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hey guys i am going to start a 10 gallon, i found one at wal-mart for 10.00 and i just couldnt resist it(yes i have the fever). i havent put water in it or anything. just looking for ideas, i was gonna breed but i dont have anythere to put the little guys so thats outta the question. i was also gonna do a planted, and thats probably the way i'll go. i want a full planted aquarium. can you do that in a 10G? all help is needed and very much appreciated.

Thanx

"The Earth is God's Fish Tank"

$10's pretty much the running price for a 10g tank without light/filter/heater/etc. Speaking of which, you gotta make sure you get all that, but you know that! And of course, don't forget to cycle!!!!!

As for planting and stocking, you certainly can plant it! At least so my research shows. Just remember that your light will affect what plants you can have (Frank will help you out here I'm sure) and if you haven't got a light for it, you want to make sure you pick up a flouro light NOT an incandescent. Especially in a 10g tank, the incandescent lights will heat the water and make for serious temp changes.

Stocking: In a 10g you're looking at a definite community tank. And limited at that, especially with plants.

My recommendation would be:

6x harlequins
8x neons
And a smattering of either snails, or ghost or red cherry shrimp to take care of leftovers and algae.

As for plants, you probably want to stick to low-light plants such as java moss & ferns and crypts.

Listen! Do you smell that?

For small and colorful, you could do a bunch of MALE guppies (no females unless you want to be overrun by fry in a month) and lots of plants.

Other setups... maybe neon tetras? Or any of the dwarf types of rasboras? Hmm... there's so many options, just make sure that the fish aren't too large and don't require too much space. For example, danios theoretically would fit, but they're a very active fish and would prefer a larger tank.

You could also try having a small centerpiece fish in a tank like this... maybe neons and a male betta. If you plant the tank heavily, the betta would still be able to maneuver fairly easily in most filter currents.

How about cherry barbs? I've never kept them in more than a trio, but you might be able to pull off a small school in a ten gallon. I'd ask more about them. The males' bright red is gorgeous against a background of green plants!

And yes, you can do a beautifully planted tank in a ten gallon. The biggest problem you'll find is the lighting. The standard single fluorescent bulb for a ten gallon will only get you 15w of light over the tank. I had a lovely, lush setup of crypts and java ferns, but if you want higher light plants, you'll have to address the lighting issue. Try an incandescent hood with screw-in fluorescents for a basic upgrade, or go with more advanced lighting for higher light plants.

There's too many suggestions for me to cover in one post. What are you looking for in your fish selection? What do you want out of this tank... that will make you question easier to answer.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

Id like to say that i heard that tetras have teeth and are nippy to the extreme!

Cherry Barbs will only be 3 at a push! I have Tiger barbs and they are already too huge!

But all else, i agree with kitten. More specific questions will get you more specific answers!

><> ~=!Vote Today!=~ <><
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Cherries don't have to be in a school and IME aren't nippy like tiger barbs.

Male Endler's look great in a planted tank and a 10g would be fine for them.

Here is a link to a list of nano-fish: http://www.franksaquarium.com/nanofish.htm

Arizona Aquatic gardens also sells many fish for smaller tanks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is water at the bottom of the ocean

my thoghts for you would be get about 1.5 wpg then put in an anubias nana two java fern and a java moss plabt them on or around a mangled peice of drift wood buy the wood from a store or if you dont live near an ocean find some then you bioil and sterilize it and for fish i would say no to the harliquen they need a big school say 10 and up
i would stock it with a small algea eating fish like an otto get 3 so

3 otto
6 albino corys,julies,pandas

second sugestion

3 ottos
5 cherry barbs

third sugestion

3 ottos
3 male gupies
3 cherrys shrimp

as you can see the otto is a good way to go but personalie i would put in 3 ottos and 6 of some tetra (glowlight)(neon) exetra

33 gallon 7 neon tetras-5 platys-3 bleeding heart tetras-2 corys-1 rainbow shark-2 L83 gibby plecos

Hi Don't be afraid to plant the tank. And as it goes Wal-mart sells screw in Flourescent bulbs for less than $5.00. A while back my other half was complaining that my tank looked like a zoo display. Keep an eye on the water parameters. And you won't have a problem.

As for plants I had bought 2 Anubias Nanna. One grew to the point that I cut it and i now have three. And they do well in the tank. (Both with the incandescent and the fluorescent lights.) Just be sure to dose with ferts. I use both the Liquid and the Tablets, made by Jungle labs.

mts.gif" border="0"> I vote do you?
My Tanks at Photobucket

Platy, i like the idea about the ottos. could i go with the three ottos, a small school of tetra, and a betta maybe? also i am thinking about going with a bio-wheel HOB or a aquaclear HOB. i have a aquaclear 70 for my 55gal and i lke it. but i thinking about a bio-wheel. and ideas on that? this is the first time i haver ever planned out a tank like this so iam kind of at a shortage for ideas.

also do i have to wait for the tank to cycle before i can start putting plant in it?

"The Earth is God's Fish Tank"

How about a few ottos, a few cherry barbs and a betta?

As for goby's comment on cherry barbs vs tiger barbs... uh, the cherry barb's a very slender barb, and though the profile here suggests two inches, most max out at 1.5" or less; tiger barbs are up to three inches and are a MUCH more active fish.

In this case, I would probably take platy's second suggestion (3 ottos, 5 cherry barbs) and add the betta. You might want to take it down to 3-4 cherry barbs, though. Either two females, one male or even 2/2 ratio. Be careful with that, though, sometimes male cherries will pester the females to death if they're one on one.

As for nippy tetras, most of the smaller tetras aren't. At least, I can't think of any smaller tetras offhand that are nippy.

I would definitely stay away from any but the smallest cories in this case... even julii and pandas need bigger tanks, especially with needing a school. Any decently planted tank would reduce the floor space too much for their antics. If you're confident in your skills, you can try one of the dwarf cories, like pygmy or hastatus, but they need a bit more care than their hardier, larger cousins.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

Hi,
For some very interesting ideas on 10G tanks check out
this site:

http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2006.cgi?&op=showpage&name=view-ag-s

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

One thing I have to disagree with here is platy boy's suggestion for cories. Cories are very active, schooling, social fish, and need a lot of room. As Calissea would tell you they need a much larger tank for a proper grouping. So stay away from cories in a 10g tank.

Listen! Do you smell that?