about to cry...

[abs211]

We just bought our first aquarium, 10 gallon. I've been reading through threads for about 15 minutes and am now on the verge of tears!!! I had NO IDEA about cycling (still not exactly sure what it IS, the tutorials don't ever really explain that?) I am so scared that all our fishy friends are going to die! :(

The people at the pet store said I only had to wait 48 hours before putting my fish in. I filled it up with tap water, put some water treatment stuff in, started the filter, the air bubbles, and added gravel and rocks (from the pet store). BUT I didn't rinse off the rocks so the water turned cloudy. My DH had an aquarium in HS and he never mentioned anything about cycling!!!

Two days later we went back and bought our fish (4 of the teeny clear fish w/ neon blue stripes, 7 guppies, 1 pink GLO (dd wanted it!), a mini crab, 3 big white snails, and a little frog), 2 live plants, food, and a hood. Seeing them swim in that icky water made me paranoid, so the next morning I took them all out, cleaned the whole tank out, rinsed off the rocks, etc and put them all back in. *SMACKS FOREHEAD*

Two days later (today) we bought MORE fish (a ghost shrimp, 1 more GLO fish (we thought our other one needed a friend) and 3 big gold snails) *BEATS SELF UP* and put lightbulbs in our hood.

Here I thought I was doing so good. I am SO SAD NOW!!! I've never had fish before, and I am so addicted to it now. The whole family has been watching the tank nonstop all week. Its almost midnight and I can't do ANYTHING about it till morning, and even then after spending almost $300 I'm not sure we can even afford a testing kit this week. I feel like an idiot...I never would've known any of this. I can't believe my DH had fish for so many years and never knew any of it either???

[Kyle]

First thing is to remain calm. I do hate to say it but your 10 gallon is way over stock. Other people on here will be more help then me on cycling (hate to say I have never cycled a tank in my life and Ive been fish keeping for about 8 years) First my suggestion is taking some of the fist back. I would keep the ones with blue stripes, they should be neon tetras. Most crabs need some kind of land outside of water as they normally will not survive completely underwater (you might see him trying to climb up the plants) Also do you have a heater, the fish are tropical and need a heated tank depending on your climate and what temperature you keep your house at. Again my main suggestion is to take all the fish back but the 4 I mentioned they are good starter fish. And I would get a liquid test kit. Also I dont mean to pry put what were the average prices as $300 for what you listed seems a little high. Dont worry everyone is here to help

[fins_n_fur]

First thing, don't panic. Click on this link: [Only Registered Users Can See Links.] and read the two cycling stickies (bold faced red at the top). This should explain how to cycle with fish and with out fish enough to see what you would do:

1. Continue to cycle the tank with the fish
2. Return the fish (if you can) and do a fishless cycle first, before getting new fish.
3. Either way you have got to have a test kit that tests for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates (preferably drop kits, not paper strips). I think you can get them in the US for 25-30 dollars, if memory serves. Most members use the kits from API.

Come back here with questions and we'll be able to help you more.

[Gayle]

Hello and welcome!!!!!!!!!!!

Do not cry!!! We can help you!!!

Well the cloudy water could be bacteria bloom, which is good. Did the gravel come out of a tank at the LFS???

I am really bad with cycling explinations, but someone will be along soon that can help much more!!

You have too many fish, maybe take a few back and purchase a test kit!

[thrakuarium]

See if you can return some of those fish you purchased. IMO you are way overstocked on a 10 gallon even if it was fully cycled. The cycle is the process of converting fish waste (ammonia)to nitrites and then to nitrates. The conversion of the ammonia to nitrites requires a bacteria colony to consume the ammonia. Then a second type of bacteria consumes the nitrite and converts it to nitrate. This process can usually take around 2 months. The neon tetras are very sensitive to the cycle so I would try to return them, as well as the snails and the frog. The snails will generate too much waste in a new tank. I'm not really too up on frogs other than knowing they have different food requirements, but with you just beginning it may be better to wait until the tank has cycled to think about a frog.The crab should go back as well. The guppies could be acceptable but if you got males and females, you may end up with more fish than you can handle in that tank. The glofish are danios and they are probably the hardiest of the fish you have and most likely to survive a cycle. If it was me I would keep the glofish and 3 male guppies for the cycle and return everything else.

Get a bacteria booster (cycle, safe start, stability) and a test kit. Liquid is more accurate but strips are easier to use and either is better than no kit. Dose the tank with the bacteria booster according to its directions. Use your test kit and keep your ammonia at no higher than .5 ppm (some say 1.0 but I think .5 gives the fish a better survival chance) Use water changes to keep the ammonia down. For example a 1.0 ppm reading is twice what I suggest so change half (5 gal) of your water to get the reading back down. Redose your tank with the booster each time you water change.

read this post : [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

Good luck with your tank and there are many people here with good advise if you need more help thumbs2:

[kaimarkhirst]

Welcome to AC.... Shame its not on better circumstances....

Ok..
Dont Panic!!!

Weve all at some point been duped by the Local Fish Shop, and/or not done our research into whats needed and not so that snto a big worry. Firstly I' go and read the free E-book on the left, its fab and loads o great facts, tips and info is to be had there.....

Youve really got two choices, you can either persevere with the fishes that youve got and do a cycle with fish, or take tne livestock back to your Local Fish Shop, get a testing kit and cycle the water without fish. But that alot of fish to be doing a cycle with and id be prepared to lose some of them from stress due to cycling... Mainly because fo two factors. 1. The amount of fish youve added in such as short space of time is going to place huge load on the filtration system and its nto even ready as its not been cycled yet... 2. Its a small tank and the load in there is quite substantial for that size...

Heres a compromise for you.. Take some of the livestock back (If possible) and get yourself a testing kit, leave some of the fishes in (If you wish to) and cycle the water like that using live bacteria cannisters from your Local Store (Ask them about live bateria) and testign of the water. You only really need to test for PH Ammonia and Nitrite at this stage, wouldnt worry about nitrate.. No bateria for it.. Doing this would involve 25% water changes twice a week until the readings on the Ammonia and Nitrite are stable at 0.0 for at least two weeks...

Around when the readings on the Nitrite are dropping, you need to start testing for Nitrate, which is the final stage of the cycling process. The live plants will help as they add to the process. What will also help is some water from an established aquarium, Aor even better if your DH (Nor sure what that is... (blush)) has one.. a wet and cycled filter sponge, or at least part of one... All these factors will speed the cycling process up.

If you cant get any of these, then regular water changes will do, using de-chlorinated water, and filter start is a solution, but youll need to be aware that the stres of the fishes will be condsiderable, and you may lose some fo them.

More importantly, Its not your fault.. everybody starts somewhere, and gets wrong advice so dont beat yourself up about it.... There will be light at the end of the tunnel for you on this, its just going to be a lengthy process and were all here to help...

Kai

[mac]

We just bought our first aquarium, 10 gallon. I've been reading through threads for about 15 minutes and am now on the verge of tears!!! I had NO IDEA about cycling (still not exactly sure what it IS, the tutorials don't ever really explain that?) I am so scared that all our fishy friends are going to die! :([QUOTE]

Welcome to AC. Sorry to hear about your trouble. It happens to most of us at some point. The same thing happened to me when I first started. Don't cry. We are here to help you.

QUOTE]The people at the pet store said I only had to wait 48 hours before putting my fish in. I filled it up with tap water, put some water treatment stuff in, started the filter, the air bubbles, and added gravel and rocks (from the pet store). BUT I didn't rinse off the rocks so the water turned cloudy. My DH had an aquarium in HS and he never mentioned anything about cycling!!!

Sorry to hear this. It is a shame that places have staff which don't have much knowledge in fish keeping. I had the same type of advice when I started.

Shame that this has happened. But you are in a no better place to learn how to start again.

Two days later we went back and bought our fish (4 of the teeny clear fish w/ neon blue stripes, 7 guppies, 1 pink GLO (dd wanted it!), a mini crab, 3 big white snails, and a little frog), 2 live plants, food, and a hood. Seeing them swim in that icky water made me paranoid, so the next morning I took them all out, cleaned the whole tank out, rinsed off the rocks, etc and put them all back in. *SMACKS FOREHEAD*[QUOTE]

Boy that is a bit of fish in a 10 gallon.

[QUOTE]Two days later (today) we bought MORE fish (a ghost shrimp, 1 more GLO fish (we thought our other one needed a friend) and 3 big gold snails) *BEATS SELF UP* and put lightbulbs in our hood.

Really the fish should all be taken back. Or kept just the Guppies. Other wise IMO and IME they will die.

Here I thought I was doing so good. I am SO SAD NOW!!! I've never had fish before, and I am so addicted to it now. The whole family has been watching the tank nonstop all week. Its almost midnight and I can't do ANYTHING about it till morning, and even then after spending almost $300 I'm not sure we can even afford a testing kit this week. I feel like an idiot...I never would've known any of this. I can't believe my DH had fish for so many years and never knew any of it either???

The best thing IMO would be return the fish at once. I know it sounds not that great, but it would be best. Then read the E book about cycling. That will help a lot.

ONce you done that you can sort the tank out, and then stock in properly and every one will be happy, including the fish.


Good luck,

mac

[Jaster]

if it makes you feel a little better, I did the EXACTsame thing with my first 5 gallon tank. I was replacing gold fish every week, scrubbing the tank completely and washing the filters, buying all kind of chemicals to try to keep the forever green water clear... it was a nightmare. All at the advise of Pet Depot.
Write this all up as a learning experience. It will get easier and everyone here will help you get there. They have helped me great and now I have 5 tanks that are just awesome (IMO... lol)
Sorry you had to deal with the crap end of things but you'll be a better fish keeper because of it. Like me.. you know exactly what NOT to do again. thumbs2:

Hang in there!

[jackson17]

We just bought our first aquarium, 10 gallon. I've been reading through threads for about 15 minutes and am now on the verge of tears!!! I had NO IDEA about cycling (still not exactly sure what it IS, the tutorials don't ever really explain that?) I am so scared that all our fishy friends are going to die! :(

The people at the pet store said I only had to wait 48 hours before putting my fish in. I filled it up with tap water, put some water treatment stuff in, started the filter, the air bubbles, and added gravel and rocks (from the pet store). BUT I didn't rinse off the rocks so the water turned cloudy. My DH had an aquarium in HS and he never mentioned anything about cycling!!!

Two days later we went back and bought our fish (4 of the teeny clear fish w/ neon blue stripes, 7 guppies, 1 pink GLO (dd wanted it!), a mini crab, 3 big white snails, and a little frog), 2 live plants, food, and a hood. Seeing them swim in that icky water made me paranoid, so the next morning I took them all out, cleaned the whole tank out, rinsed off the rocks, etc and put them all back in. *SMACKS FOREHEAD*

Two days later (today) we bought MORE fish (a ghost shrimp, 1 more GLO fish (we thought our other one needed a friend) and 3 big gold snails) *BEATS SELF UP* and put lightbulbs in our hood.

Here I thought I was doing so good. I am SO SAD NOW!!! I've never had fish before, and I am so addicted to it now. The whole family has been watching the tank nonstop all week. Its almost midnight and I can't do ANYTHING about it till morning, and even then after spending almost $300 I'm not sure we can even afford a testing kit this week. I feel like an idiot...I never would've known any of this. I can't believe my DH had fish for so many years and never knew any of it either???

I must ask, where do you live? I saw someone at my LFS buy that exact stock, and if your local, I have a cycled tank that I could put these in for the time so you can get your tank cycled

[MonkeyPox]

Until you can purchase a test kit, you can bring a sample of your water to your lfs and have them test it for you.

[nwnittany]

To start, you're not alone. Lots of people have started in similar ways as you.

If for whatever reason you can't or don't want to take the fish back, I'd concentrate on a few things:

1. don't overfeed....the last thing you need is extra poop and uneaten food.

2. be prepared to do alot of water changes. Ideally, you don't do alot of water changes while cycling, but since you have critters, I think you'll need to do this to keep them alive. It will likely prolong your cycle, but such is life. You might need to change 25% or so each day or every other day. This is one of the situations when it's good to have a small tank !!!

3. until you get a test kit, I would plan to take the water to the lfs every now and then to see how things are going.

This next suggestion is a hit or miss and will cost some bucks, so it might be out of the question for you. They make some 'cycle accelerator' products (bio-zyme is one, tetra safe-start is another...I think that's the name of it). There are mixed reviews on these...some consider them snakeoil and others think they work. I have a good fried that had very good success with biozyme.

And what the hay...don't kill yourself over this. Read the ebook and listen to some of the experienced posters here and you'll get through it. You might lose a few fish, but keep at it and gut it out. You'll be surprised how much more you enjoy the fish that made it through the cycle....

[abs211]

Ok, THANK YOU for all the help! I've been changing out 25% of the water every day and cut back on feeding them as much. Now we feed them once a day (still too much???).

They're all still alive and kicking...even our poor little deformed guppy who's tail isn't very big and fan-like. He has to wiggle his whole body to swim! I try to make sure he gets some food every time.

Our crab has dug himself a little home under the "bonsai tree" decoration we have. We do have a nice tall cave rock thing that goes above water for him to crawl up on. The first few days he crawled around the tank nonstop, but he hasn't come out of his hole very much this week. He is still alive, we see him moving around, and he comes out to eat every once in awhile. Is he hiding in his hole because there's too many fish? Or this is normal behavior?

Our frog is good, she (yes, its a 'she' we decided) just lays on the bottom of the tank in her favorite cave rock opening and zips up for air every once in awhile.

I had no idea I could take fish back...how many should be in a 10 gallon tank? The kid at the petstore said 12 were fine and that the snails, frog and crab didn't count. So we were only one over his suggestion. If I have to take some back, I will probably go with some of the guppies since we have so many. Would cutting out 3-4 of them be enough?

Maybe we should just get a bigger tank??? what comes next...30 gallon??

RE: PRICES...I checked online and I don't think the prices were too bad on anything we bought, it just adds up super fast! $15 for used tank at Goodwill, $25 for hood/lid, $25 for big cave rock, $5-10 decorations x2, $7 each tall live plants x2, $10 for rocks, $25 filter, $10 air bubbler, plus a couple bucks for the hose and little knobby thing, $4 for water treatment, $4 for water clarifier, not sure how much we paid for the fish food...but we got two diff kinds, carbon rocks for the filter $10, two lightbulbs few bucks each, $7 for bigger frog, $6 for the crab, the snails were about $2 each x6, GLO fish were $5 each x2, others were about $2-3 each x 11, shrimp was a few bucks, few bucks for the net...plus tax.

RE: LOCATION...we're in AZ.

RE: TEMPERATURE....I DID wonder if the water temp was too cold. I asked the kid at the petstore and he said as long as it wasn't ice cold it was fine. But now I'm thinking I should get a temp gauge and make sure. What should the temp be???

[gau]

Well, It might help you to identify the species of fish you have and go through the articles on AC, but Tropical fish need temperatures from 68-80 F, as far as I know.

Just keep asking questions and AC will guide you like an angel. I had no idea about cycling as well.

All I was told was to change 10% water every week, and keep the filter and heater running all the time.

People are really helpful out here. Thank you all, for helping rookies like us.

[Pompompaihn]

Just raising my hand as a person who killed off enough neon tetras on a first tank that I think I'm going to be brought up on war criminal charges....heck, my -second- tank for that matter is still over/poorly stocked, but getting closer....learned a ton by reading this forum though over a short period of time, though!

[jackson17]

Well I can't help you there, thats odd though. Some one here bought the EXACT same stock lol

[invadertoast]

Welcome!!!

Great advice from everyone, you've come to the right place! I just wanted to chime in because I don't think it's been brought up yet - do you know what species of frog you have? If you're not taking her back I would find out the species ASAP because you could have a problem. African clawed frogs (ACF) can grow large and WILL eat everything in sight, even a fish that is larger than the frog is. An ACF in a tank full of guppies and other small fish is a disaster waiting to happen.

If you have an African Dwarf Frog, you should be fine. They are small and peaceful and as far as I know will not wreak havoc on your fish population.

Clawed frogs do not have webbed front feet, dwarf frogs do. That's the simplest way to tell, but if you look at pictures of the two species they're not hard to tell apart

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]
[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[Kaz]

Alright.

First what pet store did you go to? NEVER GO THERE AGAIN. (Or try not to)

Do you have plants? What kind? Because chances are, that pet store is willing to sell non-aquatic plants.

As for the fish cycle,let me explain (Or did sombody else already do this?):

Fish produce waste. Plants decay. Food breaks down. When all these things happen it creates a chemical called ammonia. Ammonia is toxic. There is a type of bacteria that eats ammonia. However it also produces waste. This waste is called Nitrite. It is less toxic, but still dangerous. Nitrite is eaten by yet another bacteria which produces Nitrate. nitrate is still toxic but only at 40 times the amount Ammonia is.

It is your job to build up beneficial bacteria in a way that does not harm your fish.

This requires you to use a source of ammonia. There are two main ways of doing this. The first involves adding fish Veeeeeeeeery slowly. The second involves just adding ammonia to the tank when there are no fish in the tank.

That was my summary of cycling. it is a little more complicated than that but that should work for now.

Here's a graph which is semi accurate.
[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[abs211]

Our poor little deformed guppy died. :( RIP fishy friend. The rest of the fish seem to be doing okay.

We figured out what was up with the crab...he was shedding his skin!!! Last night I walked to the tank to see his big claw just laying in the rocks, I freaked out! I thougt he was dead too! But then he came crawling out from underneath his tree carrying his whole exoskeleton! Pretty cool, kinda scary. He's back to his old ways now.

Our frog is a dwarf frog, I'm pretty sure. She hasn't eaten any fish yet! Its been two weeks...we feed her and the crab bottom-dweller pellets (the fish gets flakes, but they eat the pellets too).

The plants, not sure, but they were sold in packaging specifically for aquariums, a name brand, etc. They had a whole section of them. They are tall, bright green and have wide, spear-like leaves, with stripes of yellow-green along the edges.

The pet store was our local Petsmart...guess I shouldn't trust the teenage boy! He seemed to know what he was talking about, but GEESH.

KAZ, thanks for the mini lesson, that does help clarify things!!

Whoever says fish are easier than dogs are CRAZY!!!! I thought it was simply cleaning out the tank when it got scummy and throwing in some food. Boy, was I wrong!!!!!!!!

[hockeyhead019]

yea there's a whole side to keeping fish that people don't even know about... and if you went to petsmart you probably have amazon sword plants... maybe haha not sure would need a picture to have any idea

[terrapin24h]

abs211-
Sorry to hear your first foray into fishkeeping has been unpleasant. Not to fear though, we'll all help you out! I can only second the exceptional advice you've already been given. Cut back on feeding(once every other day) take back some stock, and do 30% or so WC every other day. This will help mediate the rate of toxin build up in the water. If you want to try a bacteria booster, look for a product called tetra "safe start" It is a refined version of the only product shown to truly work(biospira). Also, i would go to the lfs and beg them for a bag of gravel from their tanks, or some used filter media. Either would go a long way toward helping your cycle get going. Keep us posted and good luck !

--chris

[abs211]

Here are pictures of our tank, plants, crab, fish, and frog.

[Danh_vu]

Your 10 gallon tank looks better than my 50-60 gallon tank! :22:
Too bad I have nothing to take a picture with...

[Sarkazmo]

Yep, that's a dwarf froggy. They're awesome little guys. They won't hurt your fish or other critters.

As for the crab, keep an eye on him, some crabs will grab slow or sick fish and chow down. You might want to get or make a little floating platform for him to get out on when he needs to. I've seen everything from simple packing peanuts to elaborate, nearly tank filling, structures for them. Usually a simply lilypad size float is sufficient. Maybe tie it to or attach it to that large ornament in the middle, that way he can climb up at out onto the platform.

You should pick up some Tetra Safe Start. It's usually between $15 and $20 for a bottle. SS has living bacteria in it that helps seed the tank filter with the needed little buggies to break down ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates (waste products of the living inhabitants.) Follow the instructions on the bottle. The plants will help use up waste products and in turn grow, spread out, and release oxygen into the water for your critters. Many of us are planted tank enthusiasts and enjoy the plants as much as the fish.

Keep up your water changes and you should be ok. Remember, no matter what tanks we have now, we all started somewhere. You'll make mistakes and you'll learn, we all have. We at AC love this hobby and are always willing to help out those who're in need.

Sark

[invadertoast]

Looks great!!!! Unfortuantely though, your live plants aren't aquatic and will eventually start to rot. I don't know why all these pet stores sell them as aquatic but I see them ALL the time and they're a common plant. They could cause problems if they start to rot on you.

Great job so far - you've come to the right place and your tank is looking great! I love the giant climbing rock, really cool! :thumbs2:

[Algenco]

Looks great!!!! Unfortuantely though, your live plants aren't aquatic and will eventually start to rot. I don't know why all these pet stores sell them as aquatic but I see them ALL the time and they're a common plant. They could cause problems if they start to rot on you.

Great job so far - you've come to the right place and your tank is looking great! I love the giant climbing rock, really cool! :thumbs2:

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.] plants are not aquatic, they sell those for terrariums but don't bother to tell people

[nwnittany]

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.] plants are not aquatic, they sell those for terrariums but don't bother to tell people

I ended up with a few of those same plants in my tank about a year ago. I later found out they weren't truly aquatic (maybe bog plants ? don't remember).

In any case, I left them in the tank and just kept an eye on them to make sure I removed the rotting leaves. What would happen is the longer leaves would start to rot and eventually they'd become almost transparent.

Mine lasted about 6-9 months before I decided to yank 'em.

So, from my limited experience, I think you are OK to have them in the tank, just be careful to watch for and to remove the rotting parts

[abs211]

Good to know about the plants!!! Next time I go shopping for fish stuff, I'm going to find a small, local FISH store...not petsmart!!!!

ps: anyone know why some of my fish would look bloated/pregnant? Some have huge bellies that I dont think were there before! Overfeeding??? Really pregnant???

[Kaz]

Good to know about the plants!!! Next time I go shopping for fish stuff, I'm going to find a small, local FISH store...not petsmart!!!!

ps: anyone know why some of my fish would look bloated/pregnant? Some have huge bellies that I dont think were there before! Overfeeding??? Really pregnant???

Which fish?

[jackson17]

If there guppies, probably lol. A couple pairs of those things can over run a 150 gallon tank a couple months! lol

[HeatherB]

I think your tank looks really great!

The forum will help you! They helped me alot.

I fell victim to the plants in the plastic containers too. I still buy mine from Petsmart/Petco, but I buy from the tanks of plants. I was worried about snails, but I washed and washed and washed my plants in running water from the sink, then dunked them in declor. water for a few days and then put them in the tank and never got a single snail.

I'm jealous! I want a hermit crab! I didn't know you can get ones that live fully under the water and just come to the survace occasionally...may have to look into that!

I love my guppies when I had them! I had great colors of guppies and they were all so lively and active! I also loved the Glofish. They were always swimming and zooming around.

[jackson17]

Thats a full crab not a hermit, I don't think hermit crabs can be fully aquatic, unless saltwater

[HeatherB]

Sorry! Did I say hermit crabs? I meant crabs. I knew you could get saltwater crabs, but didn't know they had freshwater.

I've got hermit crabs on the brain! I am going to the beach next weekend and the kids at work requested I bring one back. I don't know about that yet! Although I do have an empty 10 gall. downstairs....

[terapie]

Ow cooome ooon....who wants crabs!? :stongue:

Sorry for your bad experience, it seems it happens everywhere...money hungry people are all over, we only have 1 petshop here and the old man that has it is a ...hole he gives the worst advice ever, he tried it on me couple of time too but didn`t work when i told him it`s not like that,explained and so on...

Anyways...i guess the only thing you can do atm is often water changes and try to use some live bacteria (like safestart...maybe go for a better brand tough, tetra aren't the best around...), get some gravel from a used fishtank if you can, put it in a sock or somethin(clean one prefferably) or a women's stocking like i did, and put it in your water flow path or above a air stone...it will help alot

Good luck!