Setting up my 10 Gallon

[Bina]

Howdy, This summer I got tired of looking at my empty 5 gallon and got a few young female silver Mollies for it. Love them.
Now my fish are growing and doing well, so I have gotten the 10 gallon tank out of my basement storage for them.

Will be buying a new light/canopy top, I guess Hagen brand is okay.

Needing a new hang-on power filter....which brand ? Is Hagen Aqua Clear still a good one?

And it needs a heater....again, what type and size is best?


We have a nearby pet supply store that can order Hagen products easily.
Thanks for any help or ideas.

[Bina]

I kind of forgot about this thread....now have the Aqua Clear hang on back power filter running for a few weeks, it is going great.
This past weekend I've bought an Elite Hagen 50w thermostat, is this a good one for a 10 gal tank?
I don't need tons of heating, just enough to bump up the temp a couple of degrees.
Thanks.

[luckypenny]

I know absolutely nothing about aquariums and fish but...I'd love to see pics of your set up .

[Bina]

Here are some pics that I took a couple of days ago.
Filter is still running on the side of the tank so that I can keep an eye on it. My husband bought 2 castles, and I still need to start the heater this weekend. Need some kind of foliage type of scenery in back.
Silver Mollies against a white wall doesn't do them justice at all.
I've added 3 of the Mollies and they like it even though the tank is still very sparse. Gotta fix it up, slowly but surely.

[hazelrunpack]

Pretty fish, Bina! I love watching fish, but like LP, I know nothing about them, either, though.

What else will you add before your aquarium is complete? Will you have more fish or is three about the limit for a 10-gal tank?

[Bina]

Thanks Hazel,
The tropical fish are a re-newed hobby for me, haven't had any since I was a kid.

We've had many tanks around here my whole life but those had box turtles, salamanders, newts, water turtles, goldfish, hermit crabs, etc. Yup, I'm weird.
So, now that I'm unable to care for exotics, I've adopted 10 Silver Molllies that were surplus from a local person who had very prolific fish

The 7 younger Mollies are still in the 5 gallon tank from the summer adoption...I want to make sure that I got females like I requested.
A couple of them are looking kinda "iffy".

[hazelrunpack]

LOL Can you tell the genders apart easily once they grow into adulthood?

[Bina]

Unfortunately there is no colour difference in males and females...but the females have their underbelly fin further back and shorter than the males. And adult females are naturally more round in the belly area than the males which are more lean in general.
Almost like guppies but bigger and without the colours.
Of course I've been told that some males are late bloomers and mimic females when younger. Great.

[Dee-O-Gee]

The Elite Hagen thermostat is a good one for that size. My tank is 20 and I have the same one. Just make sure you keep the thermometer within view and adjust the temperature according to the thermometer's guide. I tend to keep the temperature lower based on the thermostat guide rather than higher.

If the fish are showing signs of sickness or stress, I've heard that is when you kick the temperature up more and treat water with a Stress Enyzmes or Milafix for sick and ick.

Are you going to "school" in some other fish or stick with Mollies? Dalmation Mollies are pretty cool.

The tank looks great Bina.

[Bina]

D-O-G, it's good to hear that you have had success with the same heater. I've got a good glass thermometer so it should work out fine.
These Mollies have been quite sturdy fish so far, I guess it also helps that they are from a private home and not a pet shop where they can pick up all kinds of stuff.

My dentist's office has the Dal Mollies and I love them, but I may be at my limit right now for the size of tanks that I have.
Thanks for your help

[lala237]

Originally Posted by Bina

Here are some pics that I took a couple of days ago.
Filter is still running on the side of the tank so that I can keep an eye on it. My husband bought 2 castles, and I still need to start the heater this weekend. Need some kind of foliage type of scenery in back.
Silver Mollies against a white wall doesn't do them justice at all.
I've added 3 of the Mollies and they like it even though the tank is still very sparse. Gotta fix it up, slowly but surely.

Hi I'm sorry to intrude I am new to this website and I just want to know how did you post your pictures on here.

I've been trying to post pictures of my animals but I don't know how?
Please help.
Thank You.
PS Love your tank, and the castles as well.
Have a great day.