I am new here too!

Hi, I am Bridgette, I am new here!
A friend of mine just gave me 2 ten gallon tanks, and i have been spending some time trying to decide what to do with them! I know this may be a 'boring' subject for some of you, but if anyone wants to discuss with me exactly what I will need, the pros of this, the cons of that... etc... i had a ten gallon tank YEARS ago... so this is somewhat new to me! I like fish! Don't have any favorites at this point... making a fresh start!

let's talk folks!

Well first off WELCOME to the box! if you have questions, please take an adventure through our threads and if you still cant find it, Post a thread. If all else fails meet up with us in the chat room! Its an amazing site, amazing people and Awesome Information, so please come on in and stay a while.

Welcome Bridgette!


What kind of fishy type things do you want to keep in your two 10 gallon tanks?

Welcome!

Welcome


what kind of fish you like ?

Hey welcome to the box. 10 gal is small but you may think about 1 as a planted tank with some shrimp. Quite a show piece when they're completed and growing. Or maybe a couple ( like 6 or 8) of male endlers or guppies. Or some neons (6) in a planted tank.

hahaa! wow! thanks for the welcome!

Wellll, I really like the live bearers... mollies and platyies and swordfish... I had a tank with some in them for a while when I was growing up and it was really cool to put them in the little box to keep the babies safe! I also like fantail goldfish...

but I want to do some research! I would rather have a few reallly cool fish that i havent experienced before! I know very little about ALOT of types of fish! My son loves the sharks, but more the saltwater type so I think that will have to wait a while... I do want to try saltwater, someday!

but for now... I have the tanks, the hoods, some bulbs, gravel, one air pump (gotta get another).... some decorations, but I think i need a heater in each tank... thought about that today when I was buying a thermometor for each.... neither are set up yet!

Also, last time I had a 10 gal with a few fantails in it (about 4 or 5 years ago) I had problems with chlorine I think it was... most of the fish died when I did too much of a water change.... I tested the water but couldnt get it right... the remaining two fish lived out thier lives in a bowl... and i gave up, but I talked to someone at a petstore that suggested I just use distilled or storebought water...

what do y'all think about that? :)

a planted tank is a great idea!

Welcome!! Free is the best price! haha

Planted tanks are great and as long as you stick to "low light plants" you will be good with just a hood light (add a "grow" type bulb) and maybe some excel once a week or so.

Nothing really special needed if you do it that way most fish love the extra cover plants give and some need hiding spots.

Once you get that figured out set things up and get the tank cycle started (fishless is most humane but not the only way) Then go to your local fish store and look around the tank and pick out the ones you really like, write their names down scientific is they have them. Then research those fish and ask away on here you will get a good idea if it is a good pick for you or not. Then get the ones that best fit your needs and expectations and let the happiness begin!

Also as to the post about water changes that is very likely the cause of fish death. I use Prime for water changes, some tap water has ammonia and chlorine in it. Prime will take care of both of these... water temp can also be very diffrent in the tank and tap water. Many people here like to age their water. What I do is take a Tupperware container add my Prime to it fill it with tap water (letting the water mix well) then let it sit for nearly a week. This ages the water and makes water settle and gives the Prime time to work. Then use it in your next water change and repeat.

welcome to the box and feel free to ask away plenty of people here with a lot of expertise and welcome to the box

ok ok so
now I have to learn about some plants... I can get a 'grow' light bulb I am sure!
(what other kinds of light is there, just curious... besides a hood light....?)

I will do some research, tomorrow... cause it's almost my bedtime!

I imagine if I add a few fish they will LOVE that! :)

Just noticed your in Chesapeake! Another Box member that is close to me woot!

bms1973 wrote:

ok ok so
now I have to learn about some plants... I can get a 'grow' light bulb I am sure!
(what other kinds of light is there, just curious... besides a hood light....?)

I will do some research, tomorrow... cause it's almost my bedtime!

I imagine if I add a few fish they will LOVE that! :)

Check out these places
Aquarium plants link
And
Aquarium Plants Central

They have "low Light" sections to give you a ball park on the type of easy to grow low light plants you might be looking for. Not the only ones you could choose just the ones they for the moment fit your setup best.

As for grow bulbs that pretty much means they are in the 6.5-10K Range. Most house lights are lower 3.5-5K and the blue type lights are normally in the 15K+ range. It just so happens that the 6.5-10K range best matches the plants light requirements as they would get naturally. You would simple replace the hood lamp (if it is not on of these already) with this type of bulb. there is much more in depth to go about lighting but like I said for you starting out keeping it simple is not a bad idea hehe.

Welcome

strikingthematch
yes, we are both in the 757! :)
thanks for your help! I am going to do some research this morning and think about getting this started! is it a good idea to (oh how did you put it the other message) get my water ready, let it sit for a week like you mentioned earlier, if I am thinking about plants? and treat the water, like you mentioned?

I suppose I can try to find out what type of water the plants will need when I am researching... and also probably the people in the petstore will be helpful!

Be careful of petstore (LFS) employees quite a few have to say what their boss tells them. "oh thet 2" oscar can go in a 10 gal" NOT!

Here's some good threads to read
https://usafishbox.forumotion.com/t1729p12-article-on-cycling-by-a-wonderful-very-experianced-aquarist#100455

https://usafishbox.forumotion.com/t6886-stocking-your-tank

FishVixen wrote:

Be careful of petstore (LFS) employees quite a few have to say what their boss tells them. "oh thet 2" oscar can go in a 10 gal" NOT!

If possible do all your research yourself because there is a more then likely chance that what you want will be something the petstore guy didn't even know he had. If you want advice from the pet stores (at least animal jungle which is close to us) you can look for one of the guys in the black shirts (managers) they have some great knowledge at least the fish manager did. The others that work there are hit or miss but most have a few tanks at home and have kept many diffrent fish but there are just too many there to have kept them all.

As for the rest read those links they will help a lot. Pretty much though you can start cycling the tank as soon as possible. Get the ammonia and Nitrite test kits and if you like a Nitrate one. As your tank is cycling you can investigate plants and other fish. Most easy grow plants you can pop right in the gravel as they will receive their nutrients from the water. You can also always plant during/after a cycle. I know for me plants help make the cycle fast as some of the plants suck up ammonia which is really nice and also adds a layer of protection for later on against ammonia spikes.