# 10 Gallon Suggestions



## nathancurl (Jun 20, 2013)

Hi, I have a 10 gallon cycling for around 5 more days. I have 2 cories and a black skirt tetra in a temporary setup. Once the 10 is ready, I would like to do a natural Amazon themed tank. I want to get some schoolers, like tetras or hatchetfish, and bottom feeders. Please leave suggestions for the fish, plants, deccorations, and overall tank suggestions. I know options are somewhat limited, but any help is appreciated. 
Thanks,
Nathan


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## J105 (Jun 11, 2013)

I would add plants with a lot of color like orange, blue, or red.I would also add a shipwreck or nice size cave. If I think of anything else I'll be sure to add.


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## nathancurl (Jun 20, 2013)

J105 said:


> I would add plants with a lot of color like orange, blue, or red.I would also add a shipwreck or nice size cave. If I think of anything else I'll be sure to add.


I was thinking a natural theme with live plants and "natural" decor. Thanks though!


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## Chris85 (May 20, 2012)

What kind of substrate, filtration, and lighting are you using? Are you going to/have you looked into CO2? This will affect the options you have. 10 gallons is kind of limited, but if done correctly, it can look really nice.


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)




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## nathancurl (Jun 20, 2013)

I plan on buying some of the TopFin pebbles or CaribiSea planted aquarium substrate. I haven't really looked into Co2 and lighting, cost being the biggest issue. I would prefer low maintenance plants that can be found at PetSmart or Petco (my closest pet stores). I have been looking into fish, and am thinking some tetras and/or hatchetfish, possibly a dwarf or honey gourami or 2, and some cories or other cats.


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## Gator40019 (Jun 23, 2013)

Welcome fellow newbie


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Be careful with petco for plants,many they sell are not true aquatic.Petsmart is a better choice out of the two.


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## nathancurl (Jun 20, 2013)

Ya, I rarely go to Petco. I go to PetSmart for just about everything (except for new reptiles) and have few fish stores nearby that I know of, and have only been to them once. Anyways, I am also considering Bolivian Rams, which may not be the best idea, but may be possible.


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## Chris85 (May 20, 2012)

Where I'm at, Petco is horrible! I went yesterday and every tank had at least two dead fish, three tanks were "under observation," and the plant tank was completely overrun with snails. I have two anubias nana, three crypt. wendtii, and a bunch of dwarf hairgrass that I just planted in my 10 gallon which is home to one Betta and a snail. I also plan to add some Java fern to the background to balance the tank.

For a ten gallon, look into the pygmy corys, as they stay pretty small and it allows for 4-5, which I've read is the minimum to reduce stress. 

For lighting, I went with two 10 watt CFL bulbs at 6500k, which is about the best I can do on my budget. It will provide adequate light for what I have, but is far from optimal. 

The best advice I could give you is to use the search function with terms like "10 gallon" "stocking 10 gallon" "lighting" and "planted 10 gallon." That's how I decided on my plants, although my tank is far from ideal and to most would probably seem boring.


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## Chris85 (May 20, 2012)

I forgot to mention filtration. My tank is over filtered. I have an AquaClear 30, which is designed for up to 30 gallons. The current is a bit higher than I'd like for my Betta, but he seems to like going for a ride from time to time. 

I personally love Cardinal Tetras and they seem to be much hardier than the neons. African dwarf frogs are another that I enjoy watching, but they're pretty dumb and need to be directly fed, as they have a hard time finding food. 

No matter what the pet stores tell you, stay away from plecos. They will outgrow a ten gallon relatively quickly. I've got an olive nerite snail (identified by the awesome members of this forum) that keeps my tank amazingly clean, despite my inadvertent negligence.


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## nathancurl (Jun 20, 2013)

Ya, I've never thought of getting plecos. I am a total noob to planted tanks, so I don't know anything about the lighting


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## nathancurl (Jun 20, 2013)

And I am thinking some Bolivian Rams, and I read they should be paired. My problem would be if they spawned, because I have no idea what to do with any fish fry. Thats part of the reason I am avoiding shell dwellers, the other reason being that I can't find any.


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## Chris85 (May 20, 2012)

http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/aquarium-lighting-16326.html 

this is the sticky in the plant section, its got a ton of information, but can be a bit overwhelming, but its worth the read.

PS I'm doing this all from my phone, so I hope the link works.


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## Chris85 (May 20, 2012)

I don't think 10 gallons is big enough for Bolivian Rams. I'm not too knowledgeable about different species, but I remember reading they do best in 30+ gallons. Dealing with fry is a pain if you don't have the time or resources. It's also the reason I donated my guppy. She kept dropping fry, and I couldn't manage them.


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## nathancurl (Jun 20, 2013)

I'll keep researching. I'm also looking into a kuhli loach tank


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## nathancurl (Jun 20, 2013)

What about African Butterfly fish


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## Jaybird5 (Apr 27, 2013)

You need to use this site for any stocking questions:
AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor Rams would not work they need a 20 gallon or larger. Butterfly fish get pretty big and they are jumpers. One would be 70% of your tank. Kuhli loach need to be in groups. So you can not have 5 in a 10g. Sorry not a lot of options for a 10g. I would recommend live bearers like guppies, mollies and platies.


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## Chris85 (May 20, 2012)

Also keep in mind that any subtrate and decorations are going to reduce the actual capacity of water in the tank. I went through all of the same issues you are encountering, which is why I settled on a lone veil tail betta. 

I know the budgeting is tough, but if you are truly interested in the hobby, the best bet is to put a few bucks away whenever you can to buy a larger tank. In the meantime, you can really research and plan your options. That is where I am at in my journey.


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## nathancurl (Jun 20, 2013)

So I used AqAdvisor, and am thinking 5 bleeding heart tetras, my black skirt tetra, my 2 cories, my snail and shrimp. Or something like that. I forgot to mention that I'm 14, so my issue is money. I will find total cost soon. I also need to learn about plants lol


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## SueD (Aug 4, 2012)

These suggestions won't work with your current stock but if you could rehome the black skirt tetra and cories (you don't specify what kind these are), you could do 6-8 dwarf cories (hasbrosus are my favorite, but there are also pygmaeus and hastatus) along with a large school of one of the boraras (10-12). Take a look at these: 
Boraras brigittae
Boraras maculatus
Boraras merah
Boraras micros
Boraras urophthalmoides

You could also probably add some Cherry shrimp.

For plants I would try some crypt wendtti, both green and bronze, some anubias tied to a small piece of driftwood and some narrow leaf or pygmy chain sword. If you add shrimp, you will want to add some type of moss. I've tied this to cholla wood pieces and it works well.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Welcome!


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## nathancurl (Jun 20, 2013)

Okay, so my options are very limited because I have few close pet stores, and the one I am closest to is PetSmart. I know where some fish stores are, I just need to go to them. I don't know if buying fish online is a good idea, (I'd probably buy plants online), but I'll have to see what sites are best.


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## nathancurl (Jun 20, 2013)

I also looked at bumblebee catfish , banjo, and oil catfish. They all seem cool, but I don't know if they'd work in my setup. Anybody know anything about them?


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## nathancurl (Jun 20, 2013)

Crap... Plants may be hard to get online due to legal restrictions. I will keep looking.


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## lonedove55 (Jan 25, 2012)

nathancurl said:


> I also looked at bumblebee catfish , banjo, and oil catfish. They all seem cool, but I don't know if they'd work in my setup. Anybody know anything about them?


I currently have 2 South American bumblebee catfish in a 26 gallon tank. They will stay small (roughly 4" full grown), but they're pretty boisterous during feeding time! I rarely see mine as they hide all day under the driftwood, so you might want to keep that in mind. Not sure they would work for a 10 gallon tank, as it would depend on your other fish.
Microglanis iheringi • Pseudopimelodidae • Cat-eLog If you DO decide to get one, make absolutely sure it is not the Asian Bumblebee Cat April 2002 • CotM • PlanetCatfish as it can get pretty large (6"+), which would get too large for a 10 gallon and they will eat ANY fish in your tank that will fit in its mouth! I'm not familiar with the other 2 you listed...maybe someone else on here can give you some advise.


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## nathancurl (Jun 20, 2013)

lonedove55 said:


> I currently have 2 South American bumblebee catfish in a 26 gallon tank. They will stay small (roughly 4" full grown), but they're pretty boisterous during feeding time! I rarely see mine as they hide all day under the driftwood, so you might want to keep that in mind. Not sure they would work for a 10 gallon tank, as it would depend on your other fish.
> Microglanis iheringi • Pseudopimelodidae • Cat-eLog If you DO decide to get one, make absolutely sure it is not the Asian Bumblebee Cat April 2002 • CotM • PlanetCatfish as it can get pretty large (6"+), which would get too large for a 10 gallon and they will eat ANY fish in your tank that will fit in its mouth! I'm not familiar with the other 2 you listed...maybe someone else on here can give you some advise.


Ya I saw that when I looked them up. There were no specific tank sizes mentioned. The fish I plan on having are my black skirt tetra, my 2 cories, my snail, shrimp, and I am planning on getting bleeding heart tetras. I will see how many tetras I can get if I get a bumblebee cat or two (probably just one).


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## Jaybird5 (Apr 27, 2013)

You need to see what your pet stores has and go off of those. I wanted to have a dwarf puffer tank as my 10g, but my store did not have them so I just bought mollies. (btw, I love them). I am too young also (I am 15) we both can not get jobs and probably have no income. So I highly doubt you can afford to buy fish online as you would pay out the butt. So check out the local stores and base your stocking on them.


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## snowghost45 (May 13, 2013)

Chris85 said:


> I forgot to mention filtration. My tank is over filtered. I have an AquaClear 30, which is designed for up to 30 gallons. The current is a bit higher than I'd like for my Betta, but he seems to like going for a ride from time to time.
> 
> I personally love Cardinal Tetras and they seem to be much hardier than the neons. African dwarf frogs are another that I enjoy watching, but they're pretty dumb and need to be directly fed, as they have a hard time finding food.
> 
> No matter what the pet stores tell you, stay away from plecos. They will outgrow a ten gallon relatively quickly. I've got an olive nerite snail (identified by the awesome members of this forum) that keeps my tank amazingly clean, despite my inadvertent negligence.


I agree stay away from plecos, I've donated my outgrown ones enough to the LFS. I disagree about African Dwarf frogs, I have three and they do fine. They are really fun to watch. I watch to make sure they feed and I give them frozen blood worms once a week.


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## nathancurl (Jun 20, 2013)

This strays from my original plan, but I am trying to find out about live livebearer hybridization, like molly guppy hybrids. Anybody know anything about this?


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Baically only swordtails and platies will/can cross breed among the common livebeares.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Its not so much frogs are dumb as it is they have poor eyesight and must rely on the smell. With bettas they are usually out competed for food.


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## snowghost45 (May 13, 2013)

I make sure that flake food gets near the frogs. Thanks for the info, I didn't know they had poor eyesight, so I'll make sure they eat.


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## Chris85 (May 20, 2012)

Majerah, you're right. I should have chosen my words better. 

Nathan, is this your first adventure in the hobby? It might be better to just get an established tank running to learn the essentials like chemistry, lighting, etc., and then venture into other areas. I've been taking care of my tank for about a year now and am still clueless on a lot of things. There is so much free, valuable information on these boards that you could be able to start a major project once you have an income rolling in. Take it slow and don't get too ambitious just yet; this is a hobby that will last a lifetime.


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## nathancurl (Jun 20, 2013)

No. About 2 weeks ago, ich killed 4 neons, 1 black skirt tetra, and my sterbai cory. I washed the tank, and I've had it cycing for about a week, and I have some quick start. That was not my first tank, my other one had everythingd die and the tank broke. That was a long time ago, though.


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## rtmaston (Jul 14, 2012)

neon tetra looks good


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## nathancurl (Jun 20, 2013)

No luck with neons. Anyways, everything is back in the tank. I don't know if I should get bleeding heart tetras, serpae tetras, hatchetfish, or other schoolers, and maybe a bumblebee catfish. I also want to get some plants, probably some crypt wendii and/or java ferns. Anybody have recommendations on the fish?


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## nathancurl (Jun 20, 2013)

No neons. Maybe black neons or cardinals but no neons. I am thinking bleeding heart tetras, serpae tetras, hatchetfish, or any (preferably Amazonian) schoolers you reccomend. Yesterday I put everything back in, and got all my wisdom teeth and a molar extracted today, so I won't be buying today and probably not tommorow.

*Edit:
I am using my iPod and it didn't show my other comment, sorry


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Moved thread.


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## Aquasafe (Jan 31, 2012)

Welcome to the forum!


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