Questions about a 10 gallon freshwater tank (beginner)..?

Question

I have a 10 gal tank w/ filter, UV light, thermometer.. I Keep it at 76-78F. I have: a Dwarf Gourami, Rainbow/Red-fin Shark, Mickey-Mouse Platy, Otocinclus, and a Bloodfin Tetra. Since we got the aquarium a little before Christmas, I lost a Crowntail Betta, Bloodfin Tetra, and an Albino Cory. We have 4 upright plants anchored by the gravel and two rock houses.
My questions are:
*I like to keep the tank extra clean. How often do I use the rock vacuum?
*My pH is at 63 and my Alkalinity at 180-240ppm, is that ok?
*Should I leave the tank light on 24/7 or should I turn it off at night?
*I like all my fish, but want a couple more. Any suggestions on what I should get?
*My other tetra died from ick, I think I also killed the cory while treating the tetra. How do I not kill my Otto if I have to treat again? (I used Quick Cure)
*We did an almost 100% water change last week and used Tetra Aqua Safe and Tetra Easy Balance. What do I do next?
*I want this to go well. Suggestions please??

I did the 100% water change because I think my water levels were all off and I wanted to start off fresh. Plus, my shark was acting weird, someone on here told me my water might be really off. I seperated the fish from the tank and did the new water and new chemicals that I bought (conditioner and balance).

Also, we'll be moving in about 3 months and will be getting a larger tank, more like 30-50 gallons, so I'll have room for my shark, right?

Answer 1

- Don't worry about the PH etc, it's fine the way it is and more dangerous to start playing around with it then to just leave it.

- Vacuum a portion gravel with each water change, typically every couple weeks or so, but can be done every week if you want.

- stick to water changes of 20-30% each time, it helps keep things stable

- Keep your fish in appropriate numbers. Tetra's and Cory Cats, for example, are schooling fish, and much better kept this way. So for suggestions, start with getting your existing fish some friends.

- You don't need to waste money on Easy Balance - with proper care all your aquarium needs is conditioner. The less stuff you add to the tank, the less can go wrong. Petstores make their living by selling products, so take their word cautiously.

-Turn the lights off at night - fish need a day/night cycle. Depending on what plants you have you can keep the lights on anywhere from 8-16 hrs. More light is better for the plants, less will help you control algae. The fish don't really care one way or another.

To do well at this, follow the KISS rule - keeping things simple works.

Answer 2

Ok, first of all...the red-fin shark will get WAY to big for a 10 gallon...take it back. Did you cycle the aquarium BEFORE putting fish in...or at least only had one fish in for 4 weeks? You can use the gravel once a week in half of the tank...only half per week. Do NOT change more than 20% of the water at any one time. Keep the light on for all except 8-10 hours a day. Instead of treating ick with medicine, you should slowly raise the temp in the aquarium and treat with aquarium salt. You should check the ammonia and nitrite levels weekly. If they are present DO NOT add any other fish. When they are stable, you can add maybe another betta (only 1). Maybe a couple of guppies (not with the betta). Ideally you should have no more that 1 inch of fish/1 gallon of water. This means you get 10 inches of fish. Right now, the Gourami will get about 2-3 inches, the Bloodfin 2 inches, the micky mouse platy 2 inches the oto 1 inch and the red-fin shark 6-8. That is already 15 inches. You cannot add anymore fish at this point. However, if you return the red-fin you could add another bloodfin or two (they school and will do poorly by themselves.) Good luck

Answer 3

Well first of all it sounds like your tank may not have finished cycling before you started stocking it with fish. I would recommend vacuuming the rock every week. Your pH seems a little low, you might want to check why your water is a bit acidic, my guess is that it is due to cycling not finishing and having too many fish too soon. You should have your light on about 12 hours a day, perhaps 14, but definately not all day. Personally I think your tank is full and you don't really need any more fish. It may seem a little empty at the moment, but your fish will grow into it and will actually need more room than a ten gallon tank. Why do you think you have ich? Do you see it? I would also not do a 100% water change, some people recommend it, but I would never do more than a 75% change and then wait at least 3 days and do another. Even that size of change is drastic and shocking to the fish. I would look into the non-chemical means of treating ich and not add any fish until you have that under control and the tank cycling catches up, otherwise your just going to kill more fish.

Answer 4

Temp is OK.
The light should be on 12-14 hours a day. The plants need the night as well as the day. Maybe 7 am to 9 pm. Get a timer they are cheap.
Keeping the tank "extra clean" may cause certain bacteria to take advantage of the conditions. I'd recommend against it.
I'd advise against getting any more fish until the ones you have stop dying.
Don't do 100% water changes. Do 30-50% at most unless there is an emergency.
As for pH and alkalinity, it varies by the fish. I suggest you consult a good manual and talk to the people at the store. If you are beginning, it's tempting to go straight for the cool fish (sharks, the crowntail) but it's better to establish your tank with good ol' favorites like neons, zebras, a pleco, a betta, a couple of platties. Then introduce cool fish.

Answer 5

tetras are best kept in groups of 3, so you might consider getting more of the bloodfin tetras. i think bettas are best by themselves, they are fighting fish. keeping the tank "extra" clean will only kill off the natural algae/bacteria stuff that the fish need to survive. also, it is good to have a hosptial tank, just an extra maybe few gallon tank where you put the sick fish to nurse them back to health, then they can rejoin the 10 gallon when they are better. 100% water changes are not good, 25-35% every week or so is ideal. again, if you change too much of the water, the natural bacteria/algae will be killed. and finally, talk to a fish expert at a petstore about any and all questions, that way you are assured that you know how to properly care for the fish, when you get new fish, ask at the petstore which fish are compatible with the fish you have :) :)

Answer 6

Well, I can't answer all your questions but I can answer some.

You should siphon your tank and do a partial water change probably no more often and once a week. Don't change more than 40% of the water at a time. Fish are really sensitive to changes like that.

Turn the light off at night. When the light is on, it helps the algae grow and means you need to clean it more often. Also, fish don't have eyelids so give them a time to come out in the dark.

When you are treating a fish for a disease, especially something like ick, isolate/quarantine them in another tank. You can use a small fish bowl with an aerator for the time it takes to treat the disease.

I'm not sure about the pH or temp, hopefully someone else can fill you in.

Answer 7

As with all new tanks, there is something you need to do that almost no one knows about.

Set up the tank like you're about to put the fish in it, then let the tank sit for a day or two. let the watter run though the filter and everything, this gets the Aqua safe and Balance working. this is by far the best thing to do for a brand new, never used tank.

You can treat for ick as long as you need to. I once had to treat it for over a week. you just have to change half the water for every three days of treatment. (or whatever the directions say) don't forget to take the filter out while being treated, or the carbon will just soak up the medicine and nothing will happen to your fish.

A gravel cleaner (or Rock vacume) is very easy to use, but kinda hard to explain, I suggest looking on the net for a web site that will show you how to use one. The gravle cleaner is one of the best tools you can use because it allows you to clean the tank without having to remove the fish (stressing them out) and removing all the water. Use it about once ever 4-6 weeks, depending on how many fish you have.

TANK LIGHT OFF AT NIGHT! can you sleep well with the light on? there is no way to stress a fish out more than to leave the tank light on 24/7.... that's like animal abuse right there.

For a 10 gallon tank, I wouldn't have anymore than 5-6 fish in it. Of course if your fish are only like a inch long and half a inch wide, then by all mean you can have a school of like 20 of them in there. but things terras and bettas.. well you shouldn't really have more than 5 or 6.

P.S. Bettas do not do so well in 10 gallon tanks. A one gallon tank with a filter and light is perfect for a betta. And never put a betta in a tank with fish with long fins, bettas will bite.

Oh, and when you buy a fish and go to put it in the tank, NEVER EVER pour the water in with it. you have no idea how healthy the store tank water is.. it could be full of very bad things that will kill all your fish. use a net or your hands if you have to to catch the fish from the little bag and put it on your tank, never just pour him in there and get that nasty store tank water in your tank.

Answer 8

first of all you have WAY to many fish in there I would suggest at least a 60 gallon tank I Iare way to many fish the reason why your fish are dieing is due to lack of space in the tankplease get those poor fish a better home or return them but 60 gallon tanks are not cheap keep that in mind.Then what you need to do is chill!you know the fish are watching your every movement and they can get stressed out if you rush please BE PATIANT!because I maid the same mistake you are doing and all my fish died FAST!altho I see that you care verry much for your fish but taking care of fish is easier than you think.you should deffenantly turn your light off at night because fish need sleep for there bodies to function right.you use rock vacume 2 a week if you want it extra clean you shoold use it on mondays and Fridays.you shoold ask a vet about that ick problem.anything with tetra in it I can trust because I have goldfish that are 14 years old and the food and the water conditiner i used was tetra.

Answer 9

ick usually affects fish at cooler temperatures so keep your tank warm! you have to isolate catfish and scaleless fish when treating tanks for ick.

do you have live plants? different plants have different light needs. a couple hours of light when you feed should suffice for your fish -- more will aid in algae growth. i can't recommend live plants enough. you can buy them on ebay or aquariumplants.com. most plants in a pet store aren't very healthy.

don't do 100% changes -- gravel vac and water change 20-25% weeklly and if thats not enough twice weekly. when you do this wipe down the tank sides inside and wash off the decorations and plants -- even live plants like anubias (which are great beginner plants) and java fern. these plants are also easier to keep because you can attach them to rocks and pull them out easily for cleaning as opposed to plants you root in gravel. its a lot easier doing partial changes than 100% changes -- you don't have to make temporary homes for your fish , etc. it also keeps good bacteria in the gravel. that is a good thing. its like the difference between wiping down your counters after you cook or waiting and doing it once a month. there is no comparison.

i use cycle in my water and don't bother with all the water testing -- i think it makes you neurotic to test constantly. just keep up with the weekly wipe downs. live plants will help you balance all that out.

i also start everything in tanks with melafix at 1/2 strength just in case the new fish have anything. this is a common practice with bettas to use the same treatment on a betta in a new tank.

as to what to get -- get your tetra some friends -- they love swimming in groups. corys do too -- if you get more get them cory friends too!. you can put just about anything community oriented in the tank -- just make sure its community oriented when you are at the store. i think shrimp make a great addition to tanks and they are often overlooked.

Answer 10

You can get yourself a Kenyi cichlid. :) Males are bright yellow and very active. Afraid you could only have one, though. You can keep 6-7 galaxy rasboras or 6-8 fancy guppies. You could keep neon tetras, but they should be in groups of 10-15 and your tank isn't big enough for that. There isn't really anything that can cycle your tank faster. You just have to let it go for two weeks before adding any fish.