10gal stocking advice?

[okapizebra]

So I've got a fully cycled ten gallon tank. Currently in it I have 10 ghost shrimp (give or take a few) and two platys.

I was wondering if I could add more, and if so, what are some good choices?

Nano fish are very cool, but there just isn't much variety to choose from in my area.

I was wondering if adding a small school of neon tetras to my tank would work? I know they're plenty small, but I've read that they're too active for this small of a tank?

And if not overstocking, guppys are always colorful additions.

And if curious, I have two ten watt CFL bulbs in my hood and I've got a java fern and some of those various plant bulbs from those bulb packs in there. Currently the only thing sprouted is the onion bulb...

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[jcolon]

I have 3 Neon and 3 Cardinal Tetras in my son's 10gal and they're doing fine. I find they are not that active that they're all over the tank. Mostly they hang around the back when someone is in the room. Sometimes I sneak a peak in the room and do see them swimming around more.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Neons in a 10g is debatable. Some say no some say yes. I've always been on the fence but looking at mine I think a school of 6 would be fine for a 10g. I have 8 in a 17g and they really aren't as active as some make them out to be. Most of the time they seem to just hang out next to the plants, occasionally chasing each other for a second.

 

[Donkey Gun]

In my 10 gallon I went with the green neons which tend to be much smaller. I have 5 of them with 5 Furcata rainbows. The rainbows are far more active than the neons.

As far as the plants, I'll admit I'm no expert. My 10 is also heavily planted with 2 14watt daylight 5k cfl and all seem well nourished.

 

[Donkey Gun]

You may want to open a thread in the planted aquaria section.

 

[cheeky_monkey]

Are the two platys the same sex or 1M 1F?
If they're opposite sex you will likely be filling your tank with fry lol

 

[absolutangel04]

I agree that green neons are better suited to a 10g tank, but I do personally think neons will do ok in there too. Like Mumma said, its debatable.
Assuming the gender ratios are right, I would think 1-2 guppies and your 2 platys would be ok. 2 platies and a small of neons would probably be ok, but I suggest you keep an careful eye on the tank parameters since platys have a pretty high bioload.

 

[okapizebra]

So would adding a school of around 6 be fine? Either color are both pretty cool. Would either one work better?

If they just seem horribly unhappy, I could add them to my 29 gallon. I'd say it's pretty stocked in there, so I'm not particularly keen on that though.

I'm not that concerned about my plants. Just thought I'd include what I have.

As for the platys, I have no idea how to tell their gender differences? From what I see, their fins look exactly the same, so male or female, I'm pretty sure they're both the same. One seems to pick on the other though, which worries me. Would adding a third be a good option?

And if neons won't work, is there something else that could?

Thanks very much for all your help!

 

[okapizebra]

I agree that green neons are better suited to a 10g tank, but I do personally think neons will do ok in there too. Like Mumma said, its debatable.
Assuming the gender ratios are right, I would think 1-2 guppies and your 2 platys would be ok. 2 platies and a small of neons would probably be ok, but I suggest you keep an careful eye on the tank parameters since platys have a pretty high bioload.

Thanks!

So then if I decide on neons, I should go with green then.

I'm usually pretty good with my water changes. The neons have a small bioload, so it's not like they'd make a huge impact either.

And as in my last post: Is there anything other then neons and guppys that I could add? Just wanted to see if their are any more options before I bought my new fish.

 

[absolutangel04]

Keep in mind that the green neons are a totally different species (I think you knew that, just making sure though in case some other person reading the thread doesn't). They still school and all, but they stay smaller and tend to be a bit shyer. Ember tetras would be ok too.
Most of the other nano schoolers would not like the platys and would like likely get out-competed for food. There are also pygmy hatchetfish, or maybe a dg. Endler's liveabearers would be ok. Maybe chili rasbora, but it depends on if they get brave or not around the bigger platys.

 

[okapizebra]

Well, I don't want to put them in there if they'll starve.

Ember tetras look pretty cool, but I never see them in any of the stores and I'm not sure they'd special order them for me. That's the only problem with anything a little less common; just not easily found in my area.

I'm thinking I'll stick with the green neons. What size school do you think would be appropriate?

And would it be impossible to fit another platy in there? Just seems like one of them is constantly bullying the other and perhaps he wouldn't be if there was a third.

 

[absolutangel04]

What genders are the platys? Knowing platys, it is more likely IMO that one of them is just a bully and adding another wouldn't necessarily help. 10g is not a huge space, so I wouldn't recommend 3 and a school.
You can try adding more decor/plants (real or fake) to the tank to see if that helps the platy's behavior. ANother thing to try is turn off the lights, wait, and then re-arrange the tank. Sometimes that helps dispell bullying.
For the green neons, I suggest 6.

 

[okapizebra]

I have no idea how to tell the platys gender... From what they look like, their fins tell me that they're the same gender? It's not nearly as easy as sexing my lyre tail swordtails in my 29gal, where the males have swords and huge gonopodiums.

I'd say my tank is pretty darn empty. I'm waiting for my plants to grow a bit more... so I hope that will help. I may add in a fake plant for the time being if I can spare a few more bucks at the LPS.

All righty, 6 green neons it is then If the store does not have any, would regular neons be all right or should I avoid the temptation?

 

[absolutangel04]

Personally, I don't have a problems with neons in a 10g. Its up to you and what you are comfortable with. I suggest watching some videos of them swimming onyoutube and then deciding. You can also wait for more people's input on the topic if you want.
Green neons are not super common. Most nano fish are not all that readily available in the average store IME.

 

[okapizebra]

All righty, thanks!

I've owned regular neons before a few years back when I had no idea what I was doing. I've got the basic understanding of them, I guess. I love their stunning colors.

I've definitely seen the green ones at my store before... but that could have been a chance thing. I'll have to scope out my local stores first, though.

I added some pics of my tank. There's a pic of both platys, not sure if you can tell their gender or not. And of course had to add one of my ghosties.

 

[absolutangel04]

Not totally sure about the genders. The blue ones looks like a male, but the shot is a bit blurry, so its hard to tell. If one of them is being a bully, its likely at least 1 is male IMO. Perhaps both. They have the same gonopodium as the sword-tails or other bigger livebearers do, so I would think you would be able to tell. Those guys look pretty small still though. They are both very pretty.

 

[okapizebra]

They're quite hard to get clear pictures of, sorry about the quality. The bully is the blue one. He picks on the red wag quite a bit. The blue one definitely has a defined belly though, which made me think it was a female.

Well, on my lyre tails they're extremely long gonopdiums, so they're nearly impossible to miss... My largest male's gonopodium is about 2-3cm long.

I really couldn't tell you the difference on a regular swordtail other then the fact that they have a sword...

Thanks!

 

[absolutangel04]

Well, platies are pretty chuby fish, despite their gender. Honestly, it looks a touch bloated to me.
Yeah, if you ever see the anal fin fan out, then its a girl. If it always stays flat, then its a gonopodium and a male.

 

[okapizebra]

Hmm, am I perhaps feeding too much?

Ah, I see. From that description, I'd say they are both males. Adding a female would probably just make them fight more, I assume. And putting in another male wouldn't help either, probably.

I'll try and get some better pics tomorrow when the lights are back on.

 

[absolutangel04]

Yeah, adding a female wouldn't be good. Adding another male would not likely help, but its hard to say. Since the space is not too big, another male would likely just make it worse IMO. If the bullying ever gets bad, then you will have to re-home one of them. But, hopefully they sort it out amongst themselves.
You could try feeding a tad less and seeing if the belly goes down a bit. Or, you can skip a day or 2 of feeding.