Help! I'm New.

[Myra]

Hey guys i'm very new at this hobby and i nee some help! I have just recently bought a tank from Walmart. All it says on the box is 2.5 I dunno if its 2.5G or 2.5L. I set the tank with the filter, gravel, plants, etc. I just went to the petstore a couple hours ago and bought 4 Tiger Bards and 1 Albino Cory. I put them into the tank and they seemed fine, swimming around and all that. Now i have noticed that there is some chasing going on and one of the Tiger Barbs is swimming with its nose down and it keeps floating upwards if he doesnt swim. other than that he seems fine, he eats and is really active. Can someone please tell me whats going on and if i'm doing anything wrong? ^.^


~*Myra*~

 

[sykogngsta]

Your tank is definately not big enough for all of those fish...The only thing you could fit in there is one Betta. Your fish are probably chasing each other ebcuase they are in such a small tank. Also you should keep your cories in a larger group becaseu they do not do well alone.

You should have also cycled your tank before you added all of those fish.

 

[Myra]

Well on the box of the tank said i could keep small barbs, cories, betas, goldfish, and guppies in there so thats what i went by. Would i still have to cycle my water if i used filtered water from my fridge? i had the tank on for 24hours with no fish before i added them.

 

[sykogngsta]

Well on the box of the tank said i could keep small barbs, cories, betas, goldfish, and guppies in there so thats what i went by. Would i still have to cycle my water if i used filtered water from my fridge? i had the tank on for 24hours with no fish before i added them.

Are you sure that your tank is 2.5 gallons only then? Albino Cories and Tiger Barbs need larger tanks to live in.

You sitll need to add dechlorinater to you water before you use it, or you can let it sit out for a couple of days.

Just using water from your fridge is not cycling. Cycling is letting the beneficial bacteria in your tank develop so you can add fish safely. Here's an article on how to cycle a tank:

http/www.fishforums.net/content/forum/11...shless-Cycling/

 

[Myra]

Im pretty sure my tank is a 2.5 Gallon tank because i have a 1G tank and the difference looks about right. I did add the dechlorinater stuff to the water before i added the fish. so what should i do about the fish then?

 

[sykogngsta]

The pet store you bought them at may let you return them.

 

[Myra]

So i cant keep any other fish in my tank other than a beta? I dont like betas Is there anyother fish i can keep in my tank? maybe two guppies or maybe neon tetras?

 

[sykogngsta]

Two guppies would probably be fine actually.

 

[Myra]

Ok cool! Thanks for all ur help! I have class tomorrow i will see if i can make a trip back to the petstore and exchange them for the guppies! I will also buy a water testing kit and cycle my water starting tomorrow before i put the guppies in!

Another thing, if i wanted to get more fish what size of a gallon tank would be a great start for a beginner?


Sorry for all the questions!


~*Myra*~

 

[sykogngsta]

I'd say a 20 gallon tank or 10 if you dont have enough room or money. You can a lot fit more fish in these tanks, plus the water chemistry is much more stable when it is set up. Good luck with your new tanks!

 

[Myra]

Thanks so much!!

 

[sykogngsta]

If you have a used filter cartridge from an old tank or something, you can snip a piece of it and put it in your filter and the cycling will be faster

 

[Mr Bliss]

Ok cool! Thanks for all ur help! I have class tomorrow i will see if i can make a trip back to the petstore and exchange them for the guppies! I will also buy a water testing kit and cycle my water starting tomorrow before i put the guppies in!

Another thing, if i wanted to get more fish what size of a gallon tank would be a great start for a beginner?


Sorry for all the questions!


~*Myra*~

Just a 10g tank would give you far more options with stocking than a 2.5g one. But I'd suggest making the tank as big as you can afford and have space for, really. Bigger tanks are more stable whereas smaller ones can experience disasters where your fish die before you even notice the problem. With bigger tanks, you also pay less per gallon for the tank and equipment. Whenever my friends and relatives have started keeping fish over the years, I've bullied them into getting 55g+ tanks instead of tiny bowls and they've invariably been amazed at how easy it is to maintain a tank of that size.

Of course, doing water changes for a big tank can turn from a minor weekly chore into major manual labor if you need to haul the water around in buckets.

Invertebrates like shrimp can be a nice addition to smaller tanks, if you happen to like them. They don't produce nearly as much toxic waste as fish do. But shrimp like to be in groups, and I reckon 2.5g would be small for even a small group of tiny cherry red shrimps.

 

[waterdrop]

Ok cool! Thanks for all ur help! I have class tomorrow i will see if i can make a trip back to the petstore and exchange them for the guppies! I will also buy a water testing kit and cycle my water starting tomorrow before i put the guppies in!

Another thing, if i wanted to get more fish what size of a gallon tank would be a great start for a beginner?


Sorry for all the questions!


~*Myra*~

Questions are great and Welcome to the forum Myra!

While I agree that 55+ gallons does make for a more stable tank in terms of water chemistry, it does seem that tanks that large also do create some potentially difficult challanges for many beginners in terms of large water changes and a lot of gravel to wash and other large initial expenditures and work. So whether to go that large depends a lot on the living situation, amount of help from other family members etc.

I think a lot of times, especially for someone who has mentioned being in school (whether at home or one who is off in a dorm room) it might be that 15 to 20 gallons would turn out to be the "sweet spot" in terms of a good beginner recommendation. 15-20 gallons will be a big help in having a stable water chemistry as compared to the very small tanks that are less than 10 gallons in particular. And as others have said, even a 10 gallon would be a big improvement if there is still a problem with space or money.

The one really good thing you've got going for you Myra is that you've stumbled across this forum, where the members will do a good job of helping you through all kinds of problems and learning if you stay and interact. All the other things, unfortunately, are off to a bad start -- way too small tanks, bad overstocking of fish and no knowledge of the essential subject of cycling yet. But all those things can be remedied and its really a lot of fun and quite interesting to learn about this hobby!

Good luck!
~~waterdrop~~

 

[Myra]

Thanks so much guys! Like i said i am new and i want to learn as much as possible! i have taken the fishies back to the petstore but i didnt come home with fish so im just going to let my tank cycle for now. As for as a bigger tank, money is not the issue but the space is. My room is the only place i can keep a tank. i dont have much space in my room either so i cant get a 55 gallon tank. Anything bigger than a 20 gallon would not fit. I am making plans to actually buy a 20 gallon tank later and really start this amazing hobby! As for now im going to stick with my 2.5 and buy 2 guppies. Once again thanks so much for all of your help!


~*Myra*~