# About to start tropical f.water tank questions



## Jmoquarium (Mar 31, 2012)

Im about to start a tropical freshwater aquarium and i have questions.
1. I am getting a 10 gallon tank soon with filter ect. How do you set it up?
2. How can you speed through the cycling process in under a week when i dont have access to other aquarium bacteria?
3. What are small very colorful intresting fish that i can have alot of in a 10 gallon tank?
4. I was also thinking about one or two big intresting cheaper fish like freshwater puffer or an oscar any suggestions or tips?

I am a beginner so any tips will help please!!*c/p*:fish10:


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Jmoquarium said:


> Im about to start a tropical freshwater aquarium and i have questions.
> 1. I am getting a 10 gallon tank soon with filter ect. How do you set it up?
> 2. How can you speed through the cycling process in under a week when i dont have access to other aquarium bacteria?
> 3. What are small very colorful intresting fish that i can have alot of in a 10 gallon tank?
> ...


Answers:

1. set it up they way you like the looks bests.

2. No way to speed up cycle without seeding it. It will take anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks.

3. Not many fish can be held in a 10 and be happy. Maybe 8 neons or rasboras.

4. Oscar needs a minimum of 55 gal just for him. Freshwater puffer is the dwarf puffer that don't get very big. Most other puffers you see in fresh will get to big for a 10 gal and will need to be put in brackish water.


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## Jmoquarium (Mar 31, 2012)

Thanks, do you have anymore information on the dwarf puffer? I was origonally thinking sbout that but i couldnt find much information or somewhere to get it cheap without spending a fortune on shipping:/


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## Stinky (Jun 18, 2009)

I think the best advice for the cycling issue is to start with only a few fish or do fishless cycling. If you do go with fish, maybe a siamese algae eater (although small ones you can buy eventually grow out of 10 gallons) and buy some algae tablets as its food. The filter should come with a carbon pack which is suppose to reduce the ammonia, but with some still left getting the cycle going. When the carbon starts wearing out should be just about the time when the cycle is going, so you can remove the carbon at that point. Then just check the water until it's done and start adding the fish you want.


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## Budlight 20 (Mar 31, 2012)

A fire or blue dwarf gourami would be good but only get two for your tank and make sure there the same size so there not dominating or killing each other golden danios would be a good choice to but youll need about four


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## Hbird (Jan 7, 2012)

I love my dwarf puffers (they came from thatfishplace which is a 3 hr drive for me) but if you are looking for an active on-the-go 'action' fish they are not what you are looking for (compared to the brackish water green spotted puffers, which I also have--those are very active and interactive too but they are much higher maintenance). My DPs are in a heavily planted 20g long and seem to love hanging out under an anubia leaf or poking around the java moss. I feel that live food is a must (I feed mostly live blackworms) and if you are not willing or able to provide live then I would look another direction but that's JMO. Also my tank (hard water, pH 8.3) was cycled using the live plants and gold tetras and did a 'silent cycle' never had spikes of ammonia or nitrites. No fish loss.


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## Cadiedid (Oct 26, 2011)

I second everything Susan said. 

Just to put it out there... If you haven't already purchased the 10 gallon and have the space and a little more money for a little bit of an upgrade, you might consider a slightly bigger tank. I only say this because as popular ten gallon tanks are, they are extremely limiting in what you can humanely stock them with. I came back to this hobby with a 10 gallon and if I could have done it over again, I really wish I had gone with a 20 long. They are still a manageable size and price tag, but really would have opened my stocking options up a bit and I will most likely upgrade both my 10s to 20s before long. 

Just putting it out there, as I found stocking my 10 to be very very frustrating!


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## Jmoquarium (Mar 31, 2012)

Ya know now that ive been on this site ive kinda been leaning towards a bigger tank so i think i will go for like a 15-20 because they are alot more open to different choices


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## Cadiedid (Oct 26, 2011)

Jmoquarium said:


> Ya know now that ive been on this site ive kinda been leaning towards a bigger tank so i think i will go for like a 15-20 because they are alot more open to different choices


Good for you. I so wish I had. The 20 long will especially open up your options because you have that added length for swimming and separate territories. It still won't be big enough for even a baby oscar, but baby oscars grow anyway.... One way to save money on an upgrade is to make your own stand or buy used. There are lots of plans for aquarium stands out there and many of our members who have built their own. 

Another thing to consider since you've had the foresight that I didn't to look into your set up before you bought is to get your components separate and not in a kit and taylor them to your needs. For example, the filter that will come in an all in one package will be only adequate, and a filter rated for a tank double your size will do a much better job keeping your water chemistry in check. The other thing to consider is what substrate and lights you want. I started out with plastic plants, so gravel was fine and my lights were adequate. Then I learned about how much live plants help consume waste byproducts and create safer (for long finned fish) more enjoyable and attractive habitats, and I wished I had gotten a better light and different substrate, so take a look at some planted tanks before you buy. Don't be intimidated by live plants. I had never had any luck before with live, but with a little guidance, I was able to pick some less common but much much easier to care for plants than the cabomba and such that I kept buying from big box pet stores. You don't need to go high tech with CO2 and such (though you may want to once you see how much fun plants can be, LOL), but talk to a few people before you decide what to buy. There are more to lights than how bright they are. And brighter isn't always better, especially if you definitely don't want to ever do CO2... Read Susan's thread on aquarium lighting and if you get overwhelmed when doing light research, stop by the chat room when there are a few people around and you'll likely find someone who can help you out.


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## jbrown5217 (Nov 9, 2011)

Cadiedid said:


> I second everything Susan said.
> 
> Just to put it out there... If you haven't already purchased the 10 gallon and have the space and a little more money for a little bit of an upgrade, you might consider a slightly bigger tank. I only say this because as popular ten gallon tanks are, they are extremely limiting in what you can humanely stock them with. I came back to this hobby with a 10 gallon and if I could have done it over again, I really wish I had gone with a 20 long. They are still a manageable size and price tag, but really would have opened my stocking options up a bit and I will most likely upgrade both my 10s to 20s before long.
> 
> Just putting it out there, as I found stocking my 10 to be very very frustrating!


Yep this. I started with a 3 gallon with a snail and 2 wcm. I am just glad I was able to find the wcm a new home. 

Also starting with a 20L, pssssh just go all out and do 55 gallon , you wouldn't be too limited then


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## LaurenK (Mar 18, 2012)

I personally would go with a bigger tank than a 10 gallon. 10 gallons can get out of whack so easy because it's a small tank. Plus, like you said there is a limited amount of fish you can put in it. Minus, the larger amounts of water change and needing more water conditioner, etc. because of the gallons I think larger tanks are easier to take care of.


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## Summer (Oct 3, 2011)

I agree with everything that's been said. I will add that my fishless cycle took about 3 weeks, and during that time i was able to gather what i needed for the tank and get some plants established.


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

You might want to check out the procedures in the link in my signature. I have started several 10g using those methods.

my .02


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Bob not for the fish he wants.


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