Stocking 10 gallon

[Mab2000]

I remodeled my 10 gallon tank that I have had since September of last year. When I first started this hobby I was an impulse buyer. Needless to say I had a lot of different fish that didn't go well together or belong in a 10 gallon. I returned the fish to my lfs store and now have a credit. Right now my stocking in the tank is as follows: 2 honey gouramis, 2 ADF, 5 ghost shrimp, 3 corys, and a nerite snail. I need to use my credit and I am between 4 fancy guppies or 6 neon tetras. What do you guys think?

 

[Jill]

What kind of filtration do you have on the tank?

 

[Mab2000]

It is a aqua tech power filter for 10-20 gallon tanks.

 

[Jill]

Hmmm....I think you're probably already fully stocked. (Although I'm not the authority on such things as most folks here are). What type of cories do you have? Are they dwarfs, pandas or pygmies by chance?

 

[Mab2000]

They are pygmies

 

[Mab2000]

Hmmm....I think you're probably already fully stocked. (Although I'm not the authority on such things as most folks here are). What type of cories do you have? Are they dwarfs, pandas or pygmies by chance?

Thanks for the input, I think I will go with the guppies

 

[absolutangel04]

Just a heads up, I personally don't think 10g is big enough for a honey gourami, but even so, having 2 is not the best idea IMO. Even though they are more peaceful than some other gourami species, they will still bicker with each other and especially in such a small tank. There are multiple strains of honey gourami out there and they reach different sizes. If you have a smaller strain, then 1 could work in a 10g tank, just beware of bickering between the 2. I recommend trading them in for a dg instead, but the honey gouramis I am used to get bigger than a lot of honeys do, so 1 might be ok in your tank. Guppies can be little nippers, especially in small tank with long-finned tankmates. They should be ok, just watch for fin nipping.
Do you have a test kit for water parameters? Knowing how well the water parameters hold is one good way to help you know when its time to quit stocking. Of course, behavior is another way, but bioload is certainly a big factor.

 

[Mab2000]

I have heard the same argument about putting DG in a 10 gallon. The reason I did not ask if I was overstocked is because there is no clear cut rule to go by. One person says to go by the one inch rule, another says that is outdated. One person says HG are good for a ten gallon and they would never put a DG in a 10 while another person says the complete opposite. From everything I have been reading both fish get the same size, have similar behavior, and are compatible with the fish I plan on getting. So why can a DG go in a 10 but a HG can not? I do agree with the pairing, I should of only ordered one. But again it comes down to every fish have different behaviors and the two I have get along. I had a pair of DG in the past and both died of Dwarf Gourami disease which I have heard is common with these fish. IMO it is just preference on which ones I like and I like the HG better. I am not trying to start an argument and I appreciate your input. I have learned so much from this site and continue to learn more everyday.
I do have a test kit and I test regularly. My numbers on my ten are 0, 0, 10.
I am cycling an 8 gallon right now and once I get that ready I plan on moving the ADF there.

 

[absolutangel04]

I have heard the same argument about putting DG in a 10 gallon. The reason I did not ask if I was overstocked is because there is no clear cut rule to go by. One person says to go by the one inch rule, another says that is outdated. One person says HG are good for a ten gallon and they would never put a DG in a 10 while another person says the complete opposite. From everything I have been reading both fish get the same size, have similar behavior, and are compatible with the fish I plan on getting. So why can a DG go in a 10 but a HG can not? I do agree with the pairing, I should of only ordered one. But again it comes down to every fish have different behaviors and the two I have get along. I had a pair of DG in the past and both died of Dwarf Gourami disease which I have heard is common with these fish. IMO it is just preference on which ones I like and I like the HG better. I am not trying to start an argument and I appreciate your input. I have learned so much from this site and continue to learn more everyday.
I do have a test kit and I test regularly. My numbers on my ten are 0, 0, 10.
I am cycling an 8 gallon right now and once I get that ready I plan on moving the ADF there.

I don't keep honeys in a 10g tank because some strains get too big IMO. Some strains have been hybridized with thick lip gouramis and so they get bigger while some strains stay small like dg. So, IME, dg always stay about 2 inches, but honeys can get bigger than that. Thats why I specified that I wouldn't do it, but I didn't say you shouldn't. People never all agree about things like tank size, and I know its frustrating to wade through all sorts of conflicting info. I know some people who don't think dg belong in 10g tanks too. So, the best any of us at this site can do is offer our opinions and experience.
I personally like the honeys better as well because I think like the colors and I think they are often hardier.
Your water parameters are good, and once you get the adf out of the tank, you will have more room bioload-wise for more stock. How big are the honeys? Are they around sexual maturity? Do you know what genders they are? Yes, it is about whether or not individual fish get along, but its hard to know that if the fish haven't reached sexual maturity yet. If they have and still then get along, then awesome! If it was me, I would get the guppies, but I would start with 2 and see how it goes and how well the water params hold up before getting more. 4 guppies plus the 2 honeys would be a bit much IMO, but you can stock the guppies slowly and then see for yourself how everybody gets along and add more guppies after the initial pair if you still think they would be a good addition to the dynamic of the tank.

 

[Mab2000]

Thank you for your advice. I think I will start out slow with the guppies. The HG are a little over an inch each. Both fish look similar but I read that it is hard to tell the two sexes apart. The time to tell is breeding from what I understand. The male becomes more of a honey color and gets a blue throat. The female says the same. I ordered this pair online so I am not sure of the age either.
I appreciate you backing up your reasoning with experience and facts. What makes me mad is when someone says that you shouldn't do something but doesn't give any reason as to why. There is a lot of misinformation out there and it can be frustrating. One thing that would fix all of my problems is to have a bigger tank, but right now I am limited on space.
I originally started this thread because I was torn between the neons and the guppies. I like the neons because of the small bioload and the larger numbers I could have. I was leaning more towards the guppies because I like the way they look and seem very active. I am going today and have decided on the guppies. I will keep an eye on my HG as far as temperament/aggression go. Thanks again for your honest non judgmental opinion and also for helping me decide.

 

[absolutangel04]

No prob. Like I said, I know conflicting info can be frustrating. I still get frustrated by it all the time. Lol.
If you can get some pictures of your current fish and the new additions, that would be awesome. We all love pictures here.
I think guppies are a good choice. They can get rather nippy, so thats something to watch, but I have always had really good luck with relaxed guppies that are good community citizens. IME, neons are often overly sensitive so I avoid them.
At 1 inch, the honeys are probably not sexually mature yet. I hope they continue to get along for you though.