Newbie Intro

[FinFanGal]

Hi all, I've been reading here for a couple days now. My brilliant husband, who knows I'm an animal lover (I already have a horse) decided to give me an aquarium for Christmas. Doing things in my normal jump in and go for it way, I was putting the stand together at 6 AM the day after Christmas. I got everything set up, with help from the husband, and made a mad dash to Walmart for supplies. Got the gravel, plants and what I thought were the necessary items and set up/filled the tank and put in conditioner. Got the water temp to 76. We live in the country, so made a trip to town to the closest fish store. Boy, what a mistake. I'm now learning their advice/opinions were all wrong. Home I came with 2 rainbow sharks, 3 tiger barbs, 2 dalmation mollys and 6 neon tetra. In the tank they went. I've lost 2 of the barbs (I have a bully barb still alive, but I think the bully helped in the demise of the other 2) and lost 5 of the neon tetras. The tank got cloudy, but husband bought something to clear up the water (it's much more clear today). I now have recommendations on a better fish store to check out this week, but it looks like I shouldn't add any more fish for a while? I won't put in more neon tetras at this point. I think they are too fragile for the rest of the tank. I would like to keep both sharks, even though some say only 1 per tank. I like the 2 dalmation mollys, and would like to add a couple/three more of the tiger barbs. I'm a type A personality, and want a lively tank...that's why the sharks and tiger barbs. My PH was too high (I did buy a PH test kit) so we put in some fizzy thing that was supposed to regulate it. I'm off to Ebay to buy an API Master freshwater test kit, and it seems I need to buy a couple buckets for changing out water? The fish that are still alive look good and are active, but I sure didn't know an aquarium was going to be as hard as this has been. Haven't had one since I was a kid, and I sure don't remember doing any of the cycling and things I'm reading need to be done.

Anyway, this site seems to be full of great information, and any advice you'd like to offer in fixing all I've done wrong will be appreciated. Oh, the tank is only a 10 gallon. I've already got my eye on a much bigger tank I'd like to have. He didn't want to go any larger until he saw whether or not I was going to take to having an aquarium. I guess he can see now, that I have.

 

[Truck]

your now experiencing a fish in cycle, you will need to test for ammonia and nitrite daily, and if either of them rise above 0.25ppm then do a 50% water change and test again after, if it is still above 0.25ppm then do another 50% WC. Do this daily until you get consistent 0ppm readings for ammonia and nitrite and you have readings of nitrate. I presume you have a filter? if not then you will need to buy one, in the mean time do 50% water changes every few hours.

 

[aly_starh]

Welcome to the forum!

Ok as you know your tank has *crashed*, due to too many fish for the filter to handle.
you do have a filter don't ya?

Apart from the, the stocking, the sharks are going to out grow that tank quickly.

So best thing i would say is give back all the fish you brought, buy the Api Test Kit (Good Choice!) and start to cycle your tank.

Or.. If you want to do a fish in cycle, you do run the risk of losing more fish.

Here are two extremely helpful links...

Fish Less Cycle
Fish In Cycle



Good Luck, if you need any more help just ask

 

[FinFanGal]

your now experiencing a fish in cycle, you will need to test for ammonia and nitrite daily, and if either of them rise above 0.25ppm then do a 50% water change and test again after, if it is still above 0.25ppm then do another 50% WC. Do this daily until you get consistent 0ppm readings for ammonia and nitrite and you have readings of nitrate. I presume you have a filter? if not then you will need to buy one, in the mean time do 50% water changes every few hours.

yes, I do have a filter, and a water heater. The filter is one of the hang on the back of the tank types.

I guess I need to pay a higher price and get the API test kit here then, rather than wait to get it shipped from an Ebay seller?

Welcome to the forum!

Ok as you know your tank has *crashed*, due to too many fish for the filter to handle.
you do have a filter don't ya?

Apart from the, the stocking, the sharks are going to out grow that tank quickly.

So best thing i would say is give back all the fish you brought, buy the Api Test Kit (Good Choice!) and start to cycle your tank.

Or.. If you want to do a fish in cycle, you do run the risk of losing more fish.

Here are two extremely helpful links...

Fish Less Cycle
Fish In Cycle



Good Luck, if you need any more help just ask

 

[Truck]

You could just do 50% water changes every 8 hours whilst you wait for your test kit to arrive, all of your equipment sounds good.A fish in cycle will only produce casulties if you skimp on a water change, so you must be dedicated to doing the water changes.

 

[FinFanGal]

sorry, still getting the hang of this format for replies

 

[aly_starh]

You could just do 50% water changes every 8 hours whilst you wait for your test kit to arrive, all of your equipment sounds good.A fish in cycle will only produce casulties if you skimp on a water change, so you must be dedicated to doing the water changes.

Agree. Just make sure you keep up on those water changes and you should be fine till the Test kit arrives.

Also a side note: The LFS will more than likely try to sell you various things for money, its best not to litsen to them and rather do your own research and ask on the forum!

 

[FinFanGal]

Thanks much. I've already gobbled up as much info on the cycle process as I can find here. Now, I'll do damage control. Boy, I wish I'd found this forum before I bought fish. I was just too impatient and wanted fish immediately. How long before my sharks outgrow the tank? Weeks? Months? Years? I really want to keep them, and hope to get a much larger tank once I get this fish keeping down to a science

 

[Truck]

A few months, and they can get aggressive too and may eat small fish when they get bigger, If I were you I would take them back and swap them for something a bit smaller and placid, or just get the credit, because it will mean that there is less strain on the bio load.

 

[FinFanGal]

You could just do 50% water changes every 8 hours whilst you wait for your test kit to arrive, all of your equipment sounds good.A fish in cycle will only produce casulties if you skimp on a water change, so you must be dedicated to doing the water changes.

Guess I'd better get the husband in on the act then. I work outside the home, but he works from home. He got me into this, so guess he can help on the water changes. Thanks for the info.

 

[Truck]

To make life quicker and easier, you can siphon the water out incase you didn't know, and you can siphon it back in by holding the bucket above the tank, that way you could probably do it in 10-15 minutes.

 

[FinFanGal]

You could just do 50% water changes every 8 hours whilst you wait for your test kit to arrive, all of your equipment sounds good.A fish in cycle will only produce casulties if you skimp on a water change, so you must be dedicated to doing the water changes.

Agree. Just make sure you keep up on those water changes and you should be fine till the Test kit arrives.

Also a side note: The LFS will more than likely try to sell you various things for money, its best not to litsen to them and rather do your own research and ask on the forum!

I should have known they were lying just to make a sale. I'm not usually that easily taken in, but he was telling me what I wanted to hear I guess. Said all the fish I wanted would get along just fine. From what I'm reading, that was an out and out lie. I won't be returning to that store ever again.

 

[aly_starh]

From what I'm reading, that was an out and out lie. I won't be returning to that store ever again.

its not just that Shop that will do that... its 99.9% of them

 

[FinFanGal]

A few months, and they can get aggressive too and may eat small fish when they get bigger, If I were you I would take them back and swap them for something a bit smaller and placid, or just get the credit, because it will mean that there is less strain on the bio load.

I'll miss them...well one of them anyway. I've already named him.

From what I'm reading, that was an out and out lie. I won't be returning to that store ever again.

its not just that Shop that will do that... its 99.9% of them

Great, just great LOL. I'd rather they just tell me I'm an idiot for even coming up with some of my hair brained ideas than to lie to me. Not a way to earn my business.