help the newbie with a 10g tank

[hopkins]

hi there

i have just been given a 10g tank (18" x 12", 12" tall) and i have a few questions as i'm doing all the reading before i even set-up the tank and plunge into the hobby. i know some of you will say the tank is too small, but this is just for starters and to see how i get on

1. what combination of fish should i go for? and in what order should they be added? i want a combo of top, middle and bottom dwellers to make best use of the space. but nothing that gonna outgrow the tank obviously. i like the idea of groups of small lively fish

2. what is the best kind of gravel to go for?

3. real plants or plastic plants? any tips?

4. how long and when should the light be left on for?

5. i know the tank shouldn't be in direct sunlight, but what about at the back of a room that gets a few hours sunlight per day, and the curtains would be drawn all day?

6. backgrounds? does it affect the fish?

7. decorations? large rocks? small plant pots? places for fish to hide if needed?

8. as it's a small tank, i don't want the fish to be breeding like rabbits. suggestions?


thanks for your input. i just wanna make sure i know as much as possible before i start

 

[ste2k3]

HI and to the forum hopkins.

1. this is personal choice and I would sugest finding fish you like and posting them here and we will tell you if they are compatable or not with other fish etc.

2. If you want a naural look, then just fine pea gravel of about 2mm. You could go for a larger grain size but it will make it harder to clean.

3. I prefere real plants but thats your choice. there may be a bit more work involved in keeping real plants but I'm no plant expert so someone else may be able to advise you on plants. With plastic ones on the otherhand, it is just a matter of taking them out to clean every so often.

4. leave the light off while the tank matures. you can then put it on, if you start to get lots of algae (which shouldn't be the case) just turn them back off for a week or so and then put them on for about an hour a day and gradualy build them up to about 10 hours a day. if you'v not got live plants, then you could just put them on for say, 6 hours a day. don't be tempted to put them on for a couple of hours in the morning and then a couple of hours in the afternoon as this will stress the fish.

5. The tank should be finewhere you say. I don't think that you will need to draw the curtains. all it means when it says not direct sunlight is just don't have direct beams of light hitting the tank. natural light will be fine.

6. I would go for a dark blue of black background as I think these look more natural. you could go for a "picture" one if you want. I would definatly get some back ground as it will make the back of the tank a little darkes and give the fish some security.

7. you can use bog wood, rocks plant pots anythink thats none toxic. I would go for pleanty of hiding places and have plantpots facing away from the front glass so the fish can hide if they want to. you may not see them at first but they will start to venture out when settled in.

8. most tetras won't readily breed on there own. mainly, its just live barers such as guppys, mollys, platys etc which do this so if you get all males or all females, then you shouldn't have a problem. or if they do breed, then you could just let nature take its course and let the other fish eat them.

you don't mention a filter or heater. which modles do you have?.

hope this helps, and good luck

ste

 

[Auratus]

Lots of good questions. And unfortunatly with a small tank it's hard to have many groups of fish but I'll try to answer each question the best I can. Here it goes:

1. For top zebra danios are a good fish to go for. They are super fast and like to be in groups. You can pick another type of danio if you want. There are also gold, leapord, blue, zebra, pearl. All of these come in long finned and short finned variety. They are only about .99 depending on your area. For bottom I highly suggest either ghost shrimp or otocinclus. Ghost shrimp stay small, are fun to watch, and almost nothing to bioload and cost about .20 cents. For middle you would want to pick some type of tetra. Neon tetras are great for beginners. You just can't have large schools in a ten gallon. I would say go for 3 danios, 3 otos or ghost shrimp, and 5 neons. That would be very stocked but it's all levels. If you like one fish better then the other just get one and get more of them, that would be the best thing to do.

2. A small round gravel as not to hurt bottom feeders if you deside to get any. Stay away from bright neon colored gravel. Stay with neutral colors like black, brown, or something else like that.

3. For a beginner I would say go with plastic plants. Much easier, maybe you can upgrade your tank later on when you get more into fishkeeping.

4. Light should be left on 8-10 hours. No more. I usually turn mine off when the sun goes down outside and turn them on around 7 in the morning.

5. Sounds good. Background paper on the back of the tank helps to not let the sunlight in.

6. Nope, unless it's really shiny then it might bother them. Don't go with coral or something because you don't have saltwater fish. It's confusing to them.

7. A lot of plants that go from tall in the back and get smaller as they come forward is the best way. Rocks or clay pots look cool too. Just don't get pink or purple plants, go for something natural. It looks way better imo and the fish like it darker. If you are going to get decor don't get like a clam or a coral or something, again it confuses the fishies.

8. Unless you get livebearers you aren't going to have a problem with that. The fish I suggested won't breed. Danios might but they wouldn't hatch as other fish would eat them.

Here are some pictures of the fish I suggested.

Zebra danio. Remember these come in different colors and long fins. I will post pics of the different varieties if you want. Just say the word.

Neon tetra. There are 100's of different varieties to choose from but only a few are common ones that will stay a good size for your tank. Neons are the most common and easiest to care for imo. Glolight tetras are also nice.

Otocinclus. Very cute.

 

[hopkins]

thanks for all the replies

i was actually taken by the zebra danios and neon tetras, so that's cool. and those otocinclus are quite cute too

i've not had a chance to look at the filter and heater yet as it all needs a good clean. with warm water and no soap/detergent, right?

the only thing i'm missing is the lip that goes along the rim of the tank so that the hood fits snugly. can these be bought seperately?

 

[ste2k3]

yep, just clean the filter parts in warm water, no soap etc. when you say lip, do you mean the brace bar ( glass strip inside of the tank. or do you mean something like a condensation tray.?

ste

 

[cherrybarbbaby]

Hi:

Please be careful if you add danios and neon tetras:

Danios are quick moving fish and tend to freak neons out a little becasue tetras hand out in the middle of the tank and Danios run right thru them.

If tetras are happy they will hang out in open space if you find
them in corners or near your plants ...they are not happy.

Tetras do not like corners or plants becasue in the wild they are afraid that bigger fish are hiding in the plants and they will be eaten...so if u see them there, its becasue they were forced not by choice.

Also opinions are split as to whether they are the best beginner fish. If you get neons ask how long they have been in the store. If not that long, wait a bit longer to buy them. Some people find them to be very frail. But I've heard the opposite as well, I just thought you should know.

Zebra Danios-very strong fish for begginers
Also: Danios recognize patterns and will tend not to shoal w/other danios with different marking.

keep 6 of each if you want them in the same tank: Danios can be fin nippers w/o 6 and neons can be very shy if they have less than 6

From researching my fish ..danios w/neons are not the best mix.

I would start w/silk plants until you get some experience. Plants can add an additional complication to your water chem, algae and lighting. I would take it slow.

Have fun and Good luck!!!!!!!

 

[Auratus]

I have zebra and gold danios that school together and I also have them with glowlights. They used to be with glowlights and neons but I moved my neons to my 29 and bought more. They like darker tanks with lots of hiding places. Buy the december issue of aquariumUSA. It's got a four page article on their housing and says that dark well planted tanks are a must. Not to be forced out into the open, hiding is a natural thing for them so because they hide doesn't mean their not happy.

Also, I have kept my different colors of danios with tetras for almost a year and they get along wonderfully, they also are dither fish meaning they swim at the top of the water and since tetras are middle water fish they don't usually colide unless their tank is too small. Also, 6 danios and 6 neons is too much for a ten gallon. Five danios is the max for 10 and maybe some ghost shrimp.

I don't know who's right or wrong here but in my experience the combo has worked well. And since you want fish at all levels it might work well for you too.

 

[ste2k3]

I would say pleanty of hiding places, to see what a fish will want in captivity, we must look at its natural habitat and neons come from areas where there are open swimming spaces but spend most of there time near dense vegeatation.


ste

 

[cherrybarbbaby]

STE2k3: that is a very good point -fish temperment can vary.

Auratus: My post was not saying you are wrong-

1. I believe that I said in my post that I have read the exact opposite information regarding tetra???! and that it is hit or miss. Just because one person has luck with this mix does not mean the next person will.

For example: some say betta fish live great in community tanks but the fact is some dont. ** I was giving both sides of the story instead of giving fast and hard facts about fish combos.**

yeah, as I stated this is just from my experience

2.And I was not saying 12 fish per 10gal I was stated the best size shoal.***


If you take a look at other fish sights I am not the only one with this opinion.

color is not the same as pattern. and yes tetras generally avoid bright light - danios are very active and yes I agree tank size makes a big difference.


If I find my link I will post it because it gives the opposite info.

Just because fish survive in certain comditions does not mean that they are living or happy.



But Fish do have different temperments so as I stated in my previous post...
-----No one is write or wrong---
but when people ask for advice they should be given info from all side so that they can make up their own mind.

Again-Good luck