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Beginner looking for Help!

4K views 27 replies 8 participants last post by  james7139 
#1 ·
Hello,

Amazing site by the way! I am very new to fish keeping. I have had goldfish etc in the past but that was when I was a kid and had no idea that you had to do more than throw the fish in water. So I don't count that as experience! Therefore I am a beginner looking to provide the best environment for my fish! I setup a 10 gallon tank with a bubble stone, filter, and heater. I've been keeping my tank at about 75* F.

I have two live plants, a small cave, and some smaller fake plants to try and provide shade/hiding.

Currently in the tank is a small Silver Dollar, a Bloodfin Tetra, and a Neon Tetra. They all seem to be doing well so far. I purchased them at my local Petco where the associate advised me that with these fish my tank would be full. However I've been reading on this site and others that there are bottom-dwellers and fish that like mid-levels of the tanks etc.

I would like to pick up a small Panda Cory and an Albino Cory. Also maybe 2 more Neon Tetra to keep the other one company. Would this be overcrowding my tank?

Also is there anything else I should do to make the best environment for my fish?


Thank you for any advice/tips!
 
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#2 ·
in my opinion get 6 of one type of cory and get 5 more neons,also maybe think about returning the bloodfin and silver dollar as they are schooling fish and you wont have room for 3 schools of top dwelling fish
 
#3 ·
Silver dollar should be removed it will groe to large for your tank...
 
#4 ·
Yes. In a 10 gallon I'd decided on either the Bloodfin or the Neon and grow that group to six. Return the other two, especially the Silver Dollar. They get a lot bigger than a silver dollar.

You can then go ahead and do your group of corys. Find a type you like and stick to a group of six of the same species.

As for improving the environment, it sounds like the tank is a bit sparsely decorated. I' a big planted tank person and tend to pack mine full of plants. Obvi I can see it though, so use your best judgement.
 
#5 ·
Thank you very much for the help guys. It's very appreciated!!!

Darn, I wish the guy at the store informed my that my Silver Dollar would grow too big. :( Such a neat fish. Oh well, I think I have a friend who will be more than willing to adopt him. She has a 33 gallon tank. (I can't wait to learn more and hopefully get a big tank like that someday! :D ).


Okay, I think I'm going to stick with the Bloodfin Tetra and try to build up a school of five or six. I ran to the store today and picked up two Emerald Green Corys, since they only had two left. But I'm going to keep checking in to hopefully get at least 2 more in as soon as I can. I also got another live plant while I was there too!
 
#7 ·
Sadly no pics yet.

But I got a Gold Ribbon plant at the store. Then I googled the name after and saw a couple sites saying this plant is not actually aquatic?!! :shock:
The pet store had it in a container labeled aquatic, with a fish on it. Talk about false advertising!

Is this true? I want to make sure before I remove the plants.
 
#8 ·
It's surprisingly common for unscrupulous dealers to sell semi-aquatic plants as fully aquatic. If they aren't really aquatic, they tend to turn brown and mushy and dirty your water after a few months at best. I'd do more research.
 
#9 ·
Wow, that's terrible. I don't see the point of selling a customer somehthing they do not want...but whatever. Guess I'll have to be more careful and know exactly what plant I went next time I go out which will be soon now.

Any tips on good plants for a 10gall tank?
 
#12 ·
It sounds like you've been steered wrong a few times by the staff at the store you've been going to... is there another store you could start shopping at?

As far as plants for a 10g tank... in my 10g I have hornwort and I really like it. It's easy, grows quickly, and I like the way it looks.
 
#13 ·
Yes, apparently my local Petco does not like to provide proper information for me. I asked a friend of mine for a couple different stores she goes to, so I can try those out this week.

Thanks for the plant tips I wrote all the names down so when I visit the store I'll know exactly what I want, no mix-ups next time! :)

Thanks a lot for the help guys, I really want to get a good aquarium going.
 
#15 ·
Your local PetCo (indeed, all of them) aren't just providing you with poor info. They're providing their staff with poor info. In a large chain like that the object is to make money, not help people grow in their hobby. People keep shopping there so they see no need to change the way they do business.

It's a fine enough place to buy a new tank or filter, or perhaps some food in a pinch. But buying actual living things there, nope.
 
#16 ·
Your local PetCo (indeed, all of them) aren't just providing you with poor info. They're providing their staff with poor info. In a large chain like that the object is to make money, not help people grow in their hobby. People keep shopping there so they see no need to change the way they do business.

It's a fine enough place to buy a new tank or filter, or perhaps some food in a pinch. But buying actual living things there, nope.
I think a lot of it depends on the location though. While there are a couple chain pet stores that I don't shop at due to poor conditions and rude/poorly trained staff, i have found that compared to the LFS in my city, PetSmart provides better service and information by far. Granted, there are still a couple people working in the fish section that I would never ask for advice - they're the ones that when i see them working I know that I just have to ask them to bag the fish without expecting too much information from them - there are more of them that REALLY know their stuff, and I find that as a whole, they are friendlier than the LFS employees. I made a point of going to every store I could think of in the city with a list of questions that I'd already researched the answers to as a way to "test" the employees' knowledge before settling on PetSmart.
 
#17 ·
get anacharis, java ferns, and/or java moss. easy to care for common plants.

Most petco employees from what I have found are not too bright on there knowledge base.
Well goes for petsmart too... and some other pet stores I've been to.

Anyways return the plant and get something else.

If you want a plant to set the roots in your tank, go with a house plant that is called Pothos... it vines in whatever direction you move it towards/sunlight... I have a 10 foot one with roots in my 110 gallon tank. Roots are harmless to fish but... it gives fish some a place to hide and play in. As some species need a floating type plant.. this works.

just a thought
 
#18 ·
I stopped by another pet shop today. one that is not a chain, and I actually discovered it by accident while stopping to grab lunch haha. I never noticed it before because it's this tiny little shop but I went in and it seems better than the chains. All their tanks have live plants in them or coral for saltwater. Plus any plants in their freshwater tanks are for sale too, and I can order them! :D

I ended up getting a small Amazon Sword. Which I think should be good with my tetras and corys since I am getting rid of the Silver Dollar.
 
#19 ·
amazonsword is a good choice.....for a while.it will outgrow your tank but you may be able to trade it back to this store for a small one again.
 
#20 ·
The sword is a great plant that is easy to take care of but it will out grow your tank as james said. If you get stem plants such as pennywort, wisteria, and hornwort just to name a few you can trim them to keep them the hight you need for your tank and the trimming can either be replanted in your tank or given away or sold or tossed in the trash. As for swords some of the ones that you could use are E. Kleiner Prinz, E. Angustifolia Vesuvius, E. Osiri (Melon Sword), E. Indian Red, E. Kleiner Bar, E. Parviflorious, E. Quadricostatus, E. Tenellus. Another plant type of plant that would work great for you tank is cryptocoryne walkeri it comes in three colors bronze, red, and green and is a low light plant that is very eay to take care of. If you are interested in ordering the plants online a good place alot of us use are sweetaquatics. com and aquariumplants.com they are very reliable and sweetaquatics has really good shipping prices. You will probably find like I did that it is cheaper to buy online even with the shipping than it is from the local LFS.
 
#22 ·
Oh man you are so lucky to live that close to such a great place to get plants! I would love to be that close as thats were I order almost all my plants from. ; )
 
#23 ·
Oh ok, well the sword is very small right now so it should be good for awhile. I am definitely going to check out those sites though! I wanted more real plants anyway. Plus I can hopefully find reasonable prices and replace the sword sooner rather than later.

I'm so excited everything seems to be going good in my tank so far, and I finally replaced a burnt out bulb so it's all bright and pretty! :D
 
#25 ·
Thanks James! You guys have been very helpful!!!

Sadly I have another major issue. The Silver Dollar, the one I was hoping to adopt out to my friend tomorrow....has Ick :( I did some research and already had some ick treatment called 'ick away' from when I had my goldfish ages ago. First I tried to see if I can adjust my heater to a high temp. since it seems Ick dislike high temps. I really wanted to avoid putting chemicals in my water. But of course the heater is generically set to hat the water to about 75-78 degrees. I can't change it!

Sooo, I was forced to put in the Ick Away tonight. I added salt as well, I saw on another old thread in this forum that someone with a similar issue added extra salt to the tank. I put in 4 1/2 teaspoons for my 10 gallon. Should I put more?

I plan on doing a 50% water change tomorrow night, then on Saturday re-treating for Ick in the same manner.

Am I doing everything I can?
 
#27 ·
I would agree it would not have to be to a tank you could use something like a rubbermaid container or a bucket as a temp home. Then after your done with it you can use it later on as a temp home for any new fish you get to make sure they are not sick before you add them to your tank. I have used the ick away before and it worked very well but make sure its not expired it seems like the last bottle I had there was an experation date.
 
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