Is my 10 gallon Tank Over Stocked

Hi Y'all. I fnally cycled my Aqueon 10 gallon All In One. I am running the prepacked Filter and I bought a adjustable heater. Not using the cheap cartridges. DIY media: Fluval BioMax Ceramic rings sm. mesh pouch, Marineland Ammonia Neutralizing Zeolite blend Activated Carbon sm. pouch and cut to fit Poly Filter Dbl. bonded Floss to use as a filter. I have an airstone for extra oxygen circulation. It is a planted with nutrient dirt substrate. I have 1 Betta, 3 Cory's, 3 ghost shrimp and a small juvanile Otto Cat. Yesterday, Ammonia was 0.25 ppm, Nitrite 0.25 ppm and Nitrate 10.0 ppm. I did a 50% water change last night with Prime, Spring water (tap is awful). Tested fine this morning. I did my headcount, everyone became alert to the front of the glass to feed. Little brine shrimp, sm. amount of bloodworms. I watch till all is gone. They are active and happy. Plants are Java Fern, Anubius in the driftwood and banana plants.
Could I add a pair of sm. growing calm fish or am I maxed out? How do I post my YouTube Video? Thank you. Betta Mom

To be honest, the tank is fine for just the betta and shrimps (provided the betta doesn't eat them). Cories and otos are both shoaling fish and should be in groups of at least 6 each, but 10 gallons is not big enough for these shoals. The smallest of the cory species need to be in groups of at least 10, and there is also the problem of growing enough algae in a small tank to feed a shoal of otos. Not all otos will eat eat algae wafers.

I cannot think of any fish that can be kept as a pair in a 10 gallon tank with a betta. Most fish suitable for this sized tank are very small shoaling fish which can't be kept as pairs. And the betta would see tiny fish as potential food; even if he didn't eat them he would doubtless chase them which would stress the small fish.

You are at the limit by having a Betta, as this is not a community fish so best on his own. Cories should be no trouble with him, though this is not always the case, so watch out if he takes to nipping them. Same with the oto.

What cory species? A larger group, five minimum, is recommended, but this is only a 10g tank.

The ammonia/nitrite may be due to the soil, keep an eye on these.

Byron said:

You are at the limit by having a Betta, as this is not a community fish so best on his own. Cories should be no trouble with him, though this is not always the case, so watch out if he takes to nipping them. Same with the oto.

What cory species? A larger group, five minimum, is recommended, but this is only a 10g tank.

The ammonia/nitrite may be due to the soil, keep an eye on these.

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Thank you, what is it about the soil relative to the ammonia/nitrite? The plants are thriving as I put 6 Flourish tabs in the soil 3 weeks ago. The betta is a female, and she was young very young when I bought her. I adopted 1 albino cory and a shrimp. Someone had them in with a male Betta. He killed 3 of the ghost shrimp. So I bought 2 albino corys, now there are 3, and 2 shrimp, now there are 3. The otto is a young, small vivacious little fish. He seems to be doing well atm. He has a nice tiny belly, so he has enough food for his size. As he gets bigger, if I have to I'll find a home for him. She accepted her tank mates. She rules the roost but very easy going. There are no issues over food. I feed her first as she greets me at the surface. I monitor them at every meal.
So, I guess my tank is at it max bio-load. Thank you.

essjay said:

To be honest, the tank is fine for just the betta and shrimps (provided the betta doesn't eat them). Cories and otos are both shoaling fish and should be in groups of at least 6 each, but 10 gallons is not big enough for these shoals. The smallest of the cory species need to be in groups of at least 10, and there is also the problem of growing enough algae in a small tank to feed a shoal of otos. Not all otos will eat eat algae wafers.

I cannot think of any fish that can be kept as a pair in a 10 gallon tank with a betta. Most fish suitable for this sized tank are very small shoaling fish which can't be kept as pairs. And the betta would see tiny fish as potential food; even if he didn't eat them he would doubtless chase them which would stress the small fish.

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I so appreciate the education. My male Betta is by himself in his own habitat. I nursed him for a good month or so as he had fin and tail rot, then pop eye. That eye clouded. His fins are fully healed with new growth, the cloud film is gone but he is blind in that eye. He and I have a special bond.

It is my female Betta in this 10 gallon with these tank mates. The corys are fun to watch as they play with each other. She is easy going, non agressive. She only flares when I let her exercise her gills in a mirror. Thank you for the info, and I see that my tank is full. They all have their space and happy for now. I love that I have members like yourself to help the newbies like me.

I hadn't realised the betta was female, though they can be as bad as males, and sometimes worse. I would not risk keeping even a female betta with other fish.

Albino cories are not one of the dwarf species of cory. They are albino bronze cories, or possibly one other species (but I have forgotten which it is ) Bronze cories, standard or albino, need a tank with a footprint of 80 x 30 cm ( 31.5 x 12 inches) and at least 6 of them. I'm afraid a 10 gallon tank is just too small for them.
And otos need to be in a bigger group as well.

Not sure about the carbon unless you plan on constantly changing it out. I stopped using it. Probably won't need the ammonia media after it cycles. I'd just double up on the ceramic rings for more bio-load. Every betta is different. You never kno who they'll tolerate so you'll have to experiment. Rather than focus on who the betta will harass, think about which tankmates won't fin-nip the betta. Growing fish out together helps them to tolerate each other. Just don't miss any feedings and they shouldn't see each other as food. If you can afford more plants I'd do it or maybe source some from nature or even certain houseplants can work in there. A pothos in your filter will help with water conditions for more fish but bear in mind they suck up nutrients for your other plants. Also why use prime if you're already using spring water? I also use spring water and never add anything to it. My fish are quite healthy. Keep on rockin!

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dohaver said:

Thank you, what is it about the soil relative to the ammonia/nitrite? The plants are thriving as I put 6 Flourish tabs in the soil 3 weeks ago. The betta is a female, and she was young very young when I bought her. I adopted 1 albino cory and a shrimp. Someone had them in with a male Betta. He killed 3 of the ghost shrimp. So I bought 2 albino corys, now there are 3, and 2 shrimp, now there are 3. The otto is a young, small vivacious little fish. He seems to be doing well atm. He has a nice tiny belly, so he has enough food for his size. As he gets bigger, if I have to I'll find a home for him. She accepted her tank mates. She rules the roost but very easy going. There are no issues over food. I feed her first as she greets me at the surface. I monitor them at every meal.
So, I guess my tank is at it max bio-load. Thank you.

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Essjay has responded re the female betta, I agree. With cories you may be OK. Cory and oto are both shoaling fish, meaning they live in and need a group of their own species. But your 10g tank is seriously limiting this. I would leave the oto or return it, but not get more. The cories, another two would be best for them, and you can manage this, though it is not what I would recommend for this small a tank. But the welfare of the fish themselves is more important, and keeping up with partial water changes (half the tank minimum, once a week) and not overfeeding, you should be OK.

To the soil and ammonia question. "Soil" when it is actual dirt soil is full of organics. Once it gets wet in the aquarium, it will release CO2 and ammonia from the decomposing organics. This is why soil is recommended for planted tanks, because of the initial release of CO2 especially. However, that has risks for fish, and fish can very easily bee poisoned by the ammonia. The CO2 if not used by the plants might also cause problems for the fish. But it is the ammonia that is the most critical aspect. This can last for up to six months, which is why many sources recommending soil will also suggest no fish for six months.

There really is no benefit at all to soil beyond the initial CO2 release. Any minerals in the soil will get depleted fairly rapidly, and in any case you can add these with substrate tabs and/or liquid fertilizer. After several months, any inert substrate will build up sufficient organics to provide CO2 for plants in a low-tech or natural planted tank, and this is more controlled than the soil. If one has a high-tech "aquatic garden" set-up, things are different as these use more intense lighting and diffused CO2 in balance.

Wow, this is great stuff. I have been watching YouTube videos on fish keeping, but I wasn't getting enough info about the soil. I have been putting Seachem Flourish Tabs in the soil. The plants are green and my banana plants are growing root. The Java Fern are growing. I have a small cluster of a hornwart plant on the surface and an air stone under it. I have driftwood with Anubias growing from it. My female Betta was very young when I got her and she readily accepted her albino Corys. She ignores the shrimp. I don't over feed, but I make sure everyone gets enough food. Even the Ghost Shrimp get their fair share. The baby Otto is happy for now. He has enough Algae as he has a nice little white belly. Everyone has their own space and the 3 Corys sleep together. All the tank mates get along for now. If I must return the Otto I will if he outgrows the tank. I keep the tank floor clean with a turkey baster. I test my ammonia, nitrites and nitrates everyday. 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrites, but I can't seem to get my nitrates to 0. It is either 5 or 10 ppm. I do 25% water changes
I think I will add more ceramic rings. I use Fluval BioMax Ceramic, Marineland Ammonia Neutralizing Zeolite blend Activated Carbon and I cut to fit Poly Filter Dbl. bonded Floss to use as a filter. The filters are cheaply made so I improvise with my DIY media in the filter. So, what do you suggest I do about the nitrates. The tank is a little over a month old. Picture of my tank and female betta.
Thank you in advance

I would forget the zeolite-carbon mix. Zeolite removes ammonia, but you don't need that if you have lots of plants and enough filter bacteria. Zeolite gets full and stops reabsorbing ammonia, unless you replace it before it gets full. This will work out expensive over time. It would be much better to use the space for another media eg sponge.


Be careful about watching YouTube videos. A lot of them are almost as bad as fish shop advice - people who don't know what they are doing but sound as though they are experts.

Yes you have to be careful about advice on the net and youtube.


Youtube will tell you this is ok.

Youtube will tell you this is Ok


With youtube videos always read the comments

Have you tested your tap water for nitrates?
Staying in the range of 5-10 ppm is absolutely fine. If your tap water is somewhere around 5ppm keep doing what you are doing. If its close do 0 then you may want to consider more frequent or bigger water changes.

There are no hard and fast rules about how much of an increase is acceptable but with plants in the tank I wouldn't expect it to go up by much between changes.

FWIW I change 30-50% twice a week and my nitrate is about the same before and after the change. Not suggesting that's what you need to do, just an example.

Did you know that if your Ammonia is 1 and you only change 50% of the water you Ammonia will drop to .5? But if you change 75% it drops to .25?

I used Ammonia as an example but the same formula applies to Nitrite and Nitrate.

This assumes that your fresh water has 0 readings to start with.

BTW, congrats on winning Tank of the Month.

I'll do a water nitrate test of my tap water before I use Prime. Then I'll test nitrate directly after I do a 25% water change, record it. The next day, test again once the cycle adjust and see what I get. If it stays steady between .05 to .20 ppm that may be the norm because of my plants and wood in there. In the tank, my pH is about 7.0 to 7.2, my ammonia is 0 and nitrites are 0. The fish, shrimp and the otto are very active during the day. The Corys will take short rests during the day and then start grazing again. The betta swims the perameter, top, mid water and the bottom. The shrimp swim around and 2 have already sloft of their skin. One Cory is full size, 1 is mid and one is smaller. The Betta is matured and full size. The otto is healthy and small. As he grows and my water tests fluctuate negatively, I'll find him a new home, or give him back to where I bought him. So thats my fish load. I wanted to give you an overview of what I have going on.

Thanks.

Then I'll test nitrate directly after I do a 25% water change, record it.

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Because of Prime and products like it that bind things like Ammonia Nitrite and Nitrate doing a test straight after will give you a reading of zero every time if the product is doing its job properly and you used the correct amount.

This quote is from Seachem Primes tech support.

Prime will bind ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate for 24-48 hours. At which point, if they are still present, will be released. Of course, we are more concerned with ammonia and nitrites, rather than nitrates.

http://www.seachem.com/support/forums/forum/general-discussion/1803-prime-questions

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The only safe way to remove Ammonia nitrite and Nitrate is by doing bigger water changes.

Have a look at this
http://www.fishforums.net/threads/a...n-water-chemistry-simulation-must-see.447571/