# Plans for my 10 gallon stocking/restart



## Chris85 (May 20, 2012)

So I've gotten a ton of great info in my first thread and think I have my final plans laid out for my 10 gallon tank.

Currently there is one female guppy(very plain), one anubais, and a decorative "castle" type thing. It has an Aqueon hood with two fluorescent bulbs and a QuietFlow 10 HOB filter.

Tomorrow I intend to switch to an Aqua Clear 30 with two sponges and BioMax, add 3 anacharis and 2 java ferns. The anubias is currently in the back right corner of the tank, but I am thinking of moving it to the front of the tank. Will this cause problems? If necessary, I can switch the bulbs to something more appropriate for the plants. 

I am also thinking of removing the "castle" and adding a small piece of driftwood, but this would be later down the road, as I would have to order online.

I will wait about two weeks after adding the plants and then add 5 tetras(neon or cardinal) 2 female guppies, and 3 cory cats. I plan to do this slowly over the course of a couple of weeks. Im thinking this will be OK with the upgraded filter and a weekly PWC. 

Do my plans sound feasible, or am I over doing it. I'd like to get this tank stocked and stable and leave it be while saving for a 55 gallon or larger to really have some fun with. *c/p*


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## Chris85 (May 20, 2012)

I should mention that I do not think my tank is cycled yet and my current filter cartridge is only 8 days old, so I doubt there is enough beneficial bacteria yet. I was planning to add some Nutrafin Cycle and Tetra AquaSafe to help offset the replacement of the filter and not kill my lone guppy. Is my thinking correct here?


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## Fishee (May 23, 2012)

Hi, Sounds good to me. Re the Anubias: It depends on the height of the anubias. I've found it's better to have tall plants at the back and shorter plants at the front. Hope this helps.


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## Chris85 (May 20, 2012)

The anubias is still very small, maybe 3 inches at most.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

I know tank hasn't been running long, but I would leave the old filter on there for at least 2wks before you remove. After you have put the new one on. Run both for the two weeks.


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## Chris85 (May 20, 2012)

Ben, do my plans for plants and fish seem reasonable? I will have to figure out a way to run second filter with this hood. Also thinking of getting 2 6500k cfls to replace current bulbs.


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## Crazy (Mar 1, 2012)

If you want to run a second filter you may have to modify the hood. I took measurements of mine and marked out my cuts then went at it with a utility knife until I was satisfied.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Plants sound good, but you could still add more if you wanted. Heavily planted is not a bad term. You will need to make sure the bulbs are in the 5500k-10000k range. 6500k is common, but different frequency give different look to you and some prefer in the upper region. There will be no growth difference no matter which you pick.


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## Chris85 (May 20, 2012)

I will add the filter pad from my old filter into the new filter, as this is the only way to make this work without removing the lights. I bought two anachatis, an anubias, and two Java ferns today as well


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Good deal. Anacharis you may have problems with keeping it planted in your substrate. I have used it with anchors and still had problems. You may find that floating it is easier, but your experience could be different. You will see very little, if any, roots on the end you stick in your substrate. I just consider it a good starter plant for aquarists new to plants. Eventually I lost my taste for the plant. There are many more out there that grow just as fast (this is how it uses up nutrients so well), look better, and stay in place easier.

Don't forget the for sale section on this site. People here sell plants that are sometimes hit and miss at your lfs and will even have some of those plants I refer to for a fraction of the cost anywhere else.


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## luananeko (Aug 27, 2010)

Sounds workable! I think cory's prefer groups of 4+, but 3 should work in that size tank... I'd stick to regular neon tetras or green neon tetras over cardinals since you're stocking it pretty full and the cardinals might be pushing the bio load a bit. Green neons stay the smallest, followed by the regular neons. I highly recommend adding more live plants to help keep things stable since small tanks are harder to keep in balance when fully stocked. Doing at least 30% water changes weekly will help a lot too.


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## Chris85 (May 20, 2012)

I added a photo to the member galleries but my computer won't load the forums so I cannot embed the photo in this link. 

No new fish yet, but added two bunches of anacharis, one anubias, and 2 Java fern. Changed the filter to an AquaClear 30 and did PWC. Nitrates before change were at 5. I will recheck tomorrow. Oh and I also changed to 2 10w 6500k cfls.


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## Chris85 (May 20, 2012)

Here is the tank after planting.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Looks good!! Need more plants.....


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## Chris85 (May 20, 2012)

Thank you! I actually want to add a few more, but I'm going to make sure I help these survive first. I'm leaning towards some amazon swords, but I also like the grassy looking plants that I haven't figured out the name of yet


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

If you put cories in a 10 gal I would suggest the dwarfs as the others will be to big for the tank. If you can get pygmy or hasbrosus you could have 4 or 5, pandas just 3. Other wise leave the cories off the list.


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## Chris85 (May 20, 2012)

Thanks Susan. Do you know of any bottom feeders that would do well solo in a 10 gallon? I originally wanted a pleco but didn't know they can get so big.


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## luananeko (Aug 27, 2010)

Otos can be kept solo, I think... They prefer a group of 3+ in an ideal scenario though. An alternative option would be a nerite snail or two. They'll handle your algae and leftover food but are incapable of breeding in freshwater so you wont have snail babies all over.


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

I would go with the nerites, great algae cleaners


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## Chris85 (May 20, 2012)

I have a snail in there now, but can't identify what type. I can't get a clear picture either to post for help.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

An Amazon Sword is an awesome plant. Great color, easy to grow, etc.. The problem is it gets too big and for a 10G within a year or so it is likely it would be to the point of affecting other plants that need light. Here is one in my 29g, soon needing to be removed for the same reason. Took 18 months to get there, but I've needed to move it a long time ago:


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## zero (Mar 27, 2012)

love the castle


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## Chris85 (May 20, 2012)

Ben - Yeah looks like the Amazon sword would outgrow my tank too quickly.
zero - thanks! Its a bit on the small side for a decoration IMO, but my 7 year old son really likes it so it stays.


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## zero (Mar 27, 2012)

it will end up like a little castle in the woods!!!


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## Chris85 (May 20, 2012)

What if I went with a single female betta and 3 total female guppies. I found out my snail is an olive nerite, so algae cleanup is taken care of. I think a betta would enjoy a 10 gallon tank and would add a heater to maintain around 82 degrees. Plants are 2 bunches of anacharis, 2 anubias, and 2 java ferns. I am also considering removing castle and adding a piece of driftwood. Any thoughts? I am indecisive  but once I make my final decision, this will be the permanent setup.


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