Gravel Problem? Help!

[BebeBaby]

I need some help...

okay so I have a 5 galleon tank, and I recently recieve some fish.. no idea what they are.. totally new. A friend was getting rid of some fish and asked if I would take them. So of course I did. I've been researching and I just found out 5 galleons is just too small for 8 fish and two suckers.. I feel awful about it. But there is just nothing I can do about it.

Anyways I have some glass beads at the bottom as gravel, and I just bought some gravel to replace it. because i wasnt to give them more room.. and it is rather tacky looking. So I have a gravel washer siphon and a bucket all ready to go and I just realize I have no idea how to do this. do I remove the stones while the fish are still in there, what do I do. I don't want to crush anything.

to tell you the truth I haven't ever changed a tank before only a bowl.. how do I do this?

 

[bobbicus]

do you know what cycling is??

 

[mark.w.jones]

I need some help...

okay so I have a 5 galleon tank, and I recently recieve some fish.. no idea what they are.. totally new. A friend was getting rid of some fish and asked if I would take them. So of course I did. I've been researching and I just found out 5 galleons is just too small for 8 fish and two suckers.. I feel awful about it. But there is just nothing I can do about it.

Anyways I have some glass beads at the bottom as gravel, and I just bought some gravel to replace it. because i wasnt to give them more room.. and it is rather tacky looking. So I have a gravel washer siphon and a bucket all ready to go and I just realize I have no idea how to do this. do I remove the stones while the fish are still in there, what do I do. I don't want to crush anything.

to tell you the truth I haven't ever changed a tank before only a bowl.. how do I do this?

Id say you are heading in the direction of a whole lot of problems. Your tank is massively overstocked and by the sounds of things is new so your filter won't have any of the bacteria it needs to break down your fish waste.

I would highly recommend giving them away because whatever species they are a 5 gallon is nowhere near big enough in terms of water volume or space. It is only really big enough for 1 betta (siamese fighting fish) and nothing else. Most small tropical fish need to live in groups of 4+ with a reasonable amount of space to swim in that a 5 gal can simply not give them. If you really, really want to keep them then you need to upgrade your tank Im afraid. What size you go for depends on what fish you have been given. Need to know what species you have. My personal feeling is that a 30 gallon is a good sized beginner tank. I bought a 10 and wish id got a bigger one as I didnt realise how limited I was in terms of what fish I could get.

Good luck