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First off, Hi, Im new here.
A friend of mine has a complete ten gallon set up that he hasnt used in a year or more, so he offered it to me. As it is free, and I have been wanting a tropical tank, I am accepting it.
I need some suggestions and a little advise however.
I already have a 20 gallon with a pair of cichlids (seperated, so they wont kill each other) My first question is, is there anything I need to do differently for a 10 gallon, then I am doing for the 20?

While I am getting it up and cycling it, I need to start thinking about what kind of fish I want. I have decided that I am looking for some small schooliing fish. Im looking for something with a lot of color, that is fairly small, so I can have a fair number of them.
Im also looking for more then one kind of fish, since a community is more fun to watch, and if they are different, I can tell them appart easier.

The setup does have a heater, lid and light.
It has a canister filter, which is differnt then the "hang on the back" filter my 20 gallon uses, but I am assured that it still works the same.

Anyway, suggestions on fish, or any adice you would like to offer?

Neon Tetras! Also you could have assorted livebearers (Mollies, Swordtails, Guppies, e.g.) even some loaches or barbs.

Chris

Welcome to FP! You are in good hands here.

The limiting factor of a 10g tank, is the stocking. Since the tank is pretty small (compared to other tanks), stocking options are limited.

It seems like you are getting good setup. Cannister filters are actually better than HOB's IMO because they filter more water. They also don't take up space on the tank.

For a 10g tank, I always suggest a stocking list similar to this one:
6-8 small tetras (neons, cardinals, lemons, flames, glowlights, black neons) or harlequin rasboras
1 male betta or dwarf gourami
2 ottos or snails or a few shrimp

Thats about the best community to have and still being able to have a few different types of fish.

I think a planted community is even better...but that's a different thread.

What type of cichlids do you have in your 20g that you have to separate?

I don't recommend loaches for a 10g. The tank size is too small for them. A 20g is minimum for almost all loaches. I feel the same about cories also. Most get too large and the smaller ones are too active.

Livebearers are usually not good for a 10g because they could quickly overstock your tank with fry...becoming a problem.

I have a 10g with:
1 male betta
6 harlequin rasboras
1 otto (had 2 but the other died)

Here's a picture or two:



(Please forgive the water spots and blur)

*Kristin*

2 feamale Platies would be nice.

10gallon: 8neons 5gallon: 1betta
1oto
2platys

GirlieGirl8519 Said:
It seems like you are getting good setup. Cannister filters are actually better than HOB's IMO because they filter more water. They also don't take up space on the tank.

Oh good! I didnt know that. The cichlids are dirty fish...maybe I should switch to a canister filter for them (or two smaller ones, one on each side of the devider) what do you think?

6-8 small tetras (neons, cardinals, lemons, flames, glowlights, black neons) or harlequin rasboras
1 male betta or dwarf gourami
2 ottos or snails or a few shrimp

Shrimp? oohh, Shrimp would be cool, what kind should I look for? (Always wanted the blue Lobster at "That Fish Place", but i read he likes cold water and will eat fish, so sad, such a cool critter)
Can I mix Tetras? or do they have to be all the same type in order to school?

What type of cichlids do you have in your 20g that you have to separate?
I think they would be called "Pain in the butts"...no, Blue is a "Powder Blue" cichlid...technical name: Pseudotropheus socolofi, and I am not sure what Rose is, except she has the same body/ fin shape as blue...the only differce is she is pink/peachish colored, and doesnt have any egg spots on her bottom fin.
I will have to look through the profiles here, maybe I can finaly pin-point her. (I dont know if she is actualy a "her" anymore then I know if Blue is a "he" )

Livebearers are usually not good for a 10g because they could quickly overstock your tank with fry...becoming a problem.
Err, no, I had live bearers once, when I first started keeping fish, back before I knew what I was doing. The parents died within days of buying them, and I still ended up haveing too many fish in the tank....

Shrimp are nice...your schooling fish most likely won't bother them but if you have anything larger (betta, gourami, etc) the shrimp might become snacks

Here is a good site with information about a variety of shrimp.



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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

Yes, like Theresa said, you would have to watch the shrimp around the larger fish, but tetras usually won't bother them.

I think some good kinds are ghost shrimp, cherry red shrimp, and some type of crystal red shrimp. Not sure on that last one.

What type of cannister filter is it? It may be a good idea to put it on the 20g. Most likely its rated for a tank more than 20g, so it would be fine with the cichlids.

And yes, stay away from lobsters and crabs...they will eat your fishies.

Because a 10g is on the small side and the stocking numbers are limited, I would go with one type of tetra. They are much more appealing in one big group. Mixing different kinds looks somewhat chaotic. They are also a schooling fish and school mostly by color...so a big group of different types probably wouldn't school unless they felt insecure (because of a bigger fish maybe).

I have to tell you that Harlequin rasboras are my new favorite schooling fish. They are so pretty. I know they are common, but I just love them. I'm moving my 6 to a new 55g where I'll add 6 more.
If you wanted them in your 10g, you could have 8-10 and add a nice little colony of shrimp. That would be an awesome tank. It would be even greater if it was planted.

Or you could do the harlies (if you like them) and a betta or a dwarf or honey gourami.

*Kristin*

Girlie, I just looked at the Harlequins, they are realy cute! I think I would like them.
About the shrimp: I think I like the cherry red, the crystal red is pretty, but the cherry is more striking. When you say a "colony" how many do you mean?

I dont even know if my local fish place (That Fish Place, of Lancaster Pennsylvania) even carries freshwater shrimp, but It could be that I just didnt notice them when I was there. In case they dont, are there any other "clean up" critters you would recomend?

(besides snails...one snail is fine, but I had a five gallon back in my freshman year, and experienced a bit of a snail explosion. Never did get rid of them all, while the tank was still up)

I dont know what kind of cannister the filter is (i dont have the tank yet...friend was supposed to bring it tonight, but didnt show up. I think he will bring it to work tomarrow)
I didnt mean to use THAT filter for the 20 gallon though, I just meant that if they work better, I might buy a new one for the 20 gallon.

Not sure about plants...probably stick with plastic/silk for now. I have a hard enough time keeping my house plants alive. Only thing that LIKES the way I take care of it is that spider plant. Blasted thing is even flowering.

I would recommend about 6-8 harlies and maybe an otto or two. Actually I have a betta in my ten now and I could use a nice pair of them, (or even a nice small school)
You asked if you should do anything different than the 20, well I would only suggest more water changes. Remember the smaller the water volume in a tank the less stable the parameters will be and in a well stocked tank they may spike overnite. Harleys and betta are very hardy and would be ok but they still enjoy nice clean water. Dwarf gouramis may be popular in a ten but I feel they are just not hardy enuff for the water conditions, need to change about 3 gallons twice a week to maintain healthy water, and they are e to all sorts of maladies that may be brought on by poor water. My pair suffered dropsy, fin rot, and were very skittish with all the water changes. Once I had them healthy I quickly put them in the 29', where they thrived. Good luck and welcome to fp

I would start off with 4-5 shrimp...they will probably breed in the tank, so I wouldn't get alot to start with.

If they don't have shrimp, I recommend ottos (otocinclus cats). They are algae eaters and not clean up though. Pygmy cories may work. They are pretty sensitive though and I would be hesitant to put them in a 10g, which could easily crash (ammonia and nitrite spikes). I also think with the Harlies (if you go with about 8) and maybe a centerpiece, that Pygmy cories would be pushing the stocking limits. They can also be hard to find (and maybe expensive!).

Do you like the idea of a male betta as centerpiece? Or maybe a dwarf gourami (but like divertran said, they are e to internal parasites).

I understand about the snails. I have some in every tank...they came in on my first batch of live plants..haven't gotten rid of them yet. As long as they don't eat my plants, I will leave them alone.

Let us know what you decide~/:'

*Kristin*

Ottos can be sensitive too and really shouldn't be added until the tank is well established. And of course they like to have company of their own kind

I like the idea of harlies...they're often overlooked yet very nice fish and good schoolers.

Sparkling gouramis seem to be showing up in lfs more often and are fine for a 10g.

If you want to go with the shrimp, how about a small school of harlies (6?) and a pair of cherry barbs? That would be a nice-looking, peaceful tank

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

OK, I have a small problem...My water here is 7.5, strait from the tank, and the profile says the Harlequins like 5.5 - 7.2...will my slightly higher ph level bother them too much?

I've kept them in 7.5 without any problems. It's usually best to go with the pH you have instead of trying to lower or raise it, unless you're working with fish that have very specific requirements.

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

6 harlequins, two cherry barbs...how many shrimp can I get? (if i can even get shrimp, i am going to LFS to browse tomarrow)

edit: oh, 4-5, ok...sorry, i didnt see that post.

yeah, Im going to spend some time looking around. I have a while to decide, since I want to do a fishless cycle.

That sounds good While a lot of lfs don't carry the 'fancier' shrimp (cherries, etc) many do have ghost shrimp. On their own they aren't very colorful but because they're clear you can often see the color of what they've been eating.

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

My local stores only carry ghost shrimp. They are very small...but cute. Its hard to see them sometimes because they are clear and small. If you can't find the cherry kind, go for the ghost shrimp.

*Kristin*

Just back from the LFS....they dont carry ANY types of freshwater shrimp. I asked the one girl, and she said that it is very rare for them to ever have them.

On the other hand, the harlequines and cherry barbs were very pretty.
I need some ideas for the bottom of the tank now.

I saw a realy cute sucker (I dont know if he was a pleco, or another type) fish that supposadly only gets 2 inches long. They call him an American Flag Fish. I am going to go look him up now.

Anyway, Im still open to suggestions.

I have my tank up and running, and am starting the fishless cycle.
I have another question now though. How nessecary are air pumps and air stones? I have one on my 20 gallon, but it is out in the living room. this tank is in my bedroom, and i know they can get a little loud..

Edit:
Upon looking up an american flag fish, it looks nothing like the fish i saw at the store. they either had them labled wrong, or had them in the same tank as the other fish, and were sold out.

http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/638.htm
Was that what you saw? Usually the algae eating/sucker fishes sold in LFS are Chinese algae eaters. These get up to 12 inches and get aggressive with age. I would stay away from them.

Its really hard to find a bottom fish for a 10g tank. They are really just too small for most bottom feeders. I would wait until the tank is established for a few months and then get a couple otocinclus (ottos). They are good algae eaters, very peaceful, and stay small. They need a good supply of algae though.

Another suggestion is Pygmy or Habrosus cories. They stay pretty small. The problem with them is that 1, they are hard to find, and 2, are pretty active and don't always stay on the bottom. That really defeats the purpose as having them as your "bottom" fish. I don't suggest them for tanks under 20g though...just because they roam around the tank.

You don't have to have any bottom feeders. I would wait until you stock a bigger tank to get a full service bottom crew. There are more options when stocking bigger tanks.

You don't "need" an airstone. If the filter output is pretty strong, you don't need one. If the fish suddenly are at the surface gasping for air, then you would want to add one, but not until them. On a 10g, the filter should be strong enough to provide enough aeration.

*Kristin*

Opps, havent checked back in a while.
My fish store is That Fish Place, they have a pretty big varriaty of fish.
No, the one I was looking at wasnt a chinese algea eater. They had those too, but that wasnt the one.
They have a tone of different kinds of corries, and a bunch of other bottom feeders besides. They have one whole row devoted to them.


Ok, visited thier webpage. They have more then this (this is just what is available online.)
There were 22 entries under the "catfish" catagory. Six of them were listed as being good for a 10 gallon:

Corydoras aeneus ALBINO
Corydoras aeneus "Green"
Corydoras elegans
Corydoras Panda
Clown Pleco
Otocinclus Catfish

I realy like the clown Pleco. Hes is adorable. Im going to have to find other pictures of the Otocinclus, thiers wasnt very good. All of the corys are cute of course.

I still want shrimp though. Can you order them online? And how dod they ship live fish?

Of those six, I'd stick with the otto. Everything else just gets too big