Starting up first tank

[Artemus]

Hi everyone. I am totally new to this.

How does 6 or 8 gold white cloud minnows and some cherry shrimp sound for a 10 gallon? Is that too much? I could skip the shrimp but I was hoping I could use them as a clean up crew. I don't like snails and I don't think I have enough room for corys. Thanks for any advice. I wish I had got a 20 gallon now but I have limited space.

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Hello there I would say the tank was too small personally. Have you already bought the tank or is this question part of your research?

The advice I'd give to new hobbiests is to learn the nitrogen cycle, accept that (to start with) its better to keep fish that do well in your water rather than buffer your water to keep certain fish and to always buy the biggest tank you can afford and have the space for

 

[Artemus]

I have a 10 and am stuck with that right now unfortunately. I can do partial water changes every week. I have been letting it run with no fish for a few weeks and I am going to get the water tested by the pet shop before I buy the fish.

 

[Essjay]

Letting the tank run does not mean it is safe for fish. The tank needs to grow micro-organisms that will remove the ammonia part of fish waste and to do this we need to add ammonia to the tank so the bacteria grow before fish are put in the tank. This is an explanation of the process.

Cycling Your New Fresh Water Tank: Read This First!

Cycling Your First Fresh Water Tank What is Cycling and Why is it Important? Fish waste, and especially fish breathing, plus uneaten food and other organic matter breaking down in a tank all produce Ammonia. This can quickly become toxic to fish if it is allowed to build up to any measurable...

www.fishforums.net

As CaptianBarnacles said, you also need to match fish's needs with your tap water, and this means hardness. If you are on mains water, your water provider's website should give your hardness - look for a number and the unit of measurement (there are several units they could use) and post the number on here. Members will then be able to suggest fish suited to the tank and your hardness.

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

And just to add...the fish shop people are not your friends and they don't know their butts from their eyebrows a lot of the time. They want your money and a lot don't care how they get it. So their advice, no matter how sincere they seem, should always be taken with a hefty pinch of salt. Save yourself some money and heartache by listening to us here who have been in the hobby for decades we've made all the mistakes so you don't have to!

 

[PygmyPepperJulli]

Agree with all that about cycling

I am not a professional so this is my amateurish opinion (I need to add that to my signature ) but if you like cories you could possibly keep a species-only tank of Pygmy corydoras. I love them (one of my favourite fish) and they have such great personalities, as well as conveniently being able to fit in a 10gal tank. Depending on how many you have (you need a lot, they like friends, I am working through that currently because I don’t have enough) you could maybe add the shrimp as well, but it’s up to you. Another one of my favourites is sparkling gourami, look into them they’re very underated and what I’m considering stocking my 10gal with in the next few months. The only problem with both of these are they’re tropical fish and therefore may need a heater depending on where you live, however they‘re pretty cheap and worth the effort IMO .

Good luck and welcome to the forum!

 

[Artemus]

I like the sparkling gouramis. Can they be kept solo? Could I do that and like 6 corys in a 10? Then add the white cloud minnows when I get a 20 gallon? I definitely trust you guys over the pet shop.

 

[PygmyPepperJulli]

Again, not a professional, this is just what I understand -

1. White cloud minnows and the other fish would be unable to be kept together as they require different temperatures (White clouds are cold water fish I believe)
2. I have kept a sparkling gourami seperate before, but looking back he was quite lonely and should have had some friends. I would suggest a species only tank- pygmies or sparkling
3. With Cories, the more the merrier! 6 is generally accepted as ‘ok’, but the more you have, the happier they are. (For those reader this thread and have read other threads and are calling me a hypocrite, I know my Cory situation is not great, I’m fixing it. OP, I have a mixed batch of Cories).
3. With gouramis (this might not be right) I think you keep them in odd number- a 1 male to 2 female ratio to keep aggression down. Not sure if this applies to sparklers though, IME they seem pretty chill.

If any of this is wrong, sorry experts, but just trying to help out!

Also, this link is very helpful. It’s not perfect, but it’s generally pretty accurate-

http://www.aqadvisor.com/

 

[Artemus]

It is funny because when I went into the pet store to buy the tank I was also thinking about a lone betta. But it was the shop assistant who told me about the wc minnows. She said to avoid the betta. Anyway, I am a long way away from buying fish, and I don't really care what fish I get as long as I can keep it or them alive.

 

[Essjay]

Actually a single male betta would be perfect for this tank, on its own as they are solitary fish - unless you have very hard water. All the fish mentioned so far are soft to middling hardness fish. There are soft water fish and hard water fish suitable for a 10 gallon tank so once we know how hard or soft your water is we can suggest fish.

 

[Artemus]

Actually a single male betta would be perfect for this tank, on its own as they are solitary fish - unless you have very hard water. All the fish mentioned so far are soft to middling hardness fish. There are soft water fish and hard water fish suitable for a 10 gallon tank so once we know how hard or soft your water is we can suggest fish.

Ahhh we do have very hard water around here. I am trying to find the exact number but I know that it is extremely hard. The bettas in that store looked like hell. Maybe that is why she steered me away from looking at the Bettas. She might have been aware that the hard water around here is bad for them.

I wonder if Platy would work. But how many?

 

[Essjay]

10 gallons is too small for platies I'm afraid, but it is OK for half a dozen male endlers which are smaller than platies. And males only because females grow larger, are plain coloured and would have lots of fry which would overstock the tank very quickly.

If you ever get a bigger tank then yes, platies would be good.

 

[davros]

A larger tank is optimal but I think your original plan will work with proper water changes. My reading suggests shrimp need a well established tank so maybe do the fish first after cycling and add plants. MY WCMM were happy with room temperatures, suspect you can find shrimp that are happy with that too.

 

[Essjay]

And just to add...the fish shop people are not your friends and they don't know their butts from their eyebrows a lot of the time. They want your money and a lot don't care how they get it. So their advice, no matter how sincere they seem, should always be taken with a hefty pinch of salt.

The vast majority of stores don't believe in fishless cycling. They'll tell you to add this magic bottled bacteria and buy fish at the same time. No bottled bacteria instantly cycles a tank, and many contain the wrong species of bacteria. The store workers don't care if the fish die as you'll go back and buy medication for sick fish, or more fish.
The vast majority of store workers know nothing about the effect of hardness on fish. They'll sell fish that absolutely must have very low hardness to someone with water almost as hard as rock.

Research is the word here. Always research fish before buying them. Seriously Fish is just about the best website for this as it's written by people who are experts not someone who just thinks they are. This site will tell you the minimum tank size a fish needs, the hardness and pH ranges it needs, the temperature it needs. It also advises of any special needs such as diet, fast or slow flowing water and so on.

Knowledge Base — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

 

[Ram419]

Actually a single male betta would be perfect for this tank, on its own as they are solitary fish - unless you have very hard water. All the fish mentioned so far are soft to middling hardness fish. There are soft water fish and hard water fish suitable for a 10 gallon tank so once we know how hard or soft your water is we can suggest fish.

I have a single male betta, used to have a female one in there, with red cherry shrimp in a 5 gallon. Works out great. There's even a few snails in there, one very large bladder snail (unintentional). Not sure if there are any other types of shrimp, but the red cherry shrimp was around the same temperature requirements as the betta so that what I went with.

Agree with comment earlier about waiting a while to add shrimp. Make sure to do live plants so they have something to eat when you get them down the road.