Hello from Baltimore!

[jzal8]

Nice to meet you all, I've been lurking for a few weeks. I came into this whole aquarium world like many others, by giving my daughter a fish tank for her fifth birthday, and ritualistically killing every fish she got with it! We've ALL learned some important lessons haha.

Today we have a 10 gallon tank, medium Aq Coop sponge filter, hyger 14W day/night cycle light, heater keeping it around 77F.

So now about 4 weeks later, I've been allowing the 10 gallon tank I got her to cycle. I've removed the plastic plants and replaced them with:

Micro swords

Anubias petites

Water Sprite

Scarlet Temple

Salvinia

I've been doing water changes fairly frequently, finally now seeing nitrites and nitrates spiking. Waiting for signs of growth from the plants and the ammonia to start getting down to 0.

My plan has been to do

1 x Nerite Snail

6 x Panda Cory's

And then I would like to have a pack of small schooling/shoaling fish. I'd love suggestions. I've been leaning towards Neon Tetras, Cardinal Tetras, Chili Rasboras, or black tetras. Mostly trying to identify a fish small enough to keep about a dozen that will wow my daughter.

 

In the end, Im hoping to give her a tank that amazes and educates her. Any advice is both appreciated and needed! Thanks!

I've included a few pics of our work in progress :)

[redfish]

Welcome aboard.  That crash course sounds familiar to a lot of folks here.  Sounds like you are heading in a good direction now!

[jzal8]

On 9/15/2022 at 3:21 PM, redfish said:

Welcome aboard.  That crash course sounds familiar to a lot of folks here.  Sounds like you are heading in a good direction now!

Thank you. I appreciate the encouragement!

[redfish]

Have y’all been to the Baltimore Aquarium?  Is it still a good place to visit?

[jzal8]

On 9/15/2022 at 10:53 PM, redfish said:

Have y’all been to the Baltimore Aquarium?  Is it still a good place to visit?

Yes, that is actually a favorite of mine. Its a totally reasonable 2 hr activity with the kids with so many great exhibits to see.

Fun fact, i went to a wedding there once where they rented it out after hours for the reception.  That was so much fun strolling around with cocktails and apps

[OutBout]

Welcome! We all have to start somewhere, and learning is part of the journey. Seems like you're on your way.

[Nina]

Good luck! I'm in a similar boat -- just got my niece a betta tank. She's 10 years old and lives in a different city, so I can't be there day-to-day to monitor things but I've sent her test strips, a heater (currently the betta is a room temp), and other supplies.

I've talked to her parents about the nitrogen cycle but they (and she) might not understand it.  I think I'll send her a link so some of Irene's videos -- she's has a really good way of explaining things to beginners and I think her videos are awesome for kids (and adults). 

[jzal8]

On 9/18/2022 at 9:27 AM, Nina said:

Good luck! I'm in a similar boat -- just got my niece a betta tank. She's 10 years old and lives in a different city, so I can't be there day-to-day to monitor things but I've sent her test strips, a heater (currently the betta is a room temp), and other supplies.

I've talked to her parents about the nitrogen cycle but they (and she) might not understand it.  I think I'll send her a link so some of Irene's videos -- she's has a really good way of explaining things to beginners and I think her videos are awesome for kids (and adults). 

That sounds like a challenge for sure. It's got to be so hard watching from the sideline too! I've had a heck of a time explaining why its been 3 weeks since we've had a fish haha. But if we can make it through this, I think it will have been beneficial to see what it took.

My plants are just showing signs of new growth so I'm giddy. Feels like we're turning a corner.

I also think we're going to do 8 x cardinal tetras and 6 x panda corys. Considering a nerite snail and potential shrimp. Little concerned about over population of shrimp and escaping nerites though so still mulling it over. 

[Nina]

Nerites are amazing!  I first got one for my 10 gallon and it did so much good work getting rid of green spot algae that I ordered 4 more for my new 20 gallon with tons of different types of algae. It took a few weeks, but they got the algae under control.  It saves me time and it helps me balance my tank -- prior to the nerite I never really got it to balance.  I've never had one escape, but they do sit above the water line sometimes. I have a rimmed tank and they've never gone over it, even when the lid is off. They do leave little white eggs on the glass and hardscape. It's easy to scrape them off the glass, but harder on the wood (then again, I haven't really tried but may next time I clean)

Edited September 18, 2022 by Nina

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Welcome to the forum! Shrimp can be hard so I would suggest waiting a long while until everyone else is well established in the tank- acclimating them is also very important so do your research there! 

Something to consider, things like Neon Tetras are cool in small groups and one doesn't get too attached to any one in particular but in smaller groups they can be rather shy and in a small tank you don't have the capability of keeping too many. My nephew had a half dozen in a small tank and they hid most of the time. Not to say they will in your set up BUT if you are concerned about interest for your 5 year old the Cory are great but what about male Endlers or Guppies (no females, beginners IMO should stick with a non-breeding set up until they get the hang of things). Endlers and Guppies don't school but they often chase each other around the tank, are constantly moving and come in a WIDE range of colors so you can tell them apart (or you can get them all matching so she can't tell them apart). I say this because one of my personal favorite tanks at my house has both Guppies and Endlers and they are so much fun to watch- it's non-stop action. Fish like Neons CAN be boring at times. Just putting that in the perspective of a 5 year old! 

[jzal8]

On 9/18/2022 at 1:42 PM, Nina said:

Nerites are amazing!  I first got one for my 10 gallon and it did so much good work getting rid of green spot algae that I ordered 4 more for my new 20 gallon with tons of different types of algae. It took a few weeks, but they got the algae under control.  It saves me time and it helps me balance my tank -- prior to the nerite I never really got it to balance.  I've never had one escape, but they do sit above the water line sometimes. I have a rimmed tank and they've never gone over it, even when the lid is off. They do leave little white eggs on the glass and hardscape. It's easy to scrape them off the glass, but harder on the wood (then again, I haven't really tried but may next time I clean)

Thank you for the feedback. Sounds like there isn't too much concern about adding a nerite snail at some point. My only concern there would be I have a rimless tank, and I am kind of doing a half top approach because I read that the Salvinia doesn't like to get wet or high humidity. 

 

On 9/18/2022 at 3:04 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

Welcome to the forum! Shrimp can be hard so I would suggest waiting a long while until everyone else is well established in the tank- acclimating them is also very important so do your research there! 

Something to consider, things like Neon Tetras are cool in small groups and one doesn't get too attached to any one in particular but in smaller groups they can be rather shy and in a small tank you don't have the capability of keeping too many. My nephew had a half dozen in a small tank and they hid most of the time. Not to say they will in your set up BUT if you are concerned about interest for your 5 year old the Cory are great but what about male Endlers or Guppies (no females, beginners IMO should stick with a non-breeding set up until they get the hang of things). Endlers and Guppies don't school but they often chase each other around the tank, are constantly moving and come in a WIDE range of colors so you can tell them apart (or you can get them all matching so she can't tell them apart). I say this because one of my personal favorite tanks at my house has both Guppies and Endlers and they are so much fun to watch- it's non-stop action. Fish like Neons CAN be boring at times. Just putting that in the perspective of a 5 year old! 

I'll heed your advice on the shrimp. I really don't need to complicate things right now, so it sounds like good advice.

 

I have never done any research or anything on Endlers and Guppies, mainly because I tuned things out thinking, "Nope, not breeding". But the recommendation of getting all males definitely makes it interesting. Because I avoided all that info the last few weeks, I know nothing. I appreciate the recommendation and will start reading/watching some info.

[redfish]

Waiting on the shrimp is a good thing but hard to do when you want to try everything. I second the recommendation for male guppies only to start.  They are easy and full of energy. 

[AllFishNoBrakes]

My vote is for a school of Chili Rasboras! You should be able to keep a decent number to keep the 10 gallon interesting and fun. Also, I run Salvinia in several of my tanks, all with full lids/tops, and I’ve never had a problem with humidity. Best of luck moving forward!

[jzal8]

On 9/20/2022 at 11:46 PM, AllFishNoBrakes said:

My vote is for a school of Chili Rasboras! You should be able to keep a decent number to keep the 10 gallon interesting and fun. Also, I run Salvinia in several of my tanks, all with full lids/tops, and I’ve never had a problem with humidity. Best of luck moving forward!

Thanks for the feedback. I definitely have my eye on the Chili Rasboras. In the end I think I just want to have a good number of species in mind and let my daughter browse the different varieties. Tetras, Rasboras, and male endlers. We'll see what pops for her and then I'll just adjust the amount based on the species she chooses. Or we'll see if that backfires haha.

 

I appreciate the Salvinia feedback. I would prefer to have the top on, to protect the fish/snails from getting out, but also as a line of protection from curious toddlers.

[AllFishNoBrakes]

Heck ya! Gotta keep it interesting for everyone involved. I hope you find what you and your daughter will enjoy! At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about 

Salvinia has done nothing but thrive for me, to the point that it’s like duckweed and I can’t get rid of it. The picture attached is from my shrimp tank that has no heater, full lid, and barely any filtration.

 

 

[drewzero1]

Welcome! I love hearing about getting kids involved in fishkeeping, and when they get us involved! At different times my 10 gallon has been home to white cloud mountain minnows, espei rasboras, endlers, and sparkling gourami. I'd recommend them all in their own way.

A ten might be a little small for a school of corys, unless they're dwarf or pygmy cories. My dad had pygmys in his 15 and they were hilarious to watch.

[jzal8]

Thats awesome. I was hoping to get 6 panda corys down the road, but was going to get the first group of fish and give them and the tank a few weeks before i do anything else. Thanks for the fish suggestions. My original intent was neon tetras and a pearl gourami, but ive come along to thinking i should just focus on getting the one "schooling" group and then see about some bottom feeders once everyone is settled. Going to look at espie rasboras as well!

 

Edit: I see now these are the pork chop rasboras? It was a lower PH than other tank mates that concerned me. AqAdvisor says 6-6.5

My salvinia has been sprouting new leaves since last weekend. The other plants are all still acclimating, hoping to see new growth soon. Dosing easy green once a week.

Ammonia has been down since Monday. Nitrites spiked but have been dropping and nitrates are starting to build. I've been changing water twice a week.

Edited September 21, 2022 by jzal8

[drewzero1]

Seriously Fish lists the espei at 5.5-7.5 pH, my tank is 7.6 and they did well. They do also note that the ideal pH for spawning is 5.5-6.0, though that was never a goal of mine with them. What's your water's pH?

I've kept pearl gourami (and hope to again soon!) and they definitely get too big for a 10. A honey gourami might be a better fit for a similar looking fish. I've had mixed results with honeys but they are one of the most peaceful gouramis.

[jzal8]

On 9/21/2022 at 9:15 PM, drewzero1 said:

Seriously Fish lists the espei at 5.5-7.5 pH, my tank is 7.6 and they did well. They do also note that the ideal pH for spawning is 5.5-6.0, though that was never a goal of mine with them. What's your water's pH?

I've kept pearl gourami (and hope to again soon!) and they definitely get too big for a 10. A honey gourami might be a better fit for a similar looking fish. I've had mixed results with honeys but they are one of the most peaceful gouramis.

Okay, my tank is about 7.2 pH. Wanted to test before i replied. But that definitely makes me feel better. I'm new to this and have been treating aqadvisor as pretty authoritative.