EDIT: NEW PHOTOS IN COMMENTS. I took people's advice and returned the decor. And changed out the rocks/ gravel. Everything should be fish safe now. Please let it all be fish safe. I researched it all. 😭
kay, got my 10 gal setup. It's cycling.
Maybe I'll get told off but what I read was:
Setup the tank, filter, light, heater (I got a bubbler also)
Dechlorinate
Add plants
Add quick start
Add a small pinch of fish food to create ammonia for the bacteria in the quick start
Make sure tests come back 0ppm ammonia and nitrites?... but when do I test
Also, sorry in advance if I did everything wrong. 🤣
Last time I had fish, my parents took me to the store as a kid and I just bought the setup and fish and did it all in one go. Surprisingly they survived for a few years then I gave them away when I moved out but I'm sure it was torture for them initially. :/ I'm trying to do it right this time as to not stress or kill the fish. Well, shrimp. I'm leaning towards shrimp or freshwater pom pom crabs.
Maybe you'll be one of the rares pineapple of life!
Be aware most of your decoration can leak unwanted substances in the water that can harm your fauna.
If you are going for shrimp my advice is to not only cycle your tank but wait a few weeks after cycling the tank for " seasoning", it will increase the available biofilm/ food for your shrimp, increasing the chances of success.
I would wait at least 2 weeks before starting to test. You could also dose some amonia. Eg. Dr Tim's
Haha yes, I've been dying to get fish again but I'm on a budget. I mean... not actually but I wad trying to be wise about my $$$ and not going toooo hard. And it was 40% off
I’d take out the coloured rocks and the SpongeBob decorations as they can leech into the water over time. Pick up some rocks and driftwood for your main pieces. I’d also recommend buying bottled ammonia as it’s a whole lot easier and less of a guessing game over ghost feeding
typically anything plastic like that isn’t necessarily safe. sure people use them without problems but that doesnt mean theyre good! a big bag of rocks is 6.99 at tractor supply, and driftwood is relatively cheap, but you could even do a small terracotta pot and some bigger rocks for decoration. thats all i have in my axolotl tank right now. post your plastic supplies on facebook marketplace place, maybe you can get some money back for them!
to respond about the resin.. those can be a hit and miss honestly, they can have sharp joints connecting the mold, and paint can chip and leak still yada yada. personally, i kept the plastic plants i bought to keep them for a snail tank. havent done it yet, but i will at some point! if you are only gonna keep shrimpies i dont see a huge deal in just keeping it the way it is, just keep a closer eye on them and adapt if necessary. i understand how it feels to have spent money on something you cant use, though and im empathic about that
I got it for $15 at petsmart. It's African mopani wood which I guess is dense and good for aquariums? Thats what I read online! Im just terified now that someone else is going to pop up and tell me thats bad too. 😭🤣
The tank will take some time to fully cycle. Maybe a few weeks or longer. Assuming this is a 10 gallon kit, I would upgrade the light for better plant growth. Also expect your plants to have a melt period.
Op. The Reddit folks are always saying the decoration stuff will leach into the water but I have a hunch it’s just something they all repeat with no real evidence of this being the case. They’ve just heard it without ever questioning it.
Who should be asked is probably a materials scientist.
Well, I figured if I was going to make the change, I wanted to do it now before its too late to return stuff and have fish and other hassles haha. I changed out the substrate and swapped the resin decor for some driftwood
Pom Poms are absolutely adorable. I also used quick start which everyone says you shouldn’t. We’re supposed to cycle for weeks & I just couldn’t be bothered with that. I’ve done it twice. I did wait a week before I put anything in the aquarium. No deaths or anything nefarious. It’s worked for me.
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u/Awkward-Ad7354 8h ago
Keep strong op! Nice start
Maybe you'll be one of the rares pineapple of life!
Be aware most of your decoration can leak unwanted substances in the water that can harm your fauna.
If you are going for shrimp my advice is to not only cycle your tank but wait a few weeks after cycling the tank for " seasoning", it will increase the available biofilm/ food for your shrimp, increasing the chances of success.
I would wait at least 2 weeks before starting to test. You could also dose some amonia. Eg. Dr Tim's
Good luck