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Alright, I have a lonely 10 (U.S.) Gallon tank sitting in storage. My last experience with fishkeeping ended in disaster, and it was mostly caused by my inexperience and young age. However, I'm thinking about re-starting my hobby.

Since I'll be re-starting the tank, I'm going to have to cycle it. Yes, I know all about the cycle- ammonia, nitrites, then nitrates.

My questions are:

1) What all can I do to make the 10 gallon a better environment for the Paradise Fish? What conditions (in your experience) do they prefer?

2) Can I cycle the tank with a Paradise Fish? I only intend to keep the Paradise Fish in the tank, and maybe a few Ottocinclus (I've had suprising success with these little fellows).

3) Can Ottocinclus and Paradise Fish live together? I've heard that Paradise Fish can be agressive, but I wouldn't think the little bottom-feeders would bother him.

4) If the Ottos can't coexist with the Paradise Fish, what other bottom-feeder could I have without overstocking?


...I'm just full of questions, aren't I?

1) What all can I do to make the 10 gallon a better environment for the Paradise Fish? What conditions (in your experience) do they prefer?

Paradise fish are very hardy, and would be easily kept in a 10 gal tank. The biggest question is, how many are you planning on keeping in there?

2) Can I cycle the tank with a Paradise Fish? I only intend to keep the Paradise Fish in the tank, and maybe a few Ottocinclus (I've had suprising success with these little fellows).

I have know of others that have cycled a tank with Paradise fish. Because they are so hardy, is the reason they were one of the first fish to start the hobby off. Well before the cycle was even known about, paradise fish were being kept in tanks of just about this size. Because these fish breathe air, they are more hardy for this reason. This does not however mean it is OK, but is just an explination. I do still cycle with live fish, but I wastch the parameters very closely and don't let them get dangerously high. So, if done properly, yes you can cycle a tank with these fish.

3) Can Ottocinclus and Paradise Fish live together? I've heard that Paradise Fish can be agressive, but I wouldn't think the little bottom-feeders would bother him.

For the most part, the Paradise fish is mostly aggressive to conspecifics, or their own kind. They can be aggressive to other fish, but not always. I think the ottos would do fine with them.

4) If the Ottos can't coexist with the Paradise Fish, what other bottom-feeder could I have without overstocking?

There are many to chose from, that I feel would be fine. A small school of corys, a bushynose pleco, some gobies, and many more to choose from.

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There is always a bigger fish...

paradice were one of the first fish to be kept in the hobby, they are very hardy, so take that into consideration.

they are quite active, but stay maybe under 5 inches. and are great for beginners, so good luck. i would think they would be fine with a few ottos.

Haha! Found my old account! =P

I intend on keeping one male Paradise Fish in the tank.

Corys sound interesting, I've heard a lot about them, but never have actually kept them.

*goes to look at their profile*

Now, by small school, you're saying 3 or so?

Cory should be kept in groups of 6+ so in a 10g only the smallest cories will fit and the smaller the cory the more sensitive they tend to be. I would not suggest cories for a 10g unless you are quite experienced. Then again I also would never mix cories and paradise fish. Mine all removed the eyes of the cories and otos. They were also insanely bored in a 10g. I much preferred my paradise fish out in the 60g tubs. They acted more normal and much happier than the ones I tried to put in 10g tanks. These are very active fish and they have about the same chance of getting along with other fish as a betta. I would put a betta in a 10g with a few other fish before I'd do it with a paradise fish. A female would be slightly better but no male I've kept in a small tank has been happy. They pace, try to destroy things, and eventually start ambushing their tankmates. A betta though would be quite happy with 10gallons of space compared to what they usually get.

I've kept male paradise fish in 10 gallon tanks in the past with no problems. Tankmates I kept where white clouds, otos and a clown pleco. Paradise fish are more like cichlids in my opinion than bettas - highly variable in personality. In a 10, I'd highly plant (real or silk - either is fine), add lots of driftwood, caves, etc. If you make it dense and interesting, I think a male paradise fish and a few otos would be fine. Paradise fish are very petlike - one of my favorite fish.

Right now, my current male paradise fish is in a 29 gallon tank with 2 otos, a clown pleco and two variant dojo loaches (barbel count incorrect for true dojos) - they all get along fine.

As for pacing - I have a figure 8 puffer in a 20 long who you think does nothing but pace...that is unless you watch him around the corner when he's not watching you. When he can't see me, he's all over the tank exploring, but the second he sees me he is begging. My paradise fish does the same thing (although not as devotedly as the puffer). Personally, I think many of the smarter fish put on a show hoping you'll feed them. Now if the fish was pacing even when I knew he couldn't see me, that would be different.

Eric

Alright, I think I'll go with 1 Male Paradise Fish and a few ottos. Now my questions are going to be directed to planting the aquarium. I'll ask them here in case any of the people who replied decide to do a follow-up, but I'll also make a thread in "Planted Aquaria."

1) In my 10 Gallon, I'll probably use a HOB AquaClear Mini (the same filter I finally settled on last time, works wonders, rated "Up to 20 Gallon Aquariums" and a fluorescent hood rated at 17 watts. What plants would be suitable for my inhabitants and my lighting/water flow?

2) Will I need to come up with a DIY CO2 system if I want the plants to grow? If so, it's simply a 1 liter bottle with a piece of airline siliconed into the cap, filled with a sugar and yeast solution (in water), right? Can I just put an airstone on the end of the tubing going into the aquarium to act as a diffuser? If so, what would be the best location for it?

3) Driftwood- My LFS is PetSmart, and a little farther away is a more fish-based store called "Aquatic Environments". I haven't seen any driftwood at PetSmart, but there might be some at AE. What should I be looking for in the driftwood? What size should it be?

You'll have 1.7 WPG (watts per gallon) which doesn't really require CO2. I have about the same,and I have more java fern, water sprite, and a mystery plant than I can handle - I throw handfuls out every couple of weeks. All I do is fertilize with tetra aquarium liquid fertilizer every few weeks.

You could do CO2, but it's messy and difficult to keep at a steady rate in a 10 gallon tank. You need a 2 litre bottle, aquarium tubing (you have to silicone the tubing into a cut hole in the lid of the bottle, some sugar, bread yeast (or brewing yeast), and some water. Google it and there are plenty of articles on the web.

At 1.7 WPG, you can try most plants. The bunch plants won't do as well as java fern, java moss, anubias, crytocornes, etc.

Plants are fun. I opt for hardy plants, and have received many compliments on them...more compliments than on the fish in the tank!

Eric

I think paraside fish are more like pet fish because of their different personalities and how they'll interact with people.

I currently have a 'pacing' male in a 30g with a large school of neons, RTBS, BN, and cories. I've never had problems between him and the other fish.

At one time I kept a pair in a 29g community and they even attempted to spawn a number of times. Some people have found keeping pair or even trios (M/F/F) doesn't work. Two males together is definitely a no.

Otos can be sensitive...if you've never kept them before this is a great article. You could keep cories or loaches in the tank, both are more active than otos IMO.

7 of my 9 tanks are planted, all have low-low/medium lighting and no CO2. Other than the obvious floating plants I've had success with various crypts, anubias, vals, dwarf sag. I have a beautiful aponogeton boivinianus that I grew from a bulb.

It sounds like you'll have a nice tank and doing your research this time around should help. Good luck

edit: just a warning in case you haven't read this: paradise fish are very good jumpers

Last edited by Theresa_M at 09-Nov-2005 15:01

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

*writes down plant names* =P

Thanks for all the advice. I've read that Paradise Fish are good jumpers, but my tank has a hood that leaves almost no open spaces (tiny spaces that the fish couldn't fit through) so I should be ok.

I've also heard that ottos can be very sensitive, but my experience has proven to be contrary. I was very inexperienced when I first added ottos to my aquarium, and they succeeded in being the only fish that would end up surviving in my tank. :#(

*curses stupid infected tubefix worms*

Anyways, I believe the ottos will be much more happy in my tank when I get it planted. I'm thinking this for my tank:

Stock:
1 Paradise Fish
4-5 Ottocinclus

Plants:
Anubias
Java Moss
Java Fern

Decoration:
Generic Gravel Substrate
Large Piece of Driftwoot (Java Moss attached, maybe Java Fern attached as well)



Java Fern will provide the ottos with broad-leaves for them to rest on, right? Or, is there another low-light plant I can provide them with that would be better?

I too have a 10 gallon tank with 17 watts on it. I have java ferns, narrow leaf chain sword plants, moneywort, and lucens cryptocorne. All of these plants grow quite well for me and all I do is add liquid fertilizer after water changes. The ottos rest on everything ranging from stems to the java fern leaves.

I have a paradise fish with two otocinclus and two angels. I work at a fish store, and know a lot about paraside fish. They all have very interesting personalities, and each one varies. Mine fake fights with the angels, but he only charges them, nothing else. They are very intellegent fish and have a lot of personality!

I've got a fever... and the only prescription... is more cowbell!