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Is it ok to put like 5 to 7 neon tetras in a 10 gallon tank. I only have a couple of cories in the tank at the moment and i would like to have some tetras.

Thanks!
Ku,

I'd limit it to 5. Neons are not the toughest of tetras, and you want to make sure the water in that tank stays adequately clean.

To start off with have a look at my Betta tank and My Profile. I has more than that.
Cardinals tetras are far stronger variety and in my opinion are a nicer looking fish.

The rules you must do to have more are simple.
Filtration get the next one up and clean it weekly
Plenty of live all green plants.
Airation I have an air wand the full length of the back.
Do a minium of 35%-40% weekly water changes this is a must the plants and fish will certaintly benifit.
Also a good lighting system for the plants

Before some one jumps my M Betta loves all the water movement and often plays in the fine bubbles

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

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A better choice of Tetra for that setup, if you can find this species, is the Ember Tetra, Hyphessobrycon amandae. This species is even smaller than the Neon Tetra, so you could have 8 in there.

Ember Tetra - Some Data


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

If it was my choice i would go with a nice school of cardinals, and if you decked it out with some nice live plants that would look sweeet.

Just my opinion.

†Aquapickle†

I personally would say, on the basis of painful experience, that live plants are MUCH less important in keeping your tank clean and healthy than an adequate number of bottom-feeder fish are -- in fact, I might consider adding a third Corydoras to your small tank.

(In my experience, green plants are actually a lot harder to keep alive and healthy than freshwater fish, because they need a good deal of bright fluorescent light and sometimes some fertilizer into the bargain. I hear that Java fern is unusually easy to keep, but up to now I've stuck with plastic plants and never regretted it yet.)

One BIG problem with some plants is that they utterly HATE undergravel filtration with a decent flow rate. Cabomba and several other fine leaved plants are notorious in this respect - even when I've carpet bombed them with light, they've rotted where they were planted and floated to the top. All because they don't like my powerhead driven undergravel filter.

Vallisneria and Amazon Swords, on the other hand, grow like stink in my aquarium. My Amazon Sword is starting to look like a giant Kelp - it's HUGE. Hygrophyla is another plant that takes on the aspect of a weed in my aquarium - H. polysperma stages a campaign for world domination if I don't prune and hack it ruthlessly.

In a 10, a Java Fern would grow slowly enough to allow you to keep it pruned if it showed signs of becoming rampant, but even then, I have Java Ferns that have thrown off hundreds of plantlets and behaved like Brambles in a back yard. If you grow Java Ferns on bogwood, they'll love you for it and set about turning your aquarium into an aquatic rainforest.

One plant that will also come in handy if you can find it (and it isn't subject to local legal restrictions) is Hornwort. This plant has its issues - it's ridiculously brittle and it never roots, so it's technically a floating plant, though it actually hovers just below the surface. This plant is a nitrate hoover. However, it grows at a furious rate - mine can grow at three inches per day when in peak growth spurt mode. However, as a hiding place for fry, and an additional means of maintaining low nitrates, it's an excellent choice if you're prepared to live with its tendency to shed bits all over the place. In an aquarium with Characins, it'll provide shade for those that like it, and provide that little extra bit of security cover wise. In a 10 gallon, though, you'll probably be removing surplus strands of it every day, particularly if your 10G is well illuminated.

I would give Hygrophyla polysperma a go in your 10G, and if that proves too rampant, stick a small bogwood log with a Java Fern on it in there, which will be easier to control. Either of those choices will be excellent for providing a natural looking setup for your Characins to frolic about in. If you decide to run with Ember Tetras as your Characins, they will appreciate the forethought upon account of them being VERY small fishes.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002