Another 10 gallon start-up topic? Indulge me please.

[SpaceButler]

I've been dealing with a lone oscar in a 75 for almost 3 years now, and I love it, but now I'm looking to branch into a community type of thing.

A friend of mine fizzled out on trying to maintain a 10-gal; all his fish died, and I basically have some free equipment now. While I'm ashamed to ask this way, I kind of want you folks to just flat out tell me a good set up for a small community. I don't feel like finding out for myself what sort of stock would work, and be pleasing.

So if you'd indulge me, please just squirt out some combos that you've seen/done/heard of that would work well in a small tank. I'm open to one with a small cichlid and one or two others; or one with many tiny jittery fish. I'm just so unused to both small fish, and communities.

Help me get started. Thanks.

 

[theotheragentm]

In a 10-gallon you can get a small school of Harlequin Rasboras, a Mystery Snail, and some Ghost Shrimp. The Rasboras are smaller fish that school well together from my experience.

 

[WaterPond]

How about a nano community? Maybe a pair of scarlet badis, a school of about 6 small rasboras, and maybe a burmese mini mouth catfish, i have always wanted to do that. Heres a place you can buy nano fish: http://www.franksaquarium.com/nanofish.htm

Make sure you read up on how to cycle an aquarium and such.

 

[fish 'n' fries]

Other thoughts:

a small school of neon tetras and a few small corys (C. hastatus or C. pygmaeus) or a mystery snail.

or


dwarf puffers (2-3) and possibly otos

 

[SpaceButler]

Very good suggestions. Thanks you.

 

[zebbyboy]

Neon tetras are GREAT.

Get them in schools of odd numbers.

3,5, or 7 is prob. the highest for a 10 gallon.

They are very hardy fish and their colors are brilliant with the tanks lighting.

Out of all my fish my tetras have lasted the longest and I have had no issues with them.

They are fun to watch move in their school too .

 

[zenkatydid]

heh, i've never heard of neon tetras described as hardy! there you go, then, different experiences i suppose!

 

[theotheragentm]

heh, i've never heard of neon tetras described as hardy! there you go, then, different experiences i suppose!

Definitely not hardy in my tanks.

 

[zebbyboy]

Just different experiences I guess.

A few fish have died through my tanks but my tetras have not even had one problem at all.

They have been doing just fine and great which really did shock me since I thought that if there was a problem at all with the tank they'd die first.

But yes I have had no problems at all with them.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Sparkle-eye Whitecloud
Tanichthys micagemma

Phoenix Rasbora
Boraras merah

Sparrow Rasbora
Boraras uropthalmoides

Chili Rasbora
Boraras brigittae

 

[SparKy697]

Sparkle-eye Whitecloud

Never seen them before but they sound like VERY handsome fish

 

[newfound77951]

Other thoughts for small schooling fish:

Cherry barbs
Checker barbs
Pristella tetras (I have 5 in my 10g planted)
Black neon tetras
Silvertip tetras (I think that's what they are called, they are gold with white tips on the tail)
dwarf cories
otos

Some "centerpiece" fish:
A betta (male or female)
dwarf gourami

things you could do in pairs:
GBRs (not really hardy, though)
Apistos

other cool critters:
snails
shrimp

I have a 10g, planted, with habrosus cories (4), pristella tetras (5) and ~10 cherry red shrimp. The tank has 1 15 watt fluorescent strip light and grows various cryptocorynes and java fern nicely. heres some pics: