10g additions, some thoughts

[StuG]

So I'm finally approaching the end of my cycle on my 10g tank, which I will never ever do with fish in again. Not just stressful for the fish, but stressful for me too!!
Anyway, it has at the moment 3 male MM platys.
Here are my thoughts on what I would like to add:

1 dwarf catfish : Is there a dwarf catfish that doesn't mind being solo, or are all the dwarf types better off in a school?
Would I be better getting a few snails, instead of messing with a catfish? If so, which is the best for algae cleanup?
Incidentally, I am well aware that I will still need to perform algae cleanup by myself, no matter what!

+

3 cherry barbs - maybe too agressive? or 3 dwarf rasboras - are more than 3 needed for them to be happy? : or 5 neon tetrasfast swimmers so a 10g isn't really suitable? : or 5 endlers livebearers

+/or

1 dwarf gourami

 

[HN1]

Congrats on it being almost over! It can be really stressful when you find yourself in that situation (been there).

I'd suggest the snails (nerite & MTS depending on substrate), dwarf rasboras / danios (5), and a honey gourami. It'll be a bit more difficult to stock, but I think in the long run you'll be happier with it over a cookie cutter stocking. I could always be wrong and tend to ramble though....

Welcome to AA btw!

 

[StuG]

Thanks for the welcome.
I've heard of Nerite snails, but please enlighten me: what's an MTS snail?
substrate is just good old gravel by the way.

 

[krap101]

malaysian trumpet snail, they're livebearers and like to burrow. I have some turface (kinda smaller gravel) and they can still move it around pretty well. They eat the extra food, so everythings good .

I've always wanted a dwarf tank, but it always ended up too hard to find.

Dwarf cories 4-6x
Badis badis (Dario dario) (Scarlet Badis) 3x
Emerald Eye Rasbora 4-6x
Oto 3x
Cherry shrimp

That's like 20 fish in a 10 gallon, but they're usually under an inch except the oto. I think zoning is more important than the "inch per gallon" up to a point. The rasboras will stay mid-top, the cories are mid-bottom, and the badis will roam, but stay closer to the mid-bottom.

 

[logansmomma1228]

You could get some otos. They are very efficient algae eaters. What I found out today, however, is that they are very fragile and must be acclimated very carefully.

 

[krap101]

I thought this was kind of funny.. in a weird way... I went to petsmart and bought a few otos, and these have been the best quality otos I've seen in awhile, and I haven't lost any... Petsmart of all places

 

[maxima423]

SHRIMPS!!!!!! amano shrimps are simply amazing =]

 

[StuG]

Maxima: I had thought about shrimps, but figured I'd be better with something that could clean the tank sides as well. I guess shrimp can't do that, but maybe I'm wrong.
Logansmomma:How many otos are needed for a happy school? Would 3 suffice? and with them + my 3 platys could I add more, or would I pretty much be at my tank's limit?
Krap101:Scarlet Badis look like pretty cool looking fish!

 

[BigJim]

Nerite snails will be the most efficient at cleaning the sides of your tank. My red cherry shrimp climb the sides of the tank and pick, but they don't get everything.

 

[logansmomma1228]

Otos would be OK with 3 or 4 of them. Scarlet Badis are very picky eaters , so you might want to take that into account as well.

I wish I would have got good otos Hopefully the other 3 are still OK.

 

[krap101]

I just started a daphnia culture for my badis, and I'm running out of mosquito larvae >< most of them will eat bloodworms, but are probably the pickiest (and most difficult) fish I have ever kept

 

[StuG]

I guess badis are out then. I definitely do not need fussy, picky fish in the first ever tank I've owned!
Do Nerite snails come out at night like the MTS, or are they daytime feeders?
Also, am I correct in saying that oto's will not stay at the bottom of the tank like other catfish. Or have I got that wrong?
At the moment I'm leaning toward snails & rasboras, but boy it's hard to make up your mind about this stuff!!

 

[HN1]

LOL.... there's always room for new tanks once you have it down.

Otos will be all over the tank, on the glass, decor, etc. Quite active and neat, but they can be hit or miss healthwise and do best in an established tank. As far as I can tell, nerites graze 24x7 and do a pretty good job on algae.

 

[StuG]

Well, I have recently discovered a LFS that only sells aquarium supplies, rather than aquarium supplies, plus mice supplies, dog supplies, bird supplies, etc. So maybe I'll go check them out and see how their fish look. Of course once I do that, I'm sure I'll be coming back to this thread saying "hey, what about this fish.....or this one..........or maybe this one......!!"
Incidentally, tank is now fully cycled. Woohoo!!

 

[StuG]

Well, so much for leaning toward snails. Came back home with an Otto. The lady in the store was quite helpful. At first I didn't think the store looked very clean, but the fish looked healthy and happy for the most part. They had an awesome saltwater collection as well as lots of FW community fish. I'm sure I'll be back there soon enough!

 

[BigJim]

IME, most good LFSs aren't very clean. The tanks are immaculate, but the stores are cramped and sometimes a little messy. In my two favorite LFSs, I can barely walk down the aisles without my shoulders hitting the tanks on either side.

You can always add snails later. Be sure that your water is pristine and that you feed your oto some vegetables. They generally don't do very well in new tanks. I think it's either due to lack of stability or lack of food.

 

[StuG]

Thanks BigJim. Yes, I'm keeping a close eye on the new addition. The tank is fully cycled, and I'll be keeping up with my water changes. It also has plants in there to help keep the toxins in check.
Right now, there's a ton of Diatoms for him to feed on, but once they start looking depleted, I'll get cooking some zucchini!
All that's left now is to wait a few weeks and add one final addition. Boy I really do like the looks of Celestial Pearl Danios. Problem is the more I look around on this site, the more choices I discover!!

 

[logansmomma1228]

+1 to Big Jim. I have had 5 otos now and two of them died in two days. Another one doesnt look so hot either. I am told they are very fragile fish at first

 

[StuG]

Yeah, I actually have been keeping an eye on your oto thread LM, just so I know stuff to look out for.

 

[logansmomma1228]

Well, glad I could help hopefully! I believe someone on there advised me to get them the day before the next shipment of fish comes in so that they have been in the store tank for a while. And I made the mistake of not looking for the healthier fish in there- I was ready to get out of there and it completely slipped my mind. So far the three remaining otos seem to be doing ok. The one that looked like it was dying last night is still ok but doesn't seem too happy... I'll keep you posted.