On the right track?

[astrocreep101]

I have been reading the threads to determine if I am on the right track. Here is where I am with my set-up, keep in mind I am a new fish lover and hope to get this right the first time. So,


Set-up:
I got a ten gallon tank about 1 wek ago, with filter, heater, tap water conditioner, Test kits, an arietor, and of course the decor and rocks. I started off with three fish, an angel, and two sailfin mollies. I have been keeping the water at 73-78 degrees, ph at 7.5, and do 20 percent water changes every 2 days. I also bought two live plants for the tank.

What has since happened:
On the first day of set-up I filled the thank with tap water, and conditioned with the proper amount and added a packet of 7.5 p.h. I let the tank sit for a day while the heater did it's job, The following day I purchased my three fish, I let them sit and adjust to the tank water for 20min before taking them out of there baggie. Once in the water they seemed fairly comfortable. I have also been feeding them once a day. On the third day my water got milky and clogged my bio-wheel (which I rinsed off) By the fourth day the water was cleared up however one of the mollies died, he buried himself under the gravel. Since then I went and bought a red-tail shark to replace the molly. These are the three fish I want to keep in my tank for good maybe one more or add another to make a pair. Am I on the right track to building a healthy tank with a few fish that will get along okay? Or should I make a few adjustments?

Or should I not touch the tank for a few weeks besides water changes along w/ testing p.h. and ammonia.

Also the fish look like they are in good condition, no spots, dots, darting, floating (besides the one molly).

[JustOneMore20]

First off, an angel gets far too big for a 10g tank, so you'll have to return it or upgrade to atleast a 29g tank. If you can't upgrade the tank, take the angel back to the fish store along with the red tail shark, which will also outgrow the 10g.

You set the tank up great. The only thing I see wrong is the pH stuff you added. Do you know what your pH was before you added this? I never use chemicals to adjust the water. Chances are your water was fine to begin with.

[astrocreep101]

About the P.H, I didn't test the water until after I added the 7.5 ph packet. I was afraid that the shark and angel would be bad news, I thought they would only grow about an inch or two more. Any suggestions on a few decent fish with personaliity that can live in ten gallon. Besides goldfish!!! Thnaks for the Reply.

[JustOneMore20]

I just looked at a profile for Sailfin mollies and they get quite large. The profile I looked at said 6 inches....so really that seriously limits your stocking (when you take the angel and shark back of course). I think the only other fish you could put in there would be a regular molly or 2.

Or you could return all the fish and start over with stocking. I personally like tetras. If you pick a type that gets around 1 inch, 1.5 inches, you could have a nice school of 6-8. Some smaller types are black neons, lemon tetras, flame tetras, silvertip tetras, cardinal tetras, and glowlights. If you don't like the tetra idea, you could go with some livebearers that stay smaller, like 4 platies or regular mollies....or 5-6 guppies. A tetra/betta or gourami combination would also work. Get 6 tetras of a smaller type and then you could have a male betta or dwarf gourami as your "centerpiece" fish.

Do you like any of those ideas?

Angels get around 7-8 inches tall and about 5 or so inches long. My biggest angel is about 6 inches tall and about 4-5 inches long (counting fins). She is big and lives in a 55g tank. The minimum for 1 angel is a 29g tank....just to give you an explanation as to why they can't live in a 10g.

Did you get your fish from a local fish store or a pet store? Did you tell them your tank size? I'm just wondering because it is amazing the fish that stores sell people for small tanks. They should be better educated. That's why its best to get on a website like this one and research before you buy. Now that you know about this site, you can ask about any future purchases.

[Durbkat]

Or you could get about 4 female bettas and have plenty of plants and hiding spaces and you could get about 3 or 4 of the smaller cory's like false julli corys (called julli corys).

[astrocreep101]

Justonemore-

I like the idea of getting a few tetra's a dwarf gourami. I guess my biggest concern is just making my fish happy. So I will take back the sailfin and the angel, however the shark will be a bit more difficult seeing that I got him at petsmart which is about 2 hours away from where I live. We do have a local petshop however they are going out of buisness, luckily I didn't buy any of the fish from there. I got the angel and sailfin from earymay, thats the best we got around these parts. Atleast I got the cycling down!!!

[unclerick666]

DON'T ADD ANY FISH!!!!!!!

THE FISH YOU HAVE WILL MOST LIKELY BE DEAD IN A SHORT TIME UNLESS YOU DO DAILY WATER CHANCES. A TANK MUST BE CYCLED FIRST. THIS CAN TAKE 4-6 WEEKS. IF THE PERSON WHO SOLD YOU THE FISH, KNEW YOUR TANK WAS 1 DAY OLD, AND I WAS HIS BOSS, I'D FIRE HIM/ HER IN A HEART BEAT.

DO A GOOGLE ON CYCLING AN AQUARIUM, THAN COME BACK AND ASK SOME MORE QUESTIONS, LIKE WHAT DO I DO KNOW? ETC. LOT'S OF GOOD FOLKS HERE TO HELP!

ALL THE BEST........UNCLE

[Blue]

Astro, if I might add, it's best that you add tetras in the later date. They are quite sensitive to water chemistry changes. Start with the hardy ones(preferably lemon tetras).
Put the fish in your tank only after the cycling.

[Gourami Swami]

I would take back all of the fish and dont buy any for a month, untill youve completed a nitrogen cycle. Get an ammonia source like fishfood or shrimp, as well as a nitrite and nitrate test kit. After youve completed the cycle, I think the best Idea for the tank is a school of 8 tetras and a male betta.

[JustOneMore20]

See if the petstore you got the angel and sailfin from will take the red tailed shark. If they have some, they may take it. They probably won't give you money, but maybe they will give you a credit. Tell them the situation, that the other store in hours away and they sold you the shark even though your tank is too small for it. Tell them you have no where else to take it.

Atleast I got the cycling down!!!

Well, if you only had your tank set up for a week, I doubt its cycled. You still need to cycle it somehow.

Here are some articles on the Nitrogen cycle:
Nitrogen Cycle
Again
And again

Here are some articles on Fishless cycling, if you are interested:
Fishless cycling
Again

If you decide to get some tetras now, see if you can find some Bio-Spira. It helps speed the cycle up. I'd still get some hardy tetras like lemons or flames. Or harlequin rasboras.

The Shark has got to go though....so first you need to figure out what to do with it...see where you can take it. Are there more than one fish store in your area? Check with all of them.

Uncle, there is no need to yell in all caps. He/She is taking back the fish and won't add more until the tank is empty..dont freak out.