Is This A Properly Established Tank?

[Erin8D]

Hello there I am new to this site and fishkeeping. I recently set up a tank, and now I have added fish and want to add plants. I have a ten gallo, filtered tank. I don't have a heater currently, but the tank stays at 78F. I have the following fish...
-1 male betta (halfmoon)
-2 ghost shrimp
-2(3) cory cats (albino & julie)

I plan on getting another cory cat, possibly panda if I can find one. I want to add some plants into th tank, because right now I have fake and the tank doesn't look as "natural" as it could, and I adore the real life planted tank look. The fllowing plants I want to have are...
-Anubias Nana
-Java Fern
-Willow Moss
-Anubias Barteri

I want to tie some of the mosses onto the driftwood, and have the driftwood lean against one of the sides of the tank. When I buy driftwood from the store, how long do I boil it? And just in plain tap water? I can just throw theese plants in right? i don't have to add and CO2? Or fertalizer? Since I don't want them to grow fast anyways.

How many times a week should I change the water? And How much? I have a gravel hose asw ell and I will do that when I change the water.

 

[cowboy507]

Hello and welcome the the fourm!!!

Not the best with plants but i will try. I am in the same boat as you!
I just got some mopani wood today and i am currently soaking it, i believe that this shouldnt take to long, but ive read of people soaking it for 2 weeks to let it get out most the tanning. you will want to boil it for ~20 min
you will need to tie the plants to the wood at first, clear string (usually fishing line) works fine

with some plants you dont need anything special
the ferns and moss will be alright these are both slow growing
and i also believe that the anubias will be fine without special treatment

i cant believe how much of the same boat me and you are in, i am slowly going from all fake to all real. for me its slow, but it will happen.

 

[h4hapoo]

Hello there i am a newbie too! i can tell you that the people on her are wonderful and helpful! they are going to want to know some basics from you like what did you do to cycle your tank, what are your water stats in tank and tap (ph, ammonia, nitrites & nitrates) probably list filter type too! What type of test kit do you have (brand and is it liquid)? water changes are really going to depend on what your water results are if your ammonia is anything over .25 do a water change (which it will be if this is a fish-in cycle). As for plants there are some real easy plants that will not require all the co2 or fertilizer but i am unsure of what they are but i think those to will depend on water stats to a degree. But again i am a newbie!

WELCOME TO TFF

 

[Erin8D]

Haha, I didn't cycle m tank, I had no idea, and I didn't do much research before I bought my fish. Thank god I didn't overstock! I still need to get a test kit and everything, I know I'm terrible! I plan on getting the plants and test kit tommorw, depending on how much info I get tonight! haha

 

[h4hapoo]

oh ok well you are not the first on here! my first tank was a 5gal and was a fish in cycle and worked out ok but we upgraded to 20 gal and i cut up media from 5 gal and put in 20 gal filter. I am in the process of fishless cycling another 20 gal. so you really need to get a test kit go for the liquid not strips (will be tons cheaper in long run and more accurate). with out having a test kit it makes it hard to tell when you should do a water change. does your filter have carbon in it?

 

[Erin8D]

oh ok well you are not the first on here! my first tank was a 5gal and was a fish in cycle and worked out ok but we upgraded to 20 gal and i cut up media from 5 gal and put in 20 gal filter. I am in the process of fishless cycling another 20 gal. so you really need to get a test kit go for the liquid not strips (will be tons cheaper in long run and more accurate). with out having a test kit it makes it hard to tell when you should do a water change. does your filter have carbon in it?

Hmmm not sure... its actually a used filter we used to have wi\th the turtles. We bought some new parts recently, and now I am lost as to whats in it.

 

[h4hapoo]

oh ok well that makes it interesting!!! was the filter out of water for some time? being that it was in a previous tank if it was out of water all good bacteria would have died unless it was in water (and being fed so to speak). remember i am a newbie so use your judgement too. but if there was carbon in filter media it would probably be doing nothing at this point being that it is only active for a few days from what i have read (provided that media wasnt one of the parts you bought). i don't think that a water change would hurt at all and may be the safest thing to do until you can get a test kit. i would recommend it but i am new! i am sure that more experienced people like waterdrop and oldman47 will be on tomorrow and can help you better then i! How are fish acting how do there gills look? But i would wait a bit before adding anymore fish

also if you havent yet have a read at these from the Beginners Resource Center:
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=271928&hl=
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=224306
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=10099
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=226664

so are you in us or uk?

 

[Erin8D]

oh ok well that makes it interesting!!! was the filter out of water for some time? being that it was in a previous tank if it was out of water all good bacteria would have died unless it was in water (and being fed so to speak). remember i am a newbie so use your judgement too. but if there was carbon in filter media it would probably be doing nothing at this point being that it is only active for a few days from what i have read (provided that media wasnt one of the parts you bought). i don't think that a water change would hurt at all and may be the safest thing to do until you can get a test kit. i would recommend it but i am new! i am sure that more experienced people like waterdrop and oldman47 will be on tomorrow and can help you better then i! How are fish acting how do there gills look? But i would wait a bit before adding anymore fish

also if you havent yet have a read at these from the Beginners Resource Center:
[URL="http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=271928&hl="]http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=271928&hl=[/URL]
[URL="http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=224306"]http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=224306[/URL]
[URL="http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=10099"]http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=10099[/URL]
[URL="http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=226664"]http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=226664[/URL]

so are you in us or uk?

It was out of water for sevral years actualy... I had no idea they had bacteria that was dying until a few days ago! haha, the fish are acting normal, and they move around quite a lot. I will check on things again tommorw, with full answers for questions, and then we can see whjat happens See you tommorw and good luck with your beginiing as well!