New to Keeping Fish

[HootsHooligan]

Hello everyone,

I am new to this site, and more importantly new to keeping fish.
I currently have a 10g tank with one Dwarf Gourami, I want to add more fish eventually. (I have only had him for two weeks)
There are two little live bamboo plants in the tank now, and a couple fake plants and a little hide-ey castle for him. I want to add more live plants, but I don't know anything about aquatic plants, are different plants better for some tanks that others? I don't want to over crowd the tank, but I have read that Gouramis do well with lots of live plants.
Also when would it be okay to add fish? What fish would do well with him in that sized tank? I want at least one algae eating or bottom feeding fish, I was thinking about getting a few Pygmy Corys. Is it going to be a problem that I have gravel and not sand? I was thinking about maybe a few tettra and or a female betta.
Also, any other advice for a newbie would be great.

 

[LyndaB]

Welcome to the forum.

A 10 gallon is pretty small, especially if you already have a DG in there. That makes you really limited as to what else you can put in. Small tank = small fish. You could consider something like ember tetras. Depends on the personality of your DG.

You're throwing some species names out there, but have you researched those species to see what size tank they require? What their compatibility is with your existing fish? That's really important. It's good to be able to come in and toss out a few stocking ideas you have, but it's also good to have species info under your belt.

For example, pygmy corys, although suited in size for your tank, do require a minimum of 3, more would be better. They get shy and stressed otherwise. Corys don't do well with gravel and prefer sand, as it protects their barbels.

Female bettas require the same care as male bettas with regard to their aggression level, when considering them for a community tank.

In this case, the betta and the DG are both anabantoids. Due to that alone, there would be altercations.

 

[HootsHooligan]

Thanks for the info!
I have started some research, and I defiantly agree with you on the importance of knowing what i am getting into before I add fish. I am not so familiar with compatibility of fish and what they need, so suggestions and info is always helpful. I will be doing much more research before I change anything. I know that most tetras like to be in groups rather than alone. How many ember tetras would be suitable? Is there any other bottom feeding or algea eating fish you could recommend?

Thanks!

 

[Aquatic_Adam]

Welcome aboard!

Be careful with the bamboo. Bamboo stems do fine in water. But their leaves will rot and die under water, fouling your water. Some easy plants to keep for you DG are java moss, java fern, and some anubias. Most fish like having live plants so I encourage everyone to try some simple plants! And as already stated, the corys would work in your tank except for the substrate. Although if the gravel isn't made of huge granules, they could probably survive. Stay away from any bettas or other gouramis because they will fight each other. Especially in a smaller tank like that. If I were you and I wanted to add some new fish. Corys would be the way to go! Just make sure you research the fish before you buy!

Advice for newbies? Refrain from buying lots of fish, it's a hard lesson to learn. I still have yet to mAster it

 

[HootsHooligan]

Should I pull the Bamboo out then? The leaves are starting to brown. Which is better? buying bulbs and letting them grow? or buying fully grown plants? I really like Corys, is changing the substrate possible or worth it? I don't know much about sand vs gravel. Does it make much of a difference to the other fish, or water quality? Would changing the substrate mess up my tanks cycle?

Also I was thinking about guppies, every pet store employee I have talked to recommends them and I don't know much about them or what they need though. I looked a little online about ember tetra and they seem really cool too.

 

[LyndaB]

Guppies are cool if you want 5 fish to turn into 50 fish. They spawn prolifically.

Ember tetras are tiny, gorgeous and don't make lots of fry.

You can easily change out substrates. I've changed out tanks as large as 75 gallons from gravel to sand, and that was a fully stocked tank.

 

[HootsHooligan]

Is there any downside to sand? and How do I go about changing the substrate? Is there any specific way? I don't think my tank has fully cycled yet. Is changing to sand going to take out too much good bacteria that is there?

Another thing I saw when I went to the pet store was a Knight Goby, the pet store employee said that he didn't know much about them. (accept the fact that he ate one of his smaller tank mates earlier that day) He did say they would be fine in a 10g with a Dwarf Gourami but don't believe that he knows what he is talking about. Does anyone know if this is true or not?

 

[HootsHooligan]

And Thank you guys so much, this has been very helpful!

 

[Aquatic_Adam]

Should I pull the Bamboo out then? The leaves are starting to brown. Which is better? buying bulbs and letting them grow? or buying fully grown plants? I really like Corys, is changing the substrate possible or worth it? I don't know much about sand vs gravel. Does it make much of a difference to the other fish, or water quality? Would changing the substrate mess up my tanks cycle?

Also I was thinking about guppies, every pet store employee I have talked to recommends them and I don't know much about them or what they need though. I looked a little online about ember tetra and they seem really cool too.

I would pull the bamboo out. Not sure what to do with after that tho. Sorry. You'll find small plants most likely, slits a middle ground of your scenario. Just make sure you look into what plants you are buying. Many places sell "true aquatic" plants that are not that at all. Much likethe bamboo.

For the corys, like I said, if your gravel doesn't have huge granules. They should be fine. What kind of Pygmy Cory are you looking at?

 

[HootsHooligan]

I would pull the bamboo out. Not sure what to do with after that tho. Sorry. You'll find small plants most likely, slits a middle ground of your scenario. Just make sure you look into what plants you are buying. Many places sell "true aquatic" plants that are not that at all. Much likethe bamboo.

For the corys, like I said, if your gravel doesn't have huge granules. They should be fine. What kind of Pygmy Cory are you looking at?

I didn't even know there were differnt kinds of pygmy corys, so I am not sure what kind these were, they were just labeled as "Pygmy Cory". The gravel I have isn't HUGE its pretty average sized. Does it effect regular sized corys any less? Could a few normal sized corys be okay in the ten gallon?

 

[Aquatic_Adam]

I didn't even know there were differnt kinds of pygmy corys, so I am not sure what kind these were, they were just labeled as "Pygmy Cory". The gravel I have isn't HUGE its pretty average sized. Does it effect regular sized corys any less? Could a few normal sized corys be okay in the ten gallon?

Well you have about 3 different kinds of Pygmy corys. Corydoras pygmaeus, corydoras Habrosus, and another kind that I am drawing a blank on. Habrosus look and act like normal corys. They swim in the bottom and scour for food. They are a brown color with black dots down them. Pygmaeus are a little different in behavior as they like to swim in the middle and they tend to scour for food on plant leaves. They are a silverish grey with a black line down the middle. I'll have to go look up the last but you generally don't see them so it's probably not them. If it is pygmaeus then I think you will be fine with gravel as they don't necessarily spend too much time on the bottom for food.

As for the normal size, I personally think it would be fine. But generally you wanna keep 3+ corys at a time so keep that in mind. Corys can be very long lived too. My friend has had some bronze corys for at least 10 years.

 

[HootsHooligan]

Wow 10 years is a long time. I think it was a pygmaeus I saw, cause of the spots and it was on the bottom looking for food. Thanks for all the information it's been super helpful!

 

[Aquatic_Adam]

Wow 10 years is a long time. I think it was a pygmaeus I saw, cause of the spots and it was on the bottom looking for food. Thanks for all the information it's been super helpful!

Yeah! I mean I have yet to have a Cory to live as long but I haven't been keeping fish quite as long as he has. And no problem! Many people here are happy to help. Just remember to always research your fish before bringing it home and you will doing great things in no time!