Dtree's 10 gallon

[dtree]

4.25.09
Surprised my girlfriend with a ten gallon kit. I quickly take it over...
Local fish store convinces me that I should add 3 cardinal tetras and 3 rasbora espeis(sp?) (false harlequins). He also failed to mention the nitrogen cycle, which kills off all of the fish, except one, within a week.
Here is how the tank was first set up:
http://www.fishlore.com/fishpicture/data/500/medium/IMG_5570.JPG
Lovely plastic...
The survivor of the cycle was a cardinal tetra we dubbed, The Little Trooper. We let the tank mature with him for a month, until the readings from my new test kit were good.
Added a ghost shrimp on a whim (50 cents) and named her Evelyn. She and TLT, school around the tank together and they are rarely apart. Very active too.
Added:
2 Amano Shrimp
2 Cherry Red Shrimp
2 Ramshorn Snails
MTS
and my first real plant, water lettuce.
New setup:
http://www.fishlore.com/fishpicture/data/500/medium/IMG_6180.JPG
I wanted to eventually provide shade for the other cardinals I hoped to get as well as provide some better hiding places.
Finally added 4 more cardinals (Pierre, Merryfins, 2 unnamed). TLT schooled with them within minutes. They were so stressed that there was very little red on them. TLT is distinguishable from the other cardinals because his tail forks in the middle instead of the standard cardinal tail. *When I get a better pic of this I will post it.*
http://www.fishlore.com/fishpicture/data/500/medium/IMG_6195.JPG
Picked up what the chain pet store called frill. I think it is some kind of milfoil? I am absolutely loving the look of these real plants, though I'm gonna have to start trimming the roots of the water lettuce!
http://www.fishlore.com/fishpicture/data/500/medium/IMG_6268.JPG
Picked up a red/gold honey gourami. The LFS said it was a sunset gourami, but the pictures don't match. Also added some type of floating clover that the LFS gave me to reduce the light in the tank.
I will post more pics of Bill, the new gourami, as well of how the top of the tank looks soon!
This is my first tank, so I have a lot to learn. I hope this journal helps me keep up with the changes it will go through!

[thrakuarium]

Looks nice thumbs2: Welcome to the world of MTS (multiple tank syndrome). You may only have one tank now but that usually changes :hmm3grin2orange:

With 5 cardinals, shrimp,snails, and a gourami, you should probably put a bow on that tank and consider it stocked. Keep an eye on your readings as well. You may be in for an ammonia spike from the increased bioload. Personally I would get a bacteria booster (safestart,stability,cycle, etc.) and dose the tank to be safe.

[Gayle]

Looks lovely!! Sorry about the rocky start, I think that the LFS should have told you about cycling, but they rarely do. I think that water lettuce looks very cool!!

[Owlbehere]

I want water lettuce now! Tank looks great

[Northernguy]

Thats a great looking start!
I do wonder where the lfs gets there info from some times. lol
Have you read the ebook yet?
Its highly recommended.

[dtree]

Thanks for all of your kind words and encouragement!
Here is a picture of my gourami, William (Bill). Does anyone know what kind it is? The LFS said it was a sunset dwarf gourmai, but it doesn't look like any in the pictures. Please help! (sorry about the link, been having trouble with pics. too big i think.)
http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/fishpictures/showphoto.php?photo=13198&cat=500&ppuser=21039
Also, I think the "frill" I added to the tank is Hornwort.
Bought some frozen bloodworms to add once a week and am interested in purchasing daphnia once the LFS gets it in.
I am researching blackwater extract to lower the pH in a more controlled fashion.
I have been reading every aquarium book my library has access to and have been scouring every forum I can find for information on just about anything!
At the moment, I believe my tank is totally stocked. The only thing I would consider doing is adding one more cardinal to make 6. I know this increases the bioload, but I have been performing weekly partial water changes and testing the parameters of the water every week. If I DO opt for another cardinal, it won't happen for another couple of months.
At the moment, I have a gorgeous piece of driftwood that has an embedded rock sitting in a bucket releasing tannins and getting waterlogged. Hope to add it in due time! I've got to get pictures of it!

[iZinedane]

very nice setup thumbs2:

[mommy1]

thats a lovely tank!

[wolf_eyes]

Your gourami is a honey gourami, I believe, look at some pics on google, just to make sure though. If it is here some info on them. http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/fish/honeygourami.php

I really like the look of your tank. It can be hard when you start having fish die on you, but I'm glad that you stuck with it! I can't wait to see how the tank evolves over time.

[Goodbye]

Very nice tank!!! :19: :19:

[dtree]

Here's a great picture of Bill:
http://www.fishlore.com/fishpicture/data/500/medium/IMG_6417.JPG
His tail is much redder in different light. He's finally coming out into the open with the tetras and is feeding from the top of the tank. The cardinals have finally started doing this as well.
On a sad note, Evelyn and one of Ramshorn snails died. The snail got itself stuck to the filter and I have no idea what happened to Evelyn.. Did Bill get her? I seem to doubt that though because there are much smaller shrimp in the tank and he's pretty much left them alone. The red cherry shrimp HATES him though and will jump the distance of the tank in a heartbeat.
What tools do you use for plant maintenance? Any cheap, household tools I could use?
Here are a couple more pics of the tank. Unfortunately, I am having trouble loading them to my photo gallery, so I have to provide a link. Sorry.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/35631329@N02/sets/72157619011405650/
If nothing else, check out the new pic of my tank. I think it is finally starting to fill in! Thanks for your help! Time for a new ghost shrimp!