New 10 Gallon scape - recommendations!

[Cromid]

Hey guys, thought I’d share my new 10 gallon scape I’m working on and wondered if you had any recommendations on two subjects!

First is for emergent plants that could live at the waters edge/creep up the wood, and up high out of the back. Ideally I’d love to have the full back of the tank growing plants to really give it that paludarium feel. Currently have a couple of ferns and a pothos but would love to add some more different varieties that could either grow up out of the water, or houseplants that could grow with their roots in water.

Second is what inhabitants you think would look great in this small tank. Currently it’s not running a heater but I do have a small one I could easily add.
Water is soft. Ph around 7.
Obviously it’s a small tank, so I’m limited, and probably the obvious choices would be a betta if heated and cold water mountain minnows/zebra danios if not.
But what do you think?

 

[Uberhoust]

The tank looks great, I wish I was that creative. Assuming it is a 10 gallon aquarium and you only have it half full with lots of hardscape I have a hard time thinking of a fish that would work. You might want to consider some Neocardian (spelling is off) shrimp. Hopefully you will get some other responses. Good luck.

 

[Cromid]

The tank looks great, I wish I was that creative. Assuming it is a 10 gallon aquarium and you only have it half full with lots of hardscape I have a hard time thinking of a fish that would work. You might want to consider some Neocardian (spelling is off) shrimp. Hopefully you will get some other responses. Good luck.

Thanks so much! Ah no I used to have it about an inch from the top and that was 15 gallon, but I don’t trust the sealant or glass to really hold that much water anymore, it’s not the thickest glass in the world, so filling it to where it is now it’s 10gallons.

 

[Wills]

This is looking really cool I have a 8 gallon shalllow tank that’s quite similar. You have some good terrestrial plants already but a few I’ve wanted to try in mine are asparagus fern and umbrella ferns not kept them but seen them on plant life project on YouTube and they look great.

Fish wise I’d go for something like some bright coloured killifish lots of colour and not too big but not too small. I don’t think schooling fish look good in shallow tanks and probs best to keep puddle fish that won’t mind the lack of height and will appreciate all the over hanging vegetation.

 

[Ed Pursell]

You could always go with something like Fire Belly Toads.. I have a 10 gallon tank with three, all you need is to set half the tank or so with rocks some moss to give the a place to rest. Tank looks great!.. You just want an area for the toads to be able to sit, rest, and eat. I have a corner filter waterfall so my water is filtered, lots of room for these guys to enjoy.
Here’s a crappy picture, but you’ll get it. They are over 3 years old.

 

[Byron]

That is a lovely aquascape, indeed. Nice work.

You have scores of fish options. The length I assume is 24 inches (60 cm) if it is a standard 15g. And 10 gallons of water as set up. Correct me if wrong.

Is the substrate sand?

And "soft" water...what is the GH number just so we know exactly how "soft" it is. This will be especially important here because the nano fish will likely be wild caught, and even if not, their metabolism is more sensitive that larger fish.

I'll have options when I know the above data.

 

[Cromid]

This is looking really cool I have a 8 gallon shalllow tank that’s quite similar. You have some good terrestrial plants already but a few I’ve wanted to try in mine are asparagus fern and umbrella ferns not kept them but seen them on plant life project on YouTube and they look great.

Fish wise I’d go for something like some bright coloured killifish lots of colour and not too big but not too small. I don’t think schooling fish look good in shallow tanks and probs best to keep puddle fish that won’t mind the lack of height and will appreciate all the over hanging vegetation.

Thanks for the plant reccomendations I’ll give those a source and see if they’ll work! Ooh I hadn’t ever thought of Killifish, I know they’re abit harder to find (or atleast my lfs doesn’t have them), but that could be cool!

 

[Cromid]

You could always go with something like Fire Belly Toads.. I have a 10 gallon tank with three, all you need is to set half the tank or so with rocks some moss to give the a place to rest. Tank looks great!.. You just want an area for the toads to be able to sit, rest, and eat. I have a corner filter waterfall so my water is filtered, lots of room for these guys to enjoy.
Here’s a crappy picture, but you’ll get it. They are over 3 years old.

I always wonder about whether they’d jump out haha or how good they are at climbing. I’d hate for them to climb up the wood and get out that’s awesome though!

 

[Cromid]

That is a lovely aquascape, indeed. Nice work.

You have scores of fish options. The length I assume is 24 inches (60 cm) if it is a standard 15g. And 10 gallons of water as set up. Correct me if wrong.

Is the substrate sand?

And "soft" water...what is the GH number just so we know exactly how "soft" it is. This will be especially important here because the nano fish will likely be wild caught, and even if not, their metabolism is more sensitive that larger fish.

I'll have options when I know the above data.

Thanks Byron! It’s 80cm long - it’s sold as a turtle tank believe it or not. I don’t see a turtle staying small enough to live in it very long though.

The substrate is sand yeah.

And the water ppm is 18.7 according to my water supply company’s data.

 

[Wills]

Thanks for the plant reccomendations I’ll give those a source and see if they’ll work! Ooh I hadn’t ever thought of Killifish, I know they’re abit harder to find (or atleast my lfs doesn’t have them), but that could be cool!

I think they would be cool but any kind of fish that does not need to school but has enough colour or personality by itself or in a small group would be good. One of the small Gourami species might be good in your soft water?

 

[Slaphppy7]

Very nice setup

What are those beige colored pieces under the bottom corners of the tank?

 

[Byron]

Thanks Byron! It’s 80cm long - it’s sold as a turtle tank believe it or not. I don’t see a turtle staying small enough to live in it very long though.

The substrate is sand yeah.

And the water ppm is 18.7 according to my water supply company’s data.

Good. I assume the GH unit is ppm (not dH), so this is very soft, 1 dH equivalent. And the pH will become acidic. Lots of options, but before I get to a few that I know well, I will mention killifish as someone else suggested, a group of fish well suited (some of them) but one I have had next to nil experience with so I;ll leave them to other members.

Sometimes it is tricky to cover all water levels in a quite small tank, but it is possible. For the substrate, a group of 12-15 (or more) of one of the dwarf cory species, Corydoras pygmaeus, C. habrosus, even C. hastatus. I would say 15 is about minimum, up to 25 or 30 as you like. Do not mix species. There are some other substrate fish less well known to me, some dwarf cyprinid species from SE Asia. Others can fill in names here.

For mid and upper levels, the dwarf rasbora species in Boraras are very colourful, all red-hued. Or from SA you could have the Ember Tetra Hyphessobrycon amandae which is orange-red. Some of the pencilfish would thrive in this aquascape, consider Nannostomus marginatus, N. mortenthaleri, or the very recently discovered brilliant red species that is available in the hobby but so far not described [I posted about this in the characin forum here a few months back, here is the link:

New Characids discovered

Oliver Lucanus introduces several new tetras and yet another red pencilfish.

www.fishforums.net

A group of 12-20 of whichever sp[ecies. There is also N. eques which swims at an oblique angle and remains basically at the surface, and is very sedate so well suited for this setup. From the hatchetfish, the species in Carnegiella would each work very well, but not the larger and more active species in either Gasteropelecus or Thoracocharax. Carnegiella strigata (marble), C. marthae or C. myersi. A group of 12-15 of whichever, up to maybe 20.

The above are suitable species with suitable numbers, not all of them obviously, but you could do the cories, a hatchetfish, and one or two of the mid-level species.

 

[Cromid]

Good. I assume the GH unit is ppm (not dH), so this is very soft, 1 dH equivalent. And the pH will become acidic. Lots of options, but before I get to a few that I know well, I will mention killifish as someone else suggested, a group of fish well suited (some of them) but one I have had next to nil experience with so I;ll leave them to other members.

Sometimes it is tricky to cover all water levels in a quite small tank, but it is possible. For the substrate, a group of 12-15 (or more) of one of the dwarf cory species, Corydoras pygmaeus, C. habrosus, even C. hastatus. I would say 15 is about minimum, up to 25 or 30 as you like. Do not mix species. There are some other substrate fish less well known to me, some dwarf cyprinid species from SE Asia. Others can fill in names here.

For mid and upper levels, the dwarf rasbora species in Boraras are very colourful, all red-hued. Or from SA you could have the Ember Tetra Hyphessobrycon amandae which is orange-red. Some of the pencilfish would thrive in this aquascape, consider Nannostomus marginatus, N. mortenthaleri, or the very recently discovered brilliant red species that is available in the hobby but so far not described [I posted about this in the characin forum here a few months back, here is the link:

New Characids discovered

Oliver Lucanus introduces several new tetras and yet another red pencilfish.

www.fishforums.net

A group of 12-20 of whichever sp[ecies. There is also N. eques which swims at an oblique angle and remains basically at the surface, and is very sedate so well suited for this setup. From the hatchetfish, the species in Carnegiella would each work very well, but not the larger and more active species in either Gasteropelecus or Thoracocharax. Carnegiella strigata (marble), C. marthae or C. myersi. A group of 12-15 of whichever, up to maybe 20.

The above are suitable species with suitable numbers, not all of them obviously, but you could do the cories, a hatchetfish, and one or two of the mid-level species.

Wow thanks so much Byron for such a comprehensive list and breakdown for what could work! I really appreciate it! I have always loved cories and their personalities so a big group of the dwarf variety would be really fun to watch.

I’ve not kept pencilfish or hatchetfish before so both would be a new challenge. I’ll definitely have a read up on the fish you’ve mentioned and hopefully create a nice little community tank across them all!

 

[Byron]

Your water is bang on perfect for the fish I mentioned, as is the aquascape. The Frogbit will spread and that will be needed as none of these fish appreciate overhead light.

 

[Cromid]

Very nice setup

What are those beige colored pieces under the bottom corners of the tank?

Those wee rectangular pieces, they’re small stands for the tank. They are stuck on each corner to raise the bottom of the tank ever so slightly. The tank actually had foam under it anyway so they aren’t really doing anything tbh