Hello! I'm new here :)

[TayHudson]

I'm new here and I just bought my first Clown Loaches today. They are still extremely shy and don't want to come out and play yet. But I got a few pictures of them. I'm so excited to have them. I got 4 to begin with and 1 Pleco. They're all hiding tonight, but I hope to see more of them in the coming days.






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[Pywakyt]

CONGRATULATIONS!!! And welcome!! Thanks for sharing the pics.

[Gary Mck]

Welcome to the fourm, what size is yiur tank and just out of interest is your substrate sharp in anyway?

[piggy4]

Hi Tay nice pics

[TayHudson]

It's only a 10 gallon right now. There is a sale on tanks at a pet store near me for $1 a gallon and I'm going to pick up a 55 this week. I've not even had them for a week yet. I need to wait to get paid so I can get the tank and the new setup.

[TayHudson]

And no the substrate is not sharp. I went thru it and picked out any pieces that looked broken or sharp. Might sound like rubbish, but I do care for my fish and I wanted them to be safe. I'm getting a whole new setup this week tho. And possibly a few more fish. Hopefully. We'll see.

[starsplitter7]

Hi there,

Welcome! I have asked you a lot of questions in other threads, and I am happy to see you here. I came to this site a few years ago, and I have learned everything I know on this site. I am still a relative beginner, and so my questions are designed to help the experts guide you if there are any foreseeable problems.

What is your experience with fish? I don't want to be asking you questions, if you know more about fish than I do. But if you are a beginner, these questions will help you with your fish. The most important question is: is your tank cycled?

Your tank and fish look lovely. The rounded substrate is important, since the loaches are scaleless and their delicate barbels can be worn and skin be abraded by rough substrate.

Thanks for posting your pictures. We all love pictures! Tanja.

[TayHudson]

I'm not an expert by any means.

I don't mind the questions at all. It's how I learn things. And believe me, I do my homework every day and night.

I'm learning so much already. I'm a fast learner

Yes, my tank has been cycled.

I plan on getting a 55 gal this week tho. Probably tomorrow. I should have never put them in such a small tank to begin with. I feel like a horrible fish keeper. Being a mother, I want to care and nurture my fish like I would my daughter. Even tho she's #1

I have so much to learn.

It's been about 7-8 yrs since I last had a fish, it was a Betta. And I had 2 Lizards after him.

I have always had a facination with fish and anything underwater related. I just want to be a good fish keeper.

[starsplitter7]

Have you had your water tested? If so, what were the readings for Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate?

If you plan to get a 55, buy the filter for it now. Put it on your ten, so you can begin cycling the new filter. That way the 55 will be up and running faster to accept new fish. You can also rub your cartridge from the 10 filter on the new 55 to seed it with the good bacteria. It will be about 6 weeks before the 55 is ready for fish, and if you can get the filter cycled then it is instantly ready. Clowns are super sensitive and don't handle new tanks well.

Once the 55 is up and running and happy, you can use the 10 for a quarantine. I have 10 I use for shrimp and guppies and they breed like mad in there. I bet your daughter would absolutely love that.

[TayHudson]

What filter do you recommend??

The strip I took tonight wasn't all that great. I need to do a water change tomorrow.

Nitrate : 20
Nitrite : .5
Hardness : Soft :/
Alkalinity : 80
pH : 7.2

[starsplitter7]

I like my aquaclear, but you have to turn it off during water changes or they suck the sand into the impeller. Another mistake I made. Aquaclear is low end. There are many wonderful expensive filters. Others will give you their opinion. I know very little about filters.