Hi, everyone!
I'm relatively new to the fish community. After a fairly sad experience, due to inexperience and overstocking (and unexpected breeding, which led to further overstocking), I've decided that if I really would like to have fish in my life, I need to make sure they're being cared for as best I can provide. The best way to do that seems to be getting advice from people who already know what they're doing! Haha
A while ago when I decided I wanted a tank, I bought a 10 gallon starter kit, which I feel a lot of Aquarium Novice do. So, I'm looking for general information about a tank this size. Like, what kind of fish and how many can I stock in my tank safely without putting the fish at risk? Is it possible to do a community in a tank this small? Snails? Shrimp? Should I keep plants with these fish and if so, what kind? Stuff like that.
Any other general information for a tank this size would also be useful.
Thank in advance!
So first off you need to let your tank cycle. In natural water based environments the water is usually always changing and full of bacteria beneficial to fish, in an aquarium you have a still environment with only a filter to create a water flow. Tanks require a beneficial bacteria colony that break down nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia that is naturally produced by fish waste/urine and what they naturally excrete, along with uneaten food and decomposing plant matter. When these things build up in the water they become toxic to fish and can lead to fish illness and fish death. The safest bet is to do a fishless cycle if you don't want to risk the lives of any other fish.
Here is a handy link that I've relied on in the past when I first got into the hobby
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling-148283.html
Another GREAT way to start the process is if you know someone with a healthy, established fresh water tank that doesn't mind parting with some filter media for your ten gallon tank. Make sure they put it in a baggy or sealed container like tupperware with some of their aquarium water and they keep it at room temperature until you can get to the filter media. Don't freeze or refrigerate or let it get dry. Most of the beneficial bacteria lives inside the filter, not just the gravel, water, and decorations. I would also recommend picking up a water test kit. Don't waste money on strips as they don't last long. API freshwater test kit is very reliable and lasts practically forever which isn't bad for 30$, whereas I've seen boxes of 24 count test strips and you only get one use per test strip and the box costs about 15$ at walmart. You can also go to your LFS (local fish store) that offers free water testing with samples of your water in sealed containers. Most stores like petsmart and petco use test strips but its better than nothing if you can't spare the money on a test kit right now. Make sure they give you exact numbers that they write down. I've had lazy employees tell me "it's all good" before and then two days later I'd have fish going belly up from spikes in the water that were "all good."
Now stocking is going to be an issue. Even if you do get your cycle completed you shouldn't add five fish at once, this will create a bio-load that your new bacteria colony can't keep up with, resulting in unstable water parameters and potentially create fish illness and even require you to recycle your tank. Your tank is small, so you want to go with smaller fish that don't require lots of swimming room like danios that like to dart back and forth in schools. Fish that get too large will also outgrow the tank, despite the misconception that big pet stores give when they say "fish only grow as large as their tank." It's your choice but I think perhaps a single betta and maybe some bottom dwelling fish like 4-5 corydora catfish would make a nice tank. If you have plants it would be even better! Cory cats do prefer softer water though (alkalinity/hardiness) so before you decide on these bottom dwellers look up your water hardiness online for your area if you run on city water not well water. You can find the info on your local water authority's website.
I found this small guide on google with some tips on species stocking, but you should be able to find better guides if you do a bit of research yourself, other folks on here know their stuff so they could probably suggest something better.
http://www.ratemyfishtank.com/blog/the-top-choices-for-stocking-a-10-gallon-tank
I hope I at least answered a few questions for you and that other people here can provide more (or better, lol) info than I. Oh and as for plants, I only just started but I've got three thriving anubias plants in my tanks and they are practically immortal. Very hardy and easy to care for. Welcome to the forum and best of luck!
