10gal Freshwater Aquarium Setup Help Needed

[schiersteinbrewing]

I have a 10 gal aquarium we got my son years ago, he never maintained it and so we abandoned the attempt to teach him responsibility with fish. I stored it up in the attic for a few years, I was needing to make room in the attic and figured the aquarium could go to my office and be something to relax me when stressed.



I am wanting to do all live plants, real rock and wood, just make a super nice Freshwater aquarium. I'd really like to do saltwater, but from research 10 gal isn't a good idea.



I have on hand 10 gal tank, hood, filter (Aqua Tech 5-15), and heater.



I am looking at getting most of my stuff from Amazon as the local places are crazy expensive.



Here is what i would like to get:
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Looking at getting Dwarf Corydoras (6), Cardnial Tetras (3), and Sparkling Gourami (3) to stock the tank.



Any suggestions from experienced persons would be very helpful, as I am a novice.



A picture I found of my goal (it is a 20gal tank tho).
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1497470996.697767.jpgl



Except I think I am going to do a black back ground as the wall behind where the tank sits is white cement block wall.

 

[stz]

If you don't already know don't forget that biological filtration requires some time to establish from ammonia to nitrite then nitrite to nitrate before it is safe to add fish. Please look up if you aren't already familiar a fishless cycling method as it is far more humane.

If you are going planted then don't underestimate the lighting requirements. If the tank has stock lights and they are casual they are most likely less than ideal. A good planted tank is quite a lot of work.

 

[schiersteinbrewing]

I have read up on fishless cycling, that is part of the plan. I also plan to introduce the fish 1-2 at a time and allow the system to adjust to the addition before adding more fish.

The hood I have the bulbs are shot, I am looking at 2 - 15w LED T10 Tubular Bulb Cold White Daylight 6000K 1500 Lumen 150 Watt Incandescent Equivalent, but wonder if that will be to much light now that I think about it.

 

[Horseflesh]

Eco Complete is good stuff and will give you a good base for plants.

The white ocean rock... if that is coral, I wouldn't do it. It will make your water very mineralized. I would try to find another white rock that isn't made of calcium carbonate. I recommend going to a specialist local fish store. They should have a lot of rocks to browse.

The lights you have picked out may actually be too bright. Here's the deal with planted aquariums...

If the light level is too low, you can't grow much.

If the light level is just right... not too bright... you can grow some low-light species like Java moss, Java fern, crypts. This is a good place to be. You can have a beautiful tank that is low maintenance.

If the light level is high, you can grow much fancier plants, BUT you will also be battling algae. You may have to use fertilizer regularly, or even inject CO2. Without an assist, the plants may not be able to out-compete the algae. This kind of tank can be gorgeous. It will also not be relaxing to maintain, not at first.

Worst thing I ever did to my aquarium was "upgrade" the lighting! Weird as it sounds I might just replace the old bulbs. Dimmer isn't always bad.

Btw you are wise to avoid small saltwater tanks! Tons of work.

 

[schiersteinbrewing]

Went to the lfs and picked up everything needed to get a cycle started, the lfs gave me some of their tank water to boost the cycle process, had to swing by the local Ace Hardware to get some ammonia. Going to start work on the tank after I mash in tomorrow.

Picked up live plants , bulbs, dechlorination drops, test kit, fake rocks, fake wood, plain ole bulk filter media, and fluorite substrate ( they didn't have eco complete). Bought fake rocks/wood to save a few bucks and will "upgrade" down the road.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

I agree if that "ocean rock" happens to be coral your ph is going to be very alkaline. What fish are you wanting? Wait, I see. You could triple the cardinals, when selecting the guoramis get 2 females and one male -- keep things peaceful. Dwarf guoramis are colorful and a good community fish as well.

 

[VApatriot]

We had a 45 gal tank years ago so I have some experience. Be careful with live plants sometimes they have small snails attached when you buy them they are next to impossible to get rid of. I think they're born pregnant, they reproduce like crazy. You'll also want to place the tank away from natural light sources or you'll spend lots of time cleaning the tank to keep it looking good.

 

[bfish]

Instead of buying a background, use latex paint on the outside of the tank. I like a course brush and leaving wavy brush strokes. If you don't like it, it is easy enough to peel off (after drying of course).

 

[Rick91981]

Bit late to the party here, but that is a bit too many fish for a small tank like that. You could make it work, but would need to do very frequent water changes. I think this link should work to show you your selected fish. If it doesn't just go to http://aqadvisor.com/ and enter it all in. The site is a great resource.

http://aqadvisor.com/AqAdvisor.php?...AqSpeciesWindowSize=short&AqSearchMode=simple

As far as getting the plants, rocks and wood, don't get it from amazon. Get it from www.aquabid.com, it is basically ebay for fish tanks. You will see pictures and know exactly what you are getting and the plants come from hobbyists like yourself and not a big company so they will be healthier. Do you know what kind of plants you are looking for? I have some low light plants that I can send you clippings of. Anubias nana, temple narrow leaf(super easy plant) and some java fern(will eventually outgrow that tank, but its a slow grower).

The lighting is probably very high for that small of a tank. You will likely have some algae problems. Should consider getting a lighting fixture specifically aimed at planted tanks, preferably one that can be dimmed so you can adjust as needed.

A hang on back filter is fine for a tank that size, but consider getting a pre-filter for the intake. It is basically a sponge that goes on the water inlet. If feeling cheap, an old pair of pantyhose cute to size works just as well. It helps prevent fish(especially ig there are babies) from being sucked into, or stuck to intake.

I hope this is helpful to you. If you have any more questions just ask. I am far from an expert, but have had planted tanks for years.

 

[schiersteinbrewing]

As far as plants I was looking for slow growing easy low to medium light one or two that have reddish leaves for some color.

I have only added two plants so far Amazon Sword and Anubias Nana.
Just started the fishless cycle yesterday.

 

[Rick91981]

The anubias nana is perfect for your tank. If the plant is happy, it will even produce a white flower that lasts a couple weeks. The amazon sword will outgrow your tank soon enough.

A lot of the red plants require high light to really become red. The easiest red plant would probably be Alternanthera Reineckii (totally had to look up the spelling on that one!). There are others out there as well such as some rotalla and ludwiga species, but that is the only one I have any actual experience with.

 

[schiersteinbrewing]

Water was a tad cloudy for about 12 hours, once that settled added some Ammonia. After 48 hours the ammonia level had dropped from 4ppm to 2 ppm. The process has begun. Anxiously awaiting the cycle to complete and my fish. Some of the plant leaves have turned brown.

 

[passedpawn]

Instead of buying a background, use latex paint on the outside of the tank. I like a course brush and leaving wavy brush strokes. If you don't like it, it is easy enough to peel off (after drying of course).

I bought a large piece of black acrylic and glued it to the glass. That was a mistake. I have a saltwater tank and a few times water sloshed over the back and salt creeped between. Ugh. Wish I had painted it.

 

[schiersteinbrewing]

I bought a large piece of black acrylic and glued it to the glass. That was a mistake. I have a saltwater tank and a few times water sloshed over the back and salt creeped between. Ugh. Wish I had painted it.

I painted the back a deep blue color, sure does make the other colors in the tank stand out.

 

[Zuljin]

As far as plants I was looking for slow growing easy low to medium light one or two that have reddish leaves for some color.

I have only added two plants so far Amazon Sword and Anubias Nana.
Just started the fishless cycle yesterday.

Those are resilient plants. Can be slow growing, but tough as tough can be. We have one about to bloom.

Tiger lotus, which may not be the most accurate name, is sold as a bulb a lot. It grows like mad. Has red color in it. But it takes work to keep it trimmed up and not making a rotting mess. It'll also shade out other plants.

Look at tetras for fish, and get all one kind of your favorite. Cheap and hardy. Wide variety.

 

[schiersteinbrewing]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1498223360.034134.jpg

The light on the right is a 10w CFL the light on the left is a 15w incandescent...need to go buy another CFL

 

[schiersteinbrewing]

Finally got the tank to fully cycle took awhile and a 90% water change before it would cycle.

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1500480182.998688.jpg

Had 3 other plants but they didn't survive the cycle process. Died- Red Ludwig, Moneywort, Hornwort

I have:
2 Amazon Swords
Anacharis
Cryptocoryne Wendtii Bronze
Anubias Nana

4 glow light Tetris
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4 red eye tetras
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1500480209.051174.jpg

2 pineapple platys
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1500480220.700753.jpg

2 black/blue/white platys (can't find the name of them)
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1500480232.413357.jpg
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1500480242.444463.jpg

The fish have been in the tank for a week now and checking the water daily to make sure the bio filter can handle the load. So far so good, had some algae show up on the glass. Just wiped off the algae when I changed the water. The algae was on the side with the brighter light.

I did notice this little guy. He has something wrong with his mouth.
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1500480257.783487.jpg
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1500480268.359264.jpg



I have no idea what's wrong. My concerns are do I need to separate him to prevent disease spread or other fish picking on him? And what is wrong with him?

 

[Horseflesh]

That might be a fungal infection, hard to tell. You should be able to ID it online and then you can look up the right meds. Then you have to decide... Do you treat the tank? The meds can be expensive and hard on the other fish too.

Do you set up a separate tank and medicate that one? That's better but also expensive if you don't have all the stuff for another tank on hand.

The stuff spreading is a concern but if the other fish are healthy and if they don't eat that guy's cadaver, should he pass, then for most aquarium ailments, the risk is low. Those are some big IFs though. The tank is newly cycled and the fish may be under some stress already from that. One sick fish in a group with no existing hospital tank to use is a tough situation.

If it were me, and if I did not have a hospital tank already, I would leave that guy in. Stay on top of water quality. Watch the sick guy closely. If he improves, great. If he worsens, I would euthanize him.

Good luck!

 

[schiersteinbrewing]

I do have a old 3 gal tank I can turn up rather quickly, by using some of the water from the bigger tank.

That might be a fungal infection, hard to tell. You should be able to ID it online and then you can look up the right meds. Then you have to decide... Do you treat the tank? The meds can be expensive and hard on the other fish too.

Do you set up a separate tank and medicate that one? That's better but also expensive if you don't have all the stuff for another tank on hand.

The stuff spreading is a concern but if the other fish are healthy and if they don't eat that guy's cadaver, should he pass, then for most aquarium ailments, the risk is low. Those are some big IFs though. The tank is newly cycled and the fish may be under some stress already from that. One sick fish in a group with no existing hospital tank to use is a tough situation.

If it were me, and if I did not have a hospital tank already, I would leave that guy in. Stay on top of water quality. Watch the sick guy closely. If he improves, great. If he worsens, I would euthanize him.

Good luck!

 

[Horseflesh]

If you do that take some of the rocks or plants too. The beneficial bacteria that you need mostly live stuck to things as opposed to floating in the water. Or so I have read...

 

[Murphys_Law]

If you do that take some of the rocks or plants too. The beneficial bacteria that you need mostly live stuck to things as opposed to floating in the water. Or so I have read...

Yup! You can use some of your filter media as well (if possible). That works well.

 

[schiersteinbrewing]

Went to the LFS today showed them a picture and they immediately said mouth fungus. They said the API PIMAFIX will do the trick, and to treat the whole tank for 7 days then do a 25% water change. They said that should knock it out if not continue treating another few days.

The treatment was a few $ more than Petsmart, I gladly gave a local small business the few extra $ vs a big chain store.

 

[Goofynewfie]

For easy low light plants I always had java fern
http://m.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=768+1631+800&pcatid=800
Java moss
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_moss
Chinese ivy
http://www.aquahobby.com/garden/e_cardamine.php

 

[schiersteinbrewing]

The little guy with the mouth fungus didn't make it but one day after starting the treatment. Lost another little guy to another fish being mean and picking on him.

 

[Sailingeric]

I have a 75 gallon tank I set up about a month ago. Finally getting it stocked and looking like a fish tank. I have 6 red wag platies, 4 dalmatian mollies, 2 silver mollies, 4 Red Cherry Shrimp-which I only seem them come and go in the plants, and 6 Japanese trapdoor snails- 5 adults and 1 baby snail, that after a week of hard shagging seem to be napping it off I still have a few more plants to put in but so far has been fun and very relaxing just watching them swim around.

 

[skraeling]

always loved those little shrimpy bastards.