New 10 gallon fish tank

[mandi]

The reason people are recommending not to put danios in anything smaller than 20 gallon is basically because, first, they need to be kept in groups. I've always read either 5+ or 6+ to a group for them to be happy. Second, although danios don't get TOO big, they're extremely active fish. I used to have 5 of them in my 20-long tank, and they would zip from one end to the other endlessly all day. In a 10 gallon they don't have much room to swim back and foreth. Compare that to, for instance, a grouami -- they are much quieter and just sort of "hang out" in the water, swimming much more slowly.

Almost every fish store (chain stores or local) advises people to cycle with danios, so don't feel bad or anything. There's nothing wrong with it per-say. There's definately two distinct schools of thought with cycling tanks -- some people believe that cycling with fish (particularly danios) is a fine practice. It works well and gets the job done, but then you're left with danios that you don't necessarily want, or that don't necessarily suit your tank. The other school of thought believes that cycling with fish is inhumane or cruel to the fish because it causes ammonia burns and other lingering effects, and that its completely unecessary when you can just use pure ammonia to cycle the tank instead. Some would argue that as long as you monitor your ammonia/nitrate/nitrite levels and keep doing water changes to keep them at appropriate levels, that it really isn't inhumane to the fish. I don't take sides personally -- but it's just 2 different means to the same end.

I think what several others have said will work for you -- return the danios after your cycle is complete and get whatever fish you'd like.

Don't worry about having fake plants and no algae -- tossing in algae wafers (in the fishfood section at the store), cucumbers, lettuce leaves, etc. will take care of that. And someone please correct me if I'm wrong because I'm not 100% positive on this -- but I believe cory cats are more scavengers that eat leftover food and such on the bottom of the tank, they don't really eat algae like the "suckermouth" type of cats (otos, plecos, etc.) do.

I think 1 male dwarf gourami would be very nice and pretty hardy, alternatively you could have 1 or 2 honey gouramis (they stay quite small). Rasboras are also very hardy and I believe they're ok in a 10-gallon (someone correct me if I'm wrong). Neon tetras aren't quite as hardy, but if you can find cardinal tetras they look very simmilar and are a bit hardier I believe. I've had no problems keeping male platys together, and you could mix different color variations (red wags, twinbars, mikey mouses, etc.) to make things interesting! I'm not 100% sure about male guppies, as I've never kept them but I've heard that sometimes a group of male guppies will fight amongst themselves ... but I don't have experience with that so I can't really advise you there.

Good luck with your tank -- I'm sure whatever you decide it will turn out well

 

[sardine]

Thanks. I'll return the danios when the tank is cycled even if I have to be pushy about it. I love platys but I've read they can grow to 4 inches. Would 2 male platys in a 10 gallon be ok? I also like dwarf honey gouramis. Can I keep 3 in a 10 gallon?

 

[Annastasia]

4-5 Pygmy Cories for the top and middle levels...

Annastasia cories are not upper and middle level fish they stick to the base of the tank and sift the sand and gravel

Sorry, ment to say Bottom and Middle. Pygmy Cories are not like regular Cories though. You do not catch these guys doing any sifting. Mine are ALWAYS swimming around the middle of the tank, and going up and down the sides. They are more middle level fish then anything else...

Sardine - 2 Male Platies would fight. They can be aggressive. I BELIEVE you can keep 3 Honey Gouramis...probably only if you have at least one female though.

 

[-*-MicHAeL-*-]

really annastasia LOL i might have to get some then

 

[sylvia]

I agree you should remove the danios once the cycle is complete. You could have used platies instead but a fishless cycle (read link in my signature) is actualy much faster and a lot less stressful for everyone.

Platies only get to about 1.5". Mollies get to 4", swordtails (the females don't have swords so look like elongated platies) get from between 2" to 3". Female swords are sometimes a little larger than that as well and some mollies can get to 6".

Platies would work but males can be a little aggressive. If, however, you were to get 3, the aggression should be spread out enough.

Also, you can keep female bettas if you get a group of at least 4 as aggression is devided.

If you go for honey gouramies (colisa chuna/sota), you need to get a trio of one male and 2 females. If you get 3 males, they'll fight. If you get 2 males and one female, the female will get killed. 3 females is your other option but they are less colorful than males so most people don't do this.

Another option is a single dwarf gourami colsia lalia) male as mentioned. I wouldn't go for a female unless you'll get at least 2 as they do enjoy the company of other (females) of their own kind and aren't territorial like the males. Unfortunately, because they aren't as colorful,f emales are rarely sold. Dwarf gouramies get slightly larger than honeys at 2". Don't confuse the 2 species. Also, dwarf gouramies can be susceptible to internal bacterial infections.

Don't mix the different gouramies or with bettas. Also, don't keep bettas with guppies.

There are some very small fish that would be great in your tank - spotted rasboras get to about 1". A group of at least 6 would be nice. With them, you could get pygmy cories (at least a group of 4) and/or a trio of sparkling gouramies (don't confuse with the larger croakers) or a trio of mosquito fish (heterandria formosa NOT gambusia affinis the western mosquito fish which is larger and mroe aggressive) or a trio of endler's livebearers. When I say 'trio' BTW, I mean 1 male with 2 females. The endler's and mosquito fish are livebearers but you shouldn't have problems with fry if your tank isn't heavily planted as your other fish will eat them. Besides, even if you do get fry, these fish are so small it shouldn't have serious implications and you can always give them to your LFS. Anyway, all these fish get to only about 1" so are perfect for a 10 gallon.

If you'd like a little challenge, there are killifish you could get but research into the various species is key as there are so many and they range widely as to their requirements.

Alternatively, n. multifasciatus is a tiny shell-dwelling cichlid that does well in a small tank like this. Here's a link for you: http/www.cichlidrecipe.com/shellweb/

Lastly, there are small gobies - both freshwater and brackish - that do well in 10 gallon tanks. If you want to know more about them and are interested in keeping some, the oddballs and brackish sections are a good place to start your research.

 

[sardine]

I'm going to go with a trio of male platys. They're hardy, come in many colors and will be beautiful for me and quite interesting for my cats to watch too. They get to be 3 inches so 9 inches of fish in a 10 gallon will work. I like the fact that they look like goldfish in a way but they're better than goldfish.

 

[fishwatcher]

Good luck on your tank! If you ever have any questions/problems, this forum is the best place around!