hi- well my friend told me about his fish tank. after seeing the tank at his apartment, I was impressed with how it looked. after checking with my landlord, he said his insurance did not cover any large heavy objects in the apartment complex, like swimming pools ( ahahaha, no joke!) or big fish tanks. he said a small tank would be fine though. so i went to the local pet store and picked up a marine land 10 gallon tank. the guys there were really nice and helpful. i bought a heater, lid, and light strip, all at a nice discount they gave. the tiger Oscars were funny and personal. the fish guy was like no! they get too big for your tank. so i'm like, oh ok man. yet, i liked this one small fish they had, called a keyhole cichlid. so small and friendly, at their tiny quarter size. so i asked the guys and they said the fish would be ideal for a 10 gallon, but no more than two and with maybe two or three tiny denizens, like cory catfish he said. the filters were totally too expensive there i thought. so i went online and bought an aquaclear 70 filter for the tank. anyway, i also bought something called bio spira that cycles the tank very quickly (within a few hours). pictures are coming up shortly. so that's how the story begins.
A 10 Gallon Aquarium Journey
- Thread starter hanseatic977
- Start date
Have you purchased the fish already? Trying to cycle with the Bio Spira might be a waste without the filter.
hi- the filter came the day before the fish arrived. I setup the tank a few days ago, with bio spira and the two baby keyholes. the fish are doing well., so far. I bought a ammonia test kit by aquarium pharmaceuticals. plus, I bought a few live plants for the tank, anubias barteri. pictures coming soon, as my camera is being used for business.
I would invest in an api liquid test kit just in case...gets more parameters than just ammonia. Welcome!
I'll likely get hate mail, but I would suggest getting a small cheap corner filter, some carbon and floss to hook up for the first 6 weeks or so. It will help keep things stable, not fix the issues while cycling, so you don't get the wild swings in conditions. Make sure to keep up on water changes during that time as well. You can make them more comfortable if you add bottom structure like small flower pots and flat garden stones. You may want to protect your plants with structure.
I love Keyhole cichlids, but they will get too big for a 10gal. Most fish you can keep in too small of tank if you do the work, but the fish are not so happy about it. I'd inch them along and get a 20gal at some point.
I love Keyhole cichlids, but they will get too big for a 10gal. Most fish you can keep in too small of tank if you do the work, but the fish are not so happy about it. I'd inch them along and get a 20gal at some point.
yea, so the tank is going fine. like I added some plants to the tank. the list of flora is: 3 anubias barteri, cabomba, giant hairgrass, Egyptian water lily, ludwigia, and some other skit im not sure. all are doing great. I got three compact fluorescent bulbs on there and a ton of butt ugly brown algae growing. tank is going great with the zero maintenance I do on it. fish are growing and are very personable.
