Stocking Rec, Middle/top Dweller

[soritan]

I have a 10 gallon tank, which is planted. It's got a reasonable amount of algea in it, so it could probably have some algea eaters in there.

I have 3 African Dwarf Frogs, and 7 Ghost Shrimp.

Of course, you see the problem here. They are all bottom dwellers (essentially), and tend to be nocternal.

So, I would like to invest in just a few more fish. Not many. I'd like to keep my bioload light, as there is a chance I'll relocate my ADFs and whatever future fish I have to a 5gal tank.

I was thinking of adding 1 middle/top dweller fish, or a tiny shoal of something, something like 3 tops.

Any suggestions?

So far, I've been thinking of:

1) Dwarf Cories x3.
2) Betta, male x1
3) Ottos x2

Uhn, that's it. ) I don't know much about fish types.

I also thought of simply adding 2 more ADFs and making my 10gal a species tank (sort of, if you disinclude my shrimps).


I only include the clause of relocation because I still waffle over turning my 10gal into a Dwarf Puffer species tank. It's up in the air, so don't hesitate to tell me if your suggestion will/won't do in a 5gal tank with 3 ADFs, please.

I'd just like to get a good jump start on my research.

 

[dwarfgourami]

How about a trio of honey gouramis? Not sure how heavy the frogs' bioload is, whether you'd want to relocate them or not. Might be an idea to move them.

 

[soritan]

I've heard 2 stories about the frogs:

1) They're messy! The bioload is huge! You need 2g per frog!

2) They hardly do a thing! Don't even count them! 1g per inch like standard fish!

All I know is, I feed them frozen blood worms every 3 days, and my ammonia reading after a week is less than .25ppm. I'd say it's closer to 0 than anything.

 

[soritan]

No more ideas, or do I already have all the feasible ideas lined up?

 

[modernhamlet]

1) Dwarf Cories x3.
2) Betta, male x1
3) Ottos x2

The corys live on the bottom most of the time too, so that doesn't really help you much.

A betta may or may not work, depending on temperment. Many would consider your ghost shrimp a tasty treat.

Otos would work (I'd get 3 though). Not the most riveting tank in the world, but they'd take care of the algae.

A pair or trio of cherry barbs might take care of some of the algae (though certainly not all of it) if you don't overfeed.

Amano shrimp would work if you can find them.

If you're not looking for an algae eater, a group of 5 of the smaller (<1.5") tetras or rasboras would work.

 

[soritan]

Thank you for the recs.

I had read that Dwarf Cories tended to be middle/low dwellers, so I thought they might make the cut.

I'm not specifically looking for algea eaters, simply tossing out the fact that 1-3 would probably enjoy my tank as it is.

As I discovered damselfly nymph in my tank last night, no one snack sized is going to be put in there until I'm sure they're gone, but that does give me more time to study up, and I imagine it'll be a good month before I can afford fish, so by then, I'll be heavily planted (bonus).

 

[Annastasia]

Thank you for the recs.

I had read that Dwarf Cories tended to be middle/low dwellers, so I thought they might make the cut.

Yes, Pygmy Cories do tend to be a lot more active then the other Cories. Mine are always swimming around the tank, in the middle, and chasing around the bottom. They are really fun to watch. I just don't know if the bottom will be really crowded with the Cories, Frogs, and Shrimp.

As for another suggestion for middle/top....how about Endlers? You can get all males, so you don't have to worry about fry. They are very colorful, and they stay small.