Your home does not have a built-in water softener for tap water, correct?
Who has tested your water hardness in the past?
10 gallon stocking
- Thread starter ZanaZoola14
- Start date
Who has tested your water hardness in the past?
If you have harder water and want a micro rasbora type check out Galaxy Rasbora or Emerald Rasbora both would do awesome in a 10 gallon tank, an other slightly rarer option would be Microrasbora Rubescens the Dwarf Red Rasbora. Mix these with some Cherry and Amano Shrimp and it will be a great tank. If you wanted any other bottom dwellers, the best option are Rosy Loaches, Inle Loaches or Oil Catfish 
Or if you wanted a couple of feature fish with the school 2-3 male Endlers could add something different to the school.
I think I'd do a 3 male Endlers, school of 10 Emerald Rasboras, 5 Cherry Shrimp, 5 Amano Shrimp. The Rasboras may breed but eggs will likely get eaten, the Endlers should be male so no problem, the Amanos cant breed in freshwater but the Cherries may breed over time.
Wills
Or if you wanted a couple of feature fish with the school 2-3 male Endlers could add something different to the school. I think I'd do a 3 male Endlers, school of 10 Emerald Rasboras, 5 Cherry Shrimp, 5 Amano Shrimp. The Rasboras may breed but eggs will likely get eaten, the Endlers should be male so no problem, the Amanos cant breed in freshwater but the Cherries may breed over time.
Wills
ZanaZoola14
Fish Fanatic
I believe not, but different parts of my town are supplied by different pipes and have differences in the water only slightly.
I believe my house is to old to have one.
I've taken it to fishing store, aquatic stores, normal pet shops, the people from Anglian Water have tested, I've used API master test and Tetra 6-in-1 test strips.
ZanaZoola14
Fish Fanatic
I've got galaxies in my 105ltr, and a 27ltr and 300ltr with enders and various other livebearers.If you have harder water and want a micro rasbora type check out Galaxy Rasbora or Emerald Rasbora both would do awesome in a 10 gallon tank, an other slightly rarer option would be Microrasbora Rubescens the Dwarf Red Rasbora. Mix these with some Cherry and Amano Shrimp and it will be a great tank. If you wanted any other bottom dwellers, the best option are Rosy Loaches, Inle Loaches or Oil Catfish
I think I'd do a 3 male Endlers, school of 10 Emerald Rasboras, 5 Cherry Shrimp, 5 Amano Shrimp. The Rasboras may breed but eggs will likely get eaten, the Endlers should be male so no problem, the Amanos cant breed in freshwater but the Cherries may breed over time.
Wills
I've tried amanos, but keep being sold whisker shrimp instead so have given up with them.
Got plenty of cherries, one of my colonies is in their currently - built from culls from the other tanks.
Maybe one of the small Rainbows would give you something new then? For small tanks like this with hard water my go to 3 ideas are Dwarf Puffers, Lake Inle or Shell Dwellers but I think they have been discounted now?
Have you thought of Rummy Nose Rasboras?
Wills
ZanaZoola14
Fish Fanatic
I kept pacific, blue-spotted and forktails previously in various tanks. However, I want to locate red neons.
No, I hadn't, although I believe they are a shoaler and would probably appreciate a more extended tank than mine?
My apologies, I think I mixed you up with someone else
Beastije
Fish Addict
I dont envy you, you are pretty much in the same situation I am. Have multiple tanks, over the years had multiple fish, now want something different or at least something I dont currently have, and coming up short.
You may end up like me and opt for a bigger tank, cause 10 gallon is hard to work with if one doesnt want just the basics... You could go in a way of a trio of honey gourami (1 male, 2 females) and get an interesting snail. Or get few african dwarf frogs, though you may want to reduce the plants. Or get the peapuffers, but I am still confused if they are soltiary fish or fish to be kept in group,I read articles about both. If you decide to get puffers, you should get a plant jar and start breeding snails in advance
A 20g would be better but just trying to think of species for you.
It is really hard to find good hard water fish, the more I've read about it the more confused I get. I'm even down to the levels of working out what countries and regions have limestone mountains and which lakes feed from the run off. Its also looking for fish from areas close to estuaries and brackish waters. Its long winding wetland rivers, like the Amazon, where the organic processes soften the water and that don't start from mountain sources, areas prone to flooding are just a collection of super soft rainwater. And those are the areas that we (hardwater people) need to avoid. But even then there are a handful of fish with huge distribution to almost coastal waters that get cited with hardness ranges into the 250ppm+ like Oil Catfish, X-Ray Tetras and Humbug Catfish.
I have some areas in the hobby that I enjoy having hard water for, like central american cichlids, rainbows and tempted to dip my toes in rift lake cichlids but it is certainly frustrating to say the least. My latest research is leading me towards the mountain streams of Vietnam and Laos which are on limestone hills and bases but thats hard to establish exactly what comes from where.
Wills
I have 2 tanks that border on the 10 gallon size, though the actual water content is a fair bit less due to the extensive aquascape materials. The first, here
is home to 4 Pseudomugil luminatus, 1 male Santa Maria endler that is the last of several I had most of which tried to escape by jumping out, and 2 Scarlett Badis. I have around 6 shrimp including 2 Amano to keep algae control. They all get along with each other very well, as the rainbowfish and endler spend most of their time on the top and the Badis are mainly bottom based.
The other tank of slightly larger dimension is here. It has reflections from another tank showing but is inhabited by around 16 green neon tetras, another pair of Scarlett Badis - the parents of the 2 in the other tank- a couple of otos and half a dozen King Kong Black shrimp. Again they all co-exist very peacefully but these are shy critters so spend a lot of time in among the plants. They really glow in the right light though and are way better than the neon tetra. They aren't as big for a starter.
is home to 4 Pseudomugil luminatus, 1 male Santa Maria endler that is the last of several I had most of which tried to escape by jumping out, and 2 Scarlett Badis. I have around 6 shrimp including 2 Amano to keep algae control. They all get along with each other very well, as the rainbowfish and endler spend most of their time on the top and the Badis are mainly bottom based.
The other tank of slightly larger dimension is here. It has reflections from another tank showing but is inhabited by around 16 green neon tetras, another pair of Scarlett Badis - the parents of the 2 in the other tank- a couple of otos and half a dozen King Kong Black shrimp. Again they all co-exist very peacefully but these are shy critters so spend a lot of time in among the plants. They really glow in the right light though and are way better than the neon tetra. They aren't as big for a starter.
ZanaZoola14
Fish Fanatic
No worries, it happensMy apologies, I think I mixed you up with someone else
ZanaZoola14
Fish Fanatic
This is one of my smallest tanks except for the so-called "time out" tank and fry raising tank. The rest are 20 gallon or above, but running out of room, which is why I now have two ponds including a tropical pond (75-80 gallon) for all my livebearers, danios, shrimp, and wcm.
I've always heard that pea puffers are best together and can get self-destructive on their own. I've been recommended 1male:2female or 3female.
I have tanks that are growing snails by the hundreds for my cories who got a taste for snail.
ZanaZoola14
Fish Fanatic
Alright, good to know.
ZanaZoola14
Fish Fanatic
Alright, thanks. If I was to keep scarlet badis, would you recommend pair or trio, as some recommended to me a trio.
That is a lovely tanks.
What do people see on badis and pea puffers together? Read a lot saying they can. Especially if all female puffers.
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