10g tank stocking ideas?

The aqadvisor site is really useful! I've been having a hard time figuring out safe stocking so this is an almost literal blessing

I was hoping to have a large school of rasboras but I'm not comfortable with that 101% stock level


Would this be a little better? I'm hoping the rasboras will eat enough of the shrimp fry so that the population remains constant and doesn't boom. I'm open to playing with the numbers of either species, and possibly removing the nerite
@WhistlingBadger

Quin said:

The aqadvisor site is really useful! I've been having a hard time figuring out safe stocking so this is an almost literal blessing
View attachment 105964
I was hoping to have a large school of rasboras but I'm not comfortable with that 101% stock level

View attachment 105965
Would this be a little better? I'm hoping the rasboras will eat enough of the shrimp fry so that the population remains constant and doesn't boom. I'm open to playing with the numbers of either species, and possibly removing the nerite
@WhistlingBadger

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The problem with Aqadvisor is that it is basically impossible to factor all the individual aspects in to a programme. If you have floating plants (as you need for these fish) you are ahead of the numbers game.

If you only have the rasboras, i would definitely consider 20. I had a 10g running for a year as an experiment of sorts...no filter, no light (in front of a window), just the heater. I had 11 or 12 Boraras brigittae, 9 Corydoras pygmaeus, and more Malaysian Livebearing Snails than I could count! If I were doing this now, I would have more of both fish species than I had then.

Have you considered a group of pygmy cories? They do add interest.

While that site is useful in some ways there are some major flaws in their algorithm. That site assures me that my 15G is well overstocked if I only include my cherry shrimp. It also tells me I am well overstocked if I only include my malaysian trumpet snails. I am not saying ignore it and go crazy - but your shrimp population will increase and that really is ok. The important thing is to ensure you have pleny of live plants and regular substantial water changes - this is especially important in smaller tanks.

Byron said:

The problem with Aqadvisor is that it is basically impossible to factor all the individual aspects in to a programme. If you have floating plants (as you need for these fish) you are ahead of the numbers game.

If you only have the rasboras, i would definitely consider 20. I had a 10g running for a year as an experiment of sorts...no filter, no light (in front of a window), just the heater. I had 11 or 12 Boraras brigittae, 9 Corydoras pygmaeus, and more Malaysian Livebearing Snails than I could count! If I were doing this now, I would have more of both fish species than I had then.

Have you considered a group of pygmy cories? They do add interest.

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That is fair. I do plan on moving overgrown salvinia from my betta tank to this imaginary tank (if the salivina ever GETS here) once its set up, and I'll very likely have it planted well, if not heavily. I would love to see 20 rasboras as long as it's not too much in the tank in addition to all of the shrimp.

Also, pygmy cories are excessively cute I do believe I'll be doing some research on them. Knowing that I'll have around 10-15 cherry shrimp and a nerite, what are the best numbers for dwarf rasboras and pygmy cories to keep them in a comforable group number while keeping the tank understocked? The number of shrimp is flexible as well

I kept 6 African Dwarf Frogs in a 10 gallon with a couple random small snails.
Theyre easy to keep entertaining to watch when kept in a species tank. Dont do well with fish. Probably wont eat small shrimp like cherry shrimp but will definitely eat shrimplets.

I think what byron says is good. In a 10 gallon while it is cramped for some fish these are really small fish that do better in large groups, so it would be ok. They also occupy different levels of the tank

JuiceBox52 said:

I think what byron says is good. In a 10 gallon while it is cramped for some fish these are really small fish that do better in large groups, so it would be ok. They also occupy different levels of the tank

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I agree. I do think I may skip the cories for this tank (if I ever go through with it, of course) so that I can stock more rasboras and shrimp, and then more cories in a larger tank in the future.

I also can't believe I've never seen a dwarf cory before. I just spent several minutes looking them up and excitedly showing my friends. They may top otocinclus and plecos as my favorite fish now. I'm also calling into question what it is that makes bottom dwellers and catfish so appealing to me as I literally fall in love with all of them immediately

Quin said:

I agree. I do think I may skip the cories for this tank (if I ever go through with it, of course) so that I can stock more rasboras and shrimp, and then more cories in a larger tank in the future.

I also can't believe I've never seen a dwarf cory before. I just spent several minutes looking them up and excitedly showing my friends. They may top otocinclus and plecos as my favorite fish now. I'm also calling into question what it is that makes bottom dwellers and catfish so appealing to me as I literally fall in love with all of them immediately

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I fall in love with them too! I love them

Yep, like I said, Aqadvisor is pretty convervative. I think it is geared toward beginners with unplanted tanks, and it will always give you a pretty thinly stocked tank. I do use it as a starting point with new tanks. As long as it's close, it's probably OK. You'll be fine with 20 micros. Their bioload is so miniscule that a few more won't make a difference. Same with natural reproduction of the shrimp. As long as it's gradual, the plants and filtration should easily handle it.

Byron said:

Yes. The low GH means less dissolved calcium, and this is the issue...making it more susceptible to other problems which usually kill it before the calcium does, but it is all due to the same problem, GH.

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That works the other way, too. When I first started keeping rainbowfish a few years ago, they kept coming down with opportunistic infections, especially columnaris. After some water testing and research (which I should have done before getting the fish), I found out that my water was far too soft for rainbows. I started adding epsom salt and brought the hardness up to 15 degrees. That was two years ago, and I haven't had a problem with them since.