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My first tank

6K views 30 replies 11 participants last post by  comando489 
#1 ·
Hi! I just got my first fish tank. It is a 10 gallon, but it will become a 20 gallon when I can find a 20 gallon in the right dimensions. I bought the pump and heater for a 30 gallon tank so I should be ok when it is time to transfer over to a larger tank.

Right now I have
5 little guys (don't really know what they all are)
One angle fish (kind of scared still, and stays in the corner)
A Bella shark (I like him the most, will probably get a few more when I get the 20 gallon tank)
And one $15 carp type deal (he looks so cool I had to get him, he is brown with black spots and striped fins)

Let me know if I am doing anything wrong. I bought some "genesis" conditioner, and I also bought some "BIO spira" which is bacteria that makes "fresh water aquariums fish-safe over night".

I have a 50 watt heater and a Penguin 100 power filter. I also bought spare filters, a net and fish food.

There is some decoration in my tank, just a few plants and rocks for now until I decide on the route I choose to go with. I like the natural look so I think I will stick with this for a while. My tank has a small green bulb that makes it glow very nicely in the night time, it is just bright enough where I can leave it on the whole night and not have to worry about it.

That’s about it, let me know what you think about my tank. All advice is welcome. Again hello to everyone!!!
:D



 
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#4 ·
Train Tracks said:
I hate to break this to you, but if you mean Bala Shark you'll need atleast a minimum of 55 Gallon tank to hold those. They can get over a foot long.
i know this. i will have a very long tank in about a week and that should be enough swimming space for him/her

he seems to be doing fine right now. he is one of the most active fish i have. he swims around the whole tank, but he is way to fast for the size of the tank...

edit: did a few more things to the tank, i will be getting a air pump and more plants tomorrow, seeing that i got over paid on my check this week :) :) :) :)


notice the plant pot ( i cleaned it out with soap and then boiled it for 20 mins), and the sheet of corian that hides the pump, wires and fish food.
 
#5 ·
Welcome to Fishforum.com.:wave:

I wouldn't recommend using soap to clean the decorations. Any residues can harm or kill your fish.

Nice tank, by the way.:)
 
#6 ·
I had a couple of angels for my first fish, and they too seemed pretty scared most of the time. However i read that they do not like too fast flowing water and my filter was on full blast. I turned it down and they seemed much happer coming out and about and feeding and the like. colours brightened too (although i see yours is black so it's not gonna go colourfull)

I don't know if that's why yours is shy, you might just have a quiet one, after all it is a cichlid so who knows what it's thinking, but i thought it worth a mention!

I like the tank, nice colours and pretty fish!
 
#8 ·
also my little fish (all 5 of them) will spend most of the time at the top of the tank right at the water level.

is this because

they are scared of the other fish?
they are excited for food?
or do they just like it up there.

they will play around the tank every so often but not like my other fish. all of them LOVE the bubbles.(just gave away a clue to my last post ;))
 
#9 ·
Comando, if that blue cichlid behind the rock is a Lake Malawi cichlid, I'd suggest getting rid of that fish. Your tank is too small for that fish especially the bala shark.
 
#11 ·
Your tiny fish at the top of your tank are zebra danios, an excellent choice for a new fish tank. They are very hearty and survive the cycling extremely well. They stay at the top of your tank because they fall into the "top dweller" category. There are basically three categories of fish - top dwellers, mid-swimmers, and bottom dwellers.

Whether or not your cichlid is a Malawi cichlid, I would get him a new home. Most cichlids are semi-aggressive and need big tanks with rocks, other cichlids, and nothing else in their tanks. Both he and your bala shark could potentially find your zebra danios to be pretty tasty, as well.

Your angelfish may need more hiding places in the form of taller plants. I have an angel and I have tons of plants in the tank. He was very shy at the beginning, but after the addition of the extra (tall) plants, his confidence improved dramatically.

Enjoy your new-found hobby!
 
#12 ·
Julie's Julies said:
Whether or not your cichlid is a Malawi cichlid, I would get him a new home. Most cichlids are semi-aggressive and need big tanks with rocks, other cichlids, and nothing else in their tanks. Both he and your bala shark could potentially find your zebra danios to be pretty tasty, as well.
It's actually a Lake Malawi cichlid and should be rehomed as soon as possible. They're not suitable community fish. Well said, Julie.;)
 
#13 ·
I'm sorry to say it but Lupin is right. The cichlid and the bala sharks are going to grow much too big, and if they don't they will die before they do as the myth that says "fish will only grow as big as the tank allows" is somewhat true because often fish will die before reaching the size. Unfortunately fish stores don't osten tell us this.

The other reason I would recommend rehoming is that the cichlid is agressive by nature. Probably not right now, but soon, and bala sharks are very skittish and nervous so would become bullied and stressed.
 
#15 ·
ok so here is the plan.

get rid of the balla shark today, and then get a bigger tank by the end of the week.

I love this new chichlid and I really do not want to see him go.

does any one know if i bring the balla shark back to the store will they exchange him for something different? I got him from a Petsmart...
 
#16 ·
comando489 said:
ok so here is the plan.

get rid of the balla shark today, and then get a bigger tank by the end of the week.

I love this new chichlid and I really do not want to see him go.

does any one know if i bring the balla shark back to the store will they exchange him for something different? I got him from a Petsmart...
My advice then is to retuen all your other fish as lake malawi cichlids aren't generally suitable for a community tank. You would be best setting up a tank especially for lake malawis. There are a few reasons for this. They require much different water params than most fish, generally needing a much higher ph and hard water which can be created by using crushed coral as a substrate for example. This would not be good for other fish.

Lake malawis tend to be agressive and over time I would bet on himn.her attacing your other fish unfortunately.
 
#19 ·
Jacobkgreen said:
I dont know much about anything, but when you get your tank figured out, i hope you re-post some pictures!


i will be getting the 20 gallon some time soon!

here is what i have decided on.

1- need to get rid of the balla shark :(

2- get a few more angle fish

3- look int getting a few discus's

does this seem like an OK route to go with? what do i need to know about takeing care of angles and discus's at the same time? I know that the temp should be around 84* and i will need a larger tank.

i was thinking about getting 3 angles and 3 discus. is that a good amount? i want as many as i can get :)
 
#20 ·
I'm really sorry to have to keep saying the same thing but angela and discus both need pretty bog tanks, 50-60g minimum for a pair I would say.

Perhaps yuou could give us a list of maybe 5-10 fish that you like and we can give you advice on each of them?

It's good that you have decided to return the balas. I know it's sad but it's best for them all in.
 
#21 ·
Julie said:
I'm really sorry to have to keep saying the same thing but angela and discus both need pretty bog tanks, 50-60g minimum for a pair I would say.

Perhaps yuou could give us a list of maybe 5-10 fish that you like and we can give you advice on each of them?

It's good that you have decided to return the balas. I know it's sad but it's best for them all in.
well.

if i get rid of the angles, then my tank will just have that one bottom feeder that i NEVER see. :?

so what i think i am going to go with in the end when i get my larger tank is a large group of smaller fish and then one or two more interesting fish.
 
#22 ·
so i returned the angle fish and the balla shark.

i am so glad that i have a very nice LFS and the owner knows me by name now. he is a good guy and he is helping me correct my mistakes from buying fish from petsmart.

so now i have 6 zebra danios and i decided to get mollies (i think thats what they are.)

i have one male and two girls for him. he is now the king of the tank even though my largest danio thinks he is haha.

they are very nice fish...

and i'm tired of returning fish so can we just say that these are good for me haha. i think i did good this time :D
 
#23 ·
Good luck with the new set up. Glad you learned as you progressed.

You can never go wrong with Zebra Danios. Extremely active fish that are fun to watch, and are very hardy.

Minnows and Rasboras are other neat schooling fish that are small and hardy.

How many Mollies were you going to add?
 
#24 ·
and the final set up! :D

took me a while to get to here but its worth it. looks really sharp on my desk and my dad is going to make me a "frame" to hide the lighting on the top and the sides.

here are some MORE pictures.

One of my Females. I have 3 of these and they are great together. My girls are all orange and my male has a black sword tail.


I have 2 of these guys. Some one want tell me what they are? my LFS guy helped me select all of my fish and told me what ones would work well with one another. They are very funny, and my baby gold angel thinks he is one of them and is always around them.


And this is what it looks like overall
 
#26 ·
Nice tank. Keep us updated.:D Good move on your part to remove the balas and angels.:)
 
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