Hello All. Need some aquarium help! (10 gallon)

[MiamiE]

just got myself a new 10 gallon tank. cycled it for 48 hours added the liquid to take out the chlorine and chloramine. currently i own one zebra fish and a crayfish ive had for a while now. he just hides so he'll be fine with other fish i believe. what fish do you recommend i stock in this 10 gallon enclosure? looking for something with lots of color, like neon tetras. also they need to get along. thanks guys!

i was going to make it a small tank for cichlids but ive recently changed my mind and saved the cichlids for a 55 gallon tank one day.

 

[lyquidphyre]

Unless you used biospira, you tank did not cycle in 48 hours

with your 10gal tank you are very limited on what you can add.. and your "zebra fish" is most likely a schooling fish- so once your tank does cycle, you should add more of those..

However, i suggest taking back the fish and making the 10gal for the crayfish only.. because crayfish are known for eating fish while they sleep

Oh, Welcome to Aquarium advice =o)

 

[TomK2]

Well, sounds like you let your tank run for 48 hurs, but the nitrogen cycle, with the establishment of a biologic filter has yet to begin. With one danio, and one crayfish in it, you might not get really high ammonia levels. But if you add more fish, without time for the bacteria to grow and provide biologic filtration, you will get very high ammonia levels. Keep an eye on it.

I had small crabs in a 20 gal tank with 2 to 3 inch fish. Crab got many of them. Beware, like Lyquidphyre says.

 

[MiamiE]

well i have another 5 gallon i cna keeo the crayfish in. if so what else would you recommend besides a couple other zebras? maybe some bottom dwellers?

 

[MiamiE]

good advice guys thanks! i think ill keep the crayfish seperate in a 5 gallon tank!

 

[TomK2]

Oh, and welcome to AA! Check out the articles section on the nitrogen cycle, and more.

 

[Bhunsucker]

Welcome to AA!! 48hr. cycle on a 10gal with 2 fish... Are you sure? Do you have a test kit? if so what kind? What are your water paramater readings? What type are filteration are you using?

Good Luck with your setup!

 

[DeFeKt]

ok well to answer the original question about what kind of fish.
guppies, mollies, platys, all very colourful live bearers. with a ratio of 1male to 4 or more females, you'll have fry swimming around within a couple of months to do what you wish with..like, feed to your cichlids. hehehe
neons are cool, but i think have no personality, but thats just my opinion.
good luck with whatever you get.

 

[id10t]

My 10 has 2 male guppies, 3 pepered corys, and 2 neon tetras in it (I suffered a bout of NTD while trying to get a group of 5 neons going...) That's pretty full, but I may try adding another neon or two eventually just to get them in a group of 4-6... I also do 50-60% water changes once a week.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

mollies are not good for a 10 gal tank, but the others are good options.

 

[madchild24]

whats wrong with mollies in a 10 gallon?

 

[MiamiE]

Welcome to AA!! 48hr. cycle on a 10gal with 2 fish... Are you sure? Do you have a test kit? if so what kind? What are your water paramater readings? What type are filteration are you using?

Good Luck with your setup!

what i meant was that i had the tap water running in the tank for 48 hours without any fish added. i have not purchased a test kit but i am when i head to the fish store later. what should i look for? im using a regular filter that came with the kit and a heater set to 75*

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Mollies need more swimming space than a 10 gal tank can offer. They get to be roughly 4 1/2 to 5 inches in length. That's way too big for a 10 gal. I'd do minimum 29 gal. I have one right now in a 10 gal that I can't bare to part with and am waiting for the 29 gal tank to become open (once those fish are moved to a dif tank) or I am just going to have to take him back to the store. It pains me to do it since I've had him since he was a baby (about an inch in length) and he is so pretty in color.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scateg.cfm?pCatId=1101

 

[MiamiE]

well how does 2 other zebras for a total of 3 zebras and 3 neon tetras in the tank? with those 6 fish can i add maybe a bottom dweller?

 

[lyquidphyre]

You need to read this article about cycling your tank:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/showquestion.php?faq=2&fldAuto=21

The gist of it is this:
Fish produce ammonia (as waste)
Too much ammonia can kill fish
So, when you cycle your tank.. you are creating beneficial bacteria (nitrates and nitrites) to reduce the amounts of ammonia.

So, if you have too many fish producing more waste than the nitrites and nitrates can take care of you'r fish will most likely die.

So, when you buy test kits you need to test at least the Ammonia, pH, nitrites and nitrates.

 

[MiamiE]

good info thanks for the advice. so for the next 2 weeks i should do 2-3 water changes of 50% correct?

 

[MiamiE]

im going to pick up some Bio Spira also when i head over and mix that into the current tanks water

 

[Fishyfanatic]

If you use the Bio-Spira that would be the best way to go about it. That is assuming that your lfs carries it. Most don't. I've only found 1 that does and it's 2 hours away. The Zebra's should be kept in at least a group of 5 or 6. The neon's are the same way. I'd choose one of the two.

Regarding the test kit, I would recommend the AP Freshwater Mast Test Kit. Do not buy the strips. And base your water changes on what the results show. If you get Ammonia above 1 ppm, do a water change. It may be that you need to do them daily, or it could be every 3 or 4 days. It's different with every tank and situation. A test kit is key in a cycling tank.

 

[MiamiE]

great thanks for the info. ill pick up that stuff and go with it. maybe ill go with 6 neon tetras? and maybe a pleco for the bottom?

 

[mumrah]

i had good luck with 6 neons in a 10g. very nice to watch.

if you get a pleco, you must get a dwarf variety. something that stays under 3" or so, like a zebra pleco. a common pleco will rapidly outgrow a 10g.

Otos are a nice algae eater if that's what you're wanting.

I think some cory catfish would be suitable for a 10g, they are bottom dwellers.
HTH