# New 10 gallon



## soccergod2203 (Feb 4, 2011)

This is my first time starting a 10 gallon tank. i started about 5 days ago, i have some neon tetras and some scissortail rasboras. how many fish can i have for my tank? also i would like live plants but i dont know how to get started on that. also i know this is really stupid of me but am i suppose to turn the hood lights off at night?


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## M1ster Stanl3y (Dec 10, 2010)

Was the tank cycled? How big (capacity) is your filter?? Any live plants? How many if each fish? Did u get any water testing supplies? 

a good rule of thumb is one inch of fish per gallon. But abetter way of thinking is keeping amonia at 0, nitrite at 0, and nitrate low. If you are willing to do extra maintence on the tank you can get away with more fish then when u do less maintence. Read up on the nitrogen cycle. If this doesn't make sense I'm typing on my phone but I'm sure many others will chime in to help you out. Welcome to the forum.


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## soccergod2203 (Feb 4, 2011)

it was cycled, i have a 5 to 15 gallon filter, no live plants yet, 2 jumbo neon tetras and 2 scissortail rasboras, and i only have a ph tester. i need to buy a testing kit. i am doing that when i go back to the store sunday for more fish lol


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## M1ster Stanl3y (Dec 10, 2010)

Api master kit is a favorite here. Runs about $30


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## ReStart (Jan 3, 2011)

Good job! You've had better luck than me with cycling a small tank quickly. Check those nitrites. Mine jumped off the scale in the first week because I did not cycle the tank correctly or completely. I did and am still doing lots of water changes, like 20% every other day. At times I was doing 40% every other day.

The advice of 1 inch per gallon seems pretty good for a tank with average maintenance although I think if you increase your testing and wc, you can push that a bit.


I too, like plants but right now, I am not willing to deal with the light and fertilizer issues so I am all plastic right now. I think my new little tank looks pretty good and you can see it in the gallery.

PS, yes the light needs to be off for a period and night is a good time for that. You can put your light on a timer but if you turn it off when you go to bed and the tank gets at least 8 hours of darkness you're good to go, in my experience.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

soccergod2203 said:


> it was cycled, .....and i only have a ph tester.


Okay, now you're making me think your tank isn't cycled. How did you cycle the tank? What was the indicator your tank had to show it completed it?


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## soccergod2203 (Feb 4, 2011)

i guess it wasnt cycled then. boy do i have alot to learn. but dont i have to have fish to cycle a tank? i have only had the tank for 5 days and the fish for 3.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

You can do a fishless cycle,or use sturdy fish.Most prefer the fishless,as its less painful for the fish.


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## soccergod2203 (Feb 4, 2011)

well all i got to hope now is for my fish to survive. i am going to get the tests i need on sunday. that is my only day off work. and thank god that petsmart has a 14 day guarantee. so if the fish die i can get them replace lol. but i really hope the survive.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Read up on the nitrogen cycle, it will help you understand what the tank has to go through. We all had to do it. Sometimes people new to the hobby think cycling a tank just means to run a few days....not the case of course. What it means is the steps that the tank goes through to establish beneficial bacteria that keeps your tank healthy. Stick with it, don't freak out, test often and you'll be fine.


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

Get ready to do lots of water changes to keep the ammonia from getting too high for them. DON'T add any more fish yet and remember 10 gallons is not big so when you do add more fish it won't be many more. I actually think the scissortail rasboras will get too big for your tank so you might consider returning them now rather than putting them through the cycle. I really like 10 gallon tanks but care must be taken when stocking them.


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## AleyLOVESanimals (Jan 24, 2011)

If you do return the rasboras, I recommend Getting more jumbo tetra (They are schooling fish and need to be kept in groups of 6+)


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## soccergod2203 (Feb 4, 2011)

when we were at the store the tag said that the scissortails will fit in a 10 gal tank but ive look them up online and they said they should be in a 20 gal tank.


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## soccergod2203 (Feb 4, 2011)

i was planing on get more tetras. also the scissortails are school fish too and i think their maximum size is 3.5 inches. i think i will return them


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

Just googled them, lots of places say minimum 55gallon. You might get away with smaller but I'm not sure they would do in less than 30 gallons. They can get up to 6 inches and are fast swimmers. I have no personal experience though so maybe someone else can chime in.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

The problem with getting more Tetras, and yes they do better in slightly larger groups than what you have, is they are somewhat delicate IMO and subjecting them to a cycle could be very harmful to them. Get a couple of Danios unstead. Wait until the cycle has completed until you decide on more Tetras.


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