10 gallon stocking advice

[Homedog98]

Will it work in a cycled ten gallon with a 10 gallon aqueon quiteflow filter? Will there be aggression? Etc.
6 neon tetra
3 ottos
2 platties (1 male, 1 female... Not trying to save the fry)
1 male betta (required... I already have him)
The tank has been established for three months, and currently stocks 3 black skirt tetras and mr. Betta. The tetras are soon to be upgraded to a new 29, and until that build is done, cycled, and stocked, the ten gallon will be a QT for the 29 gallon fish. After the 29 gallon tank is stocked, the 10 gallon will have been established for about a year, and I'll set up another 10 as a QT for the 29 and the old ten, which will hopefully hold the above stocking... That's the plan... If you understand it lol.

 

[allaboutfish]

idk about the betta the ottos should have a bigger tank though i know for sure but from there idk i mean you could try it but better have a back up plan just in case maybe get a 5 gallon tank just in case the betta gets aggressive

 

[Homedog98]

Umm... Are you sure your not getting ottos mixed up with plecos? Ottos stay under 1.5 inches, and need a minimum of 3 to stay happy... I'd think that'd be fine for a ten gallon... But I could be wrong. The betta is peaceful with my current fish, and I'm taking precautions and doing research as to which fish are going in there with him, and how to add them to the tank, But the only fish I'm worried he'd go for are the platties... Not sure whether I should be or not there.

 

[allaboutfish]

see i dont know why but people say its best to have ottos in a 20 to 30 gallon tank..... beats me trust me i agree but see this is the best website ive seen for combalibility and such and it says 30
Otocinclus Catfish (Otocinclus affinis)
this says 20
Otocinclus Catfish, Otto Cat

 

[Homedog98]

Idk. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what others post.

 

[Rosenweiss]

For otos, I would recommend a tank 20 or larger for this reason: they like to eat algae and MUST have a large enough supply of soft, green algae to fill their little bellies. If your 10g tank has quite a lot of algae they might be okay, but again, 20g will give it more space to grow without taking over your glass, etc.

The other stocking options sound quite good.

 

[Bettababe1011]

Also, to help with algae with out it taking over your tank(This is what I'm doing as a snack for my snail), grow some algae on rocks in a sunny window with a pinch of fish food for nutrients, and then put the algae covered rock in the tank.

Make sure to have a good supply of algae rocks to make sure you don't run out.

 

[Rosenweiss]

I honestly think that you shouldn't rely on that with otos, it's kind of a last-ditch effort if you already got them out of ignorance. Otos need an established tank with an established food source.

 

[Homedog98]

For otos, I would recommend a tank 20 or larger for this reason: they like to eat algae and MUST have a large enough supply of soft, green algae to fill their little bellies. If your 10g tank has quite a lot of algae they might be okay, but again, 20g will give it more space to grow without taking over your glass, etc.

The other stocking options sound quite good.

Well then... Time to grow some algae! Muahahahaha! I'll just move the tank in front of a window... That aughta do it!

 

[Rosenweiss]

Well then... Time to grow some algae! Muahahahaha! I'll just move the tank in front of a window... That aughta do it!

Okay. =] I hope it works for you! I'm gonna do a little more research about otos, though, to see what the consensus is on having them in a 10g.

Edit: Liveaquaria.com says 30 gallons minimum. I know they can be a bit conservative... but I don't think I would push it to ten. My opinion.

 

[Bettababe1011]

I honestly think that you shouldn't rely on that with otos, it's kind of a last-ditch effort if you already got them out of ignorance. Otos need an established tank with an established food source.

I was just trying to help. I don't have any ottos, I just read that someone on here does that for theirs. I figure that's better than nothing, if you grow enough on the rocks, then it would be a stable food source IMO. If that makes sense to you.

 

[Homedog98]

I've heard of a lot of people that have them in established 10's... And they just use algae wafers and zucchini... Not sure if I'd like my little guys munching on the wafers though... That's like McDonalds for fish IMO.

 

[Rosenweiss]

I was just trying to help. I don't have any ottos, I just read that someone on here does that for theirs. I figure that's better than nothing, if you grow enough on the rocks, then it would be a stable food source IMO. If that makes sense to you.

Perfect sense. =] I was only trying to be helpful, as you were. I was definitely not trying to insult you or anything. Just that I've tried growing algae on things to put in the tank, and it failed--not that it couldn't work for some, but it isn't a reliable food source. Once it's eaten, you have to try to grow more (which could take days or weeks). If your tank isn't growing it on its own, you have a problem. For otos anyway.

 

[Bettababe1011]

I had just realized that my reply sounded defensive. That's not how I meant it.

I had meant that you always have rocks growing more algae, but I understand now that Ottos need a more stable food source.

I've heard of some ottos that wouldn't eat zucchini or algae wafers, only the real stuff. Not sure though, lol.

 

[Rosenweiss]

Exactly. =] So if they won't eat the supplement food, they may starve... which would be really sad. Which is just why I suggested she not take the risk. Of course, it's definitely up to her. =]

 

[Bettababe1011]

And have the algae rocks ready for an emergency! Lol.

 

[Rosenweiss]

And have the algae rocks ready for an emergency! Lol.

I just hope her algae-rock growing goes better than mine... ._. Oh well, we have algae in the main tank now. Just had to wait a bit!

 

[Bettababe1011]

Yeah. I'll tell you if my algae growing expedition goes well. So we can see if this'll work in an emergency.

 

[Rosenweiss]

Yeah. I'll tell you if my algae growing expedition goes well. So we can see if this'll work in an emergency.

remember to stir up the water occasionally and add fish food. Those are two things I forgot that probably made me fail.

 

[Bettababe1011]

Yup, I crushed up fish food and put it in. Didn't realize about the water though. Would an airstone help?

Sorry homedog, this is the last and then I'll put the focus to you, but this is good info for if you need to do this.