Hello, this is my first post. I am brand-new to this hobby and working with my first tank. I have made some mistakes since I started, but am trying to learn as much as I can so I can get things on the right track. I have a number of very basic newbie questions and would appreciate any help and insight.
About 4 weeks ago, I bought a 10-gallon glass tank at Petsmart, and relied on the Petsmart employee for information about how to proceed (I think this was mistake #1). I brought the tank home, filled it with gravel, several live plants, and a decorative hidey-hole thing, then filled it with conditioned water. I then added the filter and 15 minutes later put in the fish (I know now that I should NOT have done that, but sadly this is exactly what the Petsmart person told me to do!).
The fish I have in there are 6 minnows -- 2 fathead (silver/grey color) and 4 rosy red (an orangey color). I got minnows because the store said they were "feeder fish," so I figured if I killed them by mistake it wouldn't be as bad since someone else would have just bought them to feed to another fish.
Anyway, the good news is that almost a month later all 6 minnows are still alive and seem to be doing well, despite being dumped into a completely uncycled tank. I have been doing a 10% water change every week, except for a period early on where the water got VERY cloudy -- then I did a 10% change every other day for a week.
My questions are mostly about the equipment I'm currently using (which I suspect is rather lousy) and also how to best move forward. I have plans to start up a 20-gallon long tank very soon and want to do that one right.
1) The filter I'm using is an "Aqueon QuietFlow 10" that is rated for 10-20 gallon tanks and has a flow-rate of 100 gph. It uses filter cartridges that are carbon sandwiched inside two white cloth-looking panels. Is this a crummy filter? The directions say to change the filter cartridge once a month, but if I do that now, won't it remove all the good bacteria that's starting to grow on it? Should I change the cartridge now or wait? I have read that the carbon cartridge filters aren't very good, is that true?
2) I have never tested the water, because I didn't know. I am planning to get a test kit asap. In the meantime, is it safe to assume that the cycling has gone okay so far, since the fish are still doing well and it's been almost a month? What is a good test kit to get?
3) The aquarium has a hood on it, but I have no lights in the hood. The tank gets filtered sunlight (not direct) all day and that's it. The plants aren't doing great, they're turning pale, which I assume is from lack of light. What kind of bulbs should I get for the hood? The plants I want to keep have low-light requirements. When I get the lights, should I leave them on all the time, or just a set number of hours per day, or what?
4) I have been feeding the minnows a small pinch of flake food once or twice a day. I crush up the flakes with my fingers first (the minnows are very small). Is this too much food? When I do the water changes and siphon the gravel, bits of gunk always get sucked up from the gravel.
5) The water conditioner I'm using is a cheapo brand from Petsmart. I have read here about "Prime" water conditioner and gather that it is much better. Will it disrupt anything if I switch brands?
6) Is my water-change schedule too frequent, or too infrequent? (10% once a week)
Like I said, I plan to set up a 20-gallon tank very soon and hope to do that one properly from the beginning. My plan is to get it set up and filled, let it sit for a couple days, then add some live plants, let it sit for a few more days, then drop a frozen shrimp in there to start the ammonia. Then let it sit with the filter running just like that for a few weeks before adding any fish. Is this a decent plan, or are there major flaws?
What is a good filter to get for the 20-gallon tank? The "sponge" filters I've read about here sound better than the cartridge kind I have now, is this true?
I'm sorry this is so long. I realize I've made mistakes so far, but I am trying to correct them and get a better grip on all this so that things will go smoothly in the future. I am excited about the hobby and want to do right by any future fish. I am even attached to the minnows and want to care for them the best I can as well. Any help anyone can offer would be much appreciated. Thank you.
About 4 weeks ago, I bought a 10-gallon glass tank at Petsmart, and relied on the Petsmart employee for information about how to proceed (I think this was mistake #1). I brought the tank home, filled it with gravel, several live plants, and a decorative hidey-hole thing, then filled it with conditioned water. I then added the filter and 15 minutes later put in the fish (I know now that I should NOT have done that, but sadly this is exactly what the Petsmart person told me to do!).
The fish I have in there are 6 minnows -- 2 fathead (silver/grey color) and 4 rosy red (an orangey color). I got minnows because the store said they were "feeder fish," so I figured if I killed them by mistake it wouldn't be as bad since someone else would have just bought them to feed to another fish.
Anyway, the good news is that almost a month later all 6 minnows are still alive and seem to be doing well, despite being dumped into a completely uncycled tank. I have been doing a 10% water change every week, except for a period early on where the water got VERY cloudy -- then I did a 10% change every other day for a week.
My questions are mostly about the equipment I'm currently using (which I suspect is rather lousy) and also how to best move forward. I have plans to start up a 20-gallon long tank very soon and want to do that one right.
1) The filter I'm using is an "Aqueon QuietFlow 10" that is rated for 10-20 gallon tanks and has a flow-rate of 100 gph. It uses filter cartridges that are carbon sandwiched inside two white cloth-looking panels. Is this a crummy filter? The directions say to change the filter cartridge once a month, but if I do that now, won't it remove all the good bacteria that's starting to grow on it? Should I change the cartridge now or wait? I have read that the carbon cartridge filters aren't very good, is that true?
2) I have never tested the water, because I didn't know. I am planning to get a test kit asap. In the meantime, is it safe to assume that the cycling has gone okay so far, since the fish are still doing well and it's been almost a month? What is a good test kit to get?
3) The aquarium has a hood on it, but I have no lights in the hood. The tank gets filtered sunlight (not direct) all day and that's it. The plants aren't doing great, they're turning pale, which I assume is from lack of light. What kind of bulbs should I get for the hood? The plants I want to keep have low-light requirements. When I get the lights, should I leave them on all the time, or just a set number of hours per day, or what?
4) I have been feeding the minnows a small pinch of flake food once or twice a day. I crush up the flakes with my fingers first (the minnows are very small). Is this too much food? When I do the water changes and siphon the gravel, bits of gunk always get sucked up from the gravel.
5) The water conditioner I'm using is a cheapo brand from Petsmart. I have read here about "Prime" water conditioner and gather that it is much better. Will it disrupt anything if I switch brands?
6) Is my water-change schedule too frequent, or too infrequent? (10% once a week)
Like I said, I plan to set up a 20-gallon tank very soon and hope to do that one properly from the beginning. My plan is to get it set up and filled, let it sit for a couple days, then add some live plants, let it sit for a few more days, then drop a frozen shrimp in there to start the ammonia. Then let it sit with the filter running just like that for a few weeks before adding any fish. Is this a decent plan, or are there major flaws?
What is a good filter to get for the 20-gallon tank? The "sponge" filters I've read about here sound better than the cartridge kind I have now, is this true?
I'm sorry this is so long. I realize I've made mistakes so far, but I am trying to correct them and get a better grip on all this so that things will go smoothly in the future. I am excited about the hobby and want to do right by any future fish. I am even attached to the minnows and want to care for them the best I can as well. Any help anyone can offer would be much appreciated. Thank you.
