Few questions

[Neon_Tetra]

i am new 2 this site and keeping fish im wonderin ive been reading these fourms and i read somthing about a bad product from tetra of a water cleaning thing and i got this product from em its this liquid that makes any kind of water safe 4 fish all u need id a tsp for every 10 gallons would this work:confused: and i could use a few tips of what filters to buy thx a lot:wink:

[jennigypsy]

hiya neon...welcome the the forums!

What size tank do you have..and how many/what kinds of fish are you keeping?
What is the name of the product you're wondering about?

[Neon_Tetra]

product=Made by Tetra

Tank= 10 gallon

Fish=none

I need some tips and supply recomandations
+ filter and heater recomandations

[jennigypsy]

what is the name of the product you have a question about? (not the Brand name..lol :) )
...you'd like to stock a 10 gallon aquarium?

Any fish you had in mind? ( the type of fish can determine how much filtration you need..)

[Neon_Tetra]

how do u want me to tell u about the product? **EDIt**


The name is Aqua Safe
I want noen tetras few oneof those pond fish algee eaters "3 thats all so far

[Neon_Tetra]

hellllo

[jennigypsy]

What is the product supposed to do???....
...is it for dechlorinating the water??...
I'm not familiar w/ that particular product, but I'm guessing by the name that's what it's for...

Yes, you need a 'dechlorinator'....

A nice school of neons would be great in a 10 gallon aquarium...read up on them to make sure you know what the water requirements are (ph...i think they like the ph on the lower end..(slightly acidic water) )

As for a filter, you want to turn the water over at a rate of 10x per hour...so, say an aqua clear 100 should be OK...

(though, that said, you should always buy the largest filter you can afford that is relative to the size of the tank, and type and amount of fish...it's usually better to over filter than underfilter...i.e....you could get a filter made for up to 20 gallons instead of just 10..if you can afford to...)

Neons are not very 'messy', and stay small...so that's why I say you could get a filter for up to 10 gallons...

I don't know what the other fish is that you're asking about..the algae eating pond fish...

Do you mean a pleco?

A corydoras catfish?

[Neon_Tetra]

yes a pelco the product is what u guessed

[jennigypsy]

i definately would NOT recommend a pleco for your tank...

yes, they do eat algae....

BUT..

Did you know that the common pleco will easily reach over 12" (and that's no where near full grown?!)
Maybe try a small version..say, a bushy nosed pleco or a clown pleco...
I would definately say to do a bit of reading on plecos before buying one.
Also..remeber...THEY POOP A LOT.
So, the help that they give you in keeping the glass clean is a trade off for dirtying the gravel!
(more vacuuming for you!)

[punkypuffer]

i would suggest a fish called an otocinclus for algae eating instead of a pleco for a newbie fish keeper. I love my plecos, but the vacuuming is pretty intense. The 'otocats' are excellent algae eaters and one or two would work for a ten gallon (and they are around 2 bucks at most stores).


on the other hand, i have used aquasafe, and wasn't impressed at all. I would suggest Prime the next time you get water conditioner (it removes chlorine and chloramines). Also, it is very concentrated, its like a capful for 50 gallons. so, you use a lot less.

Also, neons really like acidic water like Jenni said. 6.5-6.8 would be really great for them. And, the bigger the school the better (id say like 7-9 or so).


Anyways, hopefully this helps you, and good luck!

~punkypuffer

[Neon_Tetra]

thx a lot man

[punkypuffer]

surely neon ;) if you have any other questions feel free to shout em out!

[Neon_Tetra]

matter a fact i do got a question my dad wants to know why u gotta buy a filter i tell him it does little cleaning chores around the tank am i right? and where do i get things like ghost shrimp cleaner shrimp and snails other than off a website i want a store thx 4 helpin guys:cool:

[es]

Look in the phone book under "Pets" for fish stores or pet stores that have fish.

[Heyguy74]

Welcome Neon,

On top of what the others suggested. You could get some cory catfish to help with cleaning. The come naturally from the same water as neons so they would do well. They dont get that big so 2 or 3 in a ten gallon would be nice. I'd get some otocinclus for a ten. I use them in my small tanks and they do a pretty good job. 1 or 2 should be good. Neon like acidic water and very soft water as well. Make sure you get yourself a test kit to check fo PH, ammonia, etc. Good Luck

[Neon_Tetra]

thx this is helping

[NEO_72]

Hi there, and welcome. I wouldn't start with otto's - they have problems getting used to new setups, and sometimes die off in the first month. That might be dissapointing when starting off. Although if you plan ahead for them, they stay nice and small, and will even eat algae out of nooks and crannies, whcih is more than I can say for my bushynose plecs. A single bn would be a good choice for a 10, as was pointed out - although I'd let your tank mature a few months before adding any algae eaters).

[Neon_Tetra]

ok thx

[Neon_Tetra]

got another q if i got real plants would i take uhe fish out if i fertalised it?

[tanghappy]

I've heard of people fertilizing plants in an aquarium, but I've never felt it was needed. The fish will fertilize the plants (with their waste).

[punkypuffer]

as long as you follow the instructions on the bottle you shouldnt have to take the fish out

[Neon_Tetra]

thx 4 ur replys

if anybody else has questions feel free 2 post em here

[Neon_Tetra]

i got another as u no im a noob 2 fish keeping and i would like 2 no how do i change the wata? take the fish out put em in a bowl and empty out all the water n clean then fill it up???

[punkypuffer]

that's a lot of stress to put on the fish every week when you do a water change. what you need to do is get a siphon (gravel vaccuum) and a bucket. siphon about 25-35% (this percentage varies among people, but that is a relatively safe amount to take out). then, fill the bucket with your tap water and treat it with your water conditioner. that is when you add the new, treated water back to the tank.

this is the safest way to do a water change. there are several ways to do it, but this is the safest and the stress level on your fish is less high this way. if i had to take out all of my fish every time i did a water change i would not have a fun time (one of my gars is about two feet long)


anyway, good luck with your water changes! when you get more experience you'll have your own routine

[Neon_Tetra]

thx alot sry but how big a bucket?

[NEO_72]

Doesn't really matter much - you say you have a 10 gallon? As punkypuffer said, 25-35% is a good range for weekly changes. Lots of people do a bit more, but rarely less. Obviously the bigger the bucket, the less trips. I have a 2 gallon rubermaid bucket, which is small enough to put in a cupboard. The important thing is that it is gradiated, so I know the volume of the water in the bucket. This is good for knowing how much conditioner to add, as per the instuctions on the bottle. Remember that your aquarium might have a volume of 10 gallons, but everything you put in it, like gravel and decor, displaces some of that volume. This is useful to remember if you have to add medications or anything else that has a dosage based on water volume. Your water volume is probably more like 8-9 gallons, depending on how many decorations you've added.

But if you had a 3 or 4 gallon bucket, you could do the whole change with only one trip.

[Neon_Tetra]

ight thx

[Neon_Tetra]

got another question what are some good FRESH water fish to choose for an aquriam and that will live good togther suggestions would be great and remember FRESH WATER fish thx

[punkypuffer]

what size tank? it really depends on what you like..... pretty much all of the fish we talk about on this site are fresh water.......

[Neon_Tetra]

10 gallons

[Neon_Tetra]

sry i would of replyed earlier but i just cut my l;eg pretty badly

[Neon_Tetra]

sombody reply

[punkypuffer]

in a ten gallon you should go for a small school of tetras or something.... especially since you are new to the hobby

[Neon_Tetra]

that it?

[punkypuffer]

maybe a nice school of tetras and a couple cory cats and a couple otocats for algae eating..... a ten gallon is not that much space at all.... you could prolly get 2 african mbuna for a TEMPORARY home... but they'll prolly not like each other

[jennigypsy]

i thought we already covered this early in this thread, neon...

..you wanted 'neons', remember?

[punkypuffer]

seriously.. i'm getting tired of answering the same questions for the same person... i mean, i don't mind answering the same question every once in a while.... but not to the same person within a few days time......

[Neon_Tetra]

That was the last question

[Neon_Tetra]

Originally posted by jennigypsy
i thought we already covered this early in this thread, neon...

..you wanted 'neons', remember?

Yes but i wanted some other fish also thats why i asked And also i would like 2 thank who helped me get started you dont know how much i appriciate it thanks a bunch

[jennigypsy]

maybe a nice school of tetras and a couple cory cats and a couple otocats for algae eating..... a ten gallon is not that much space at all....

punky said it pretty well...

since you're new to the hobby neon, start small..then work your way up...
See how a school of tetras work out.....
You need to learn the basics. Water changes, feeding....

Practice on the tetras...then look for a larger challenge.

[Neon_Tetra]

ok :)

[jennigypsy]

:)

[oscar_pack]

YA!!!!! its been solved!:m:

[tbrodale]

I dont mean to cut in but I think a 20 gallon tank is a much better choice than a 10 gallon. It isnt any harder to take care of because its not that much bigger. But there is more water volume allowing a little more leway (sp?) with your water changes. I would still go with tetras or something to the effect.

[aharris]

Btw, if your father is still asking why you need a filter, it's to help you keep your water clean. Water changes will only remove so many of the things that will kill your fish if left in the tank. A good filter reduces those contaminants down to their final component (and live plants will even help reduce that) so that a weekly to bi-weekly water change will keep your fish healthy and happy.