is already in a weakened state, will netting him into a bag and bringing him to my LFS (they doctor fish) going to kill him? Or is it a better idea to just leave him until he dies, in my tank?

 

[HarpyFishLover]

My LFS said to euthanize poor Gordon. I let them do it... too hard for me...
I talked to the lady at the LFS, and she said it was genetic. It's complicated, but something with how they inbreed the guppies made his lifespan decrease and his spine curve, which made it impossible for him to swim.
She got me a guppy that wasn't going to have the genetic spine thing in the future, to replace Gordon.

Gordon, February 2016 - April 2016 He was such a good fish.

 

[HarpyFishLover]

I woke up this morning to an angry Max biting Sammy, the new replacement guppy. Is he just grieving Gordon's death, or is this something that will last? Is there anything I can do about it?

 

[ginaekdal]

Keep more than two male guppies so as to make sure any aggression between them is better dispersed. Chances are you will end up with more torn fins otherwise.

 

[HarpyFishLover]

I have three, Max, Sammy, and Coral. Coral never really liked Gordon, but I think Max might have. My best guess is that he thinks that Sammy was the one who killed Gordon.