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Hi, I've had a 10gallon aquarium running for about a month and a half with no fish in it. I have everything set up, good filtration running, and all the decor a school of fish could ask for. Now, the delimma: What to put in it.

I went to Petsmart and looked at Corys. I liked the Green Emerald ones and I also eyed the Albinos. I asked the man working there if the two types would school together. He said yes. I bought two Emerald and teo Albinos and brought them home. Well, he lied. The two types of Corys dont go anywhere near each other. I was wondering if they need to be in a school. I can go get 3-4 more of each kind if need be.

I know for a 10gal, overstocking is very easy, and I see the Corys usually stay on the bottom. They only go up to the surface for an airbubble. They dont each food from the surface, instead they left it sink to the gravel below, then scoure it up. So keeping that in mind, if I have fish that usually stay towards the top/middle, there shouldnt be a huge overstocking, would there?

I was thinking of possibly putting a school of 5 Zebra Danios or Guppies. Maybe a Dwarf Gourami in there as well? I dont want to put stress on them be overpopulating, but I do want a good mix/variety.

well it depends on how much experince u got at fish keeping so make the right choice if something goes horribly wrong................ ive been keeping fish since i was around 11 and im almost 26 so ive been keeping fish for a few years and ive gotten to know when a tank crashes or start to crash.............. i have a 10 gallon tank and it has 1 betta 4 true wild julli corys 6 herquline rasboras............. i might add some types of shrimp its gona be a pretty planted tank very soon when i can buy and plant them all!!!!!! do u check ur water prams??????

PaulO
The smaller the tank the more complicated it becomes by that I mean there is practically no room for any error at all. I have had 40+years with aquariums and I found this the most difficult to get it to that standard.
My 45lt Tank
That link is to several photos of my 45lt tank.

If you want guppies I would go for males only you would have some colour and no babies that would very soon over stock your tank.
I have plenty of Cardinal Tetras in mine but the filter is designed for a tank a lot bigger. Being heavily planted also helps in keeping the tank healthy.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info
Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith




Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
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Hi Paul, and Welcome to Fish Profiles!

In your question, by way of background you mention that
you have had the tank up and running without fish for over
a month. What have you done to start the Nitrogen Cycle?

http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-cycling.html

Without the Nitrogen Cycle fully established when you add
fish, fish produce waste, waste consists of ammonia which
is toxic to the fish. Eventually a bacteria establishes
itself in the tank that takes in the ammonia and puts out
nitrite, which is also toxic to the fish. Over time
another type of bacteria forms establishes itself that
takes in the nitrite and puts out nitrate.

In a small tank such as your ten gallon tank, the levels
of ammonia and/or nitrite don't have to be very high
before it becomes toxic to the fish.

If you have not established the nitrogen cycle, you will
probably need to continue to ask about possible fish for
the tank, and wait another 4-6 weeks (after reading the
link above) for the Nitrogen Cycle to become fully
established and then procure the fish for the tank.

Riri1 asked about your water parameters. He's asking
if you have a test kit and know the values of your water.
One should always know the pH, GH, KH, Ammonia, Nitrite,
and Nitrate values of their water. In many respects they
determine what fish will thrive in that tank.

Frank

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

I've been doing weekly water changes since i've added the Corys. I don't know what to do about this nitrogen cycle.

I'll have to get a pH test kit.

Hi Paul,
Since you now have fish in the tank, I would suggest
you purchase a test kit that tests for ammonia, nitrite,
and nitrate first. With your weekly water changes, the
results of the three tests would be more important and
even critical to the health of your fish. Normally, the
pH would just show minor changes that would mirror
the water changes and not give you any critical information.

The results of the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate tests
would allow you to monitor the formation of the Nitrogen
Cycle, and take remedial action in a timely manner when/if
necessary.

Frank

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

I've never heard of this cycle before now. The people a petsmart didn't even tell me.

Chain pet stores don't always hire the most knowledgeable people. It's possible your salespeople aren't familiar with the nitrogen cycle. It's also possible that they are but don't bother trying to explain it to people.

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I got test kit for various tests. Here's my results.

Nitrate - 20
Nitrite - 10
Hardness - 50
Alkalinity - 80
pH - 7.2

How do I lower my Nitrite to a safe level?

From the looks of it you are in the middle of your cycle. Your NitrAtes are higher than you NitrItes, so you are on your way. Do you have a Ammonia test strip? You need to keep an eye on those levels as well.

TTFN --->Ta-Ta-For-Now
Kelly ;o}

No I dont, I'll have to pick one up.

I said strips by mistake. Strips are not very accurate. The best kind to get would be the test kits that have glass test tubes. You fill it to the measured line with tank water then add the recommended drops. The kit I have is API freshwater kit. I can test for ammonia, nitrAte, nitrite, PH and High PH.

TTFN --->Ta-Ta-For-Now
Kelly ;o}

I second the drop kits . I bought strips as my first kits and they were just impossible to read, got myself a master test kit and had no problem reading out the colors.

Since you already have the other ones, just get a single ammonia test kit, if you do ever run out the master kits offer better value .

Does look like your cycle is progressing ok, here is a link describing the cycling process it's also at the top of your screen under the FAQ's. Lots of good stuff up there worth a read.


Have a good look at the fish, so long as they're not gasping for breath or 'panting' in the corner you should be ok. I'd try to increase surface agitation to help oxygenate the water some. Two ways are to add an airstone or bubble wand, or if you find airpumps too noisy you can lower the water level a small bit to let the water splash from the filter more.
If your fish are stressing out some, a small water change can help, but it also means that the process will take longer to complete. While cycling with fish it's also very important not to overfeed as the excess food can cause ammonia and nitrIte to be higher.


^_^