Ideas for stocking my 10 gals

[resist-]

My friend gave me a cute 10 gal planted tank, and my fishless cycle is almost done ! I've done some research on which fish to get, and i’ve seen all kinds of info.

As schooling fish, i’d like to get neon tetras. Sometimes they say you need a 15g, sometimes 10g is ok, depending on where you get the info. Do you guys think i can get 6 of these ?

And as a showcase fish, i have a few choices. 1 or 2 guppys would make my girlfriend happy, but i’m not sure if their water requirements are compatible with the neons. Dwarf gourami and sparkling gouramis are my other options.

I’d also like to get a algae eater, but i’m not sure which one would be good for my setup.

So, do you think 6 neons and 1 or 2 guppys would be good stocking for that tank ? If not, do you have any suggestions ? Any suggestions for a cute algae eater ?

I’m also worried about overstocking…

Thanks for you help

 

[meegosh]

Neons and guppies are fine together. I had both in a 10g, and currently I have 6 guppies with 3 neons. I think you would fine with 6 neons and a few guppies (all one sex, or you'll run into overstocking issues once they have babies). Also, you would be fine with 6 neons and 1 Dwarf Gourami, if you can find a decent DG around. A lot of DG's are not of the best quality. I had one years ago and it looked much better than any of the ones I have seen around recently.

As far as algae eaters I would go with cories for the bottom of the tank. They are not true algae eaters but they do eat uneaten food that falls to the bottom. I'd say cories are a must for any type of community tank. They go well with almost any type of fish and they are so fun to watch! I'd recommend some of the smaller cories so you can get a decent number of them. I'd go with peppered or albinos, they are my two favs.

 

[resist-]

Thanks for your advice meegosh, you rock !

I really like the idea of getting corys, I guess it can help to keep my tank stable.

But I read I need at least three if I want them to be happy. Will I be overstocking if i get 2 guppys, 6 neon and 3 small corys ? Thats looks like a little too much considering the "1 inch per gallon" rule.

 

[JustOneMore20]

I think you'll be fine with that stocking. Just be sure to do weekly water changes and stock slowly.

 

[meegosh]

If you keep up on your water changes and take it slow you should be fine with that stock list. Neons and guppies, I think, are one of those fish that 1"/gal doesn't really apply to, IMO. I would consider neons as small waste producers, guppies a little more so. Either way you would be fine with that setup.

 

[cpeluso]

I have an "albino rainbow shark" who does a better job than my cory at clean-up. He even does the plastic plants!

 

[DragonFish71]

I'd go for neons, guppies, corys and otos. Otos are fun little algae eaters. They do best in a group too.

 

[meegosh]

I think a rainbow shark would get too big for a 10g. I'm sure he does a good job cleaning up but I wouldn't put one in a 10g. They can get up to 6 inches and live for 5+ years.

I looked into them when I started out with my 10g, after reading how big they get I quickly decided against them.

 

[bmg07]

i also would go with neons ,gups , a few corys and a few ottos

 

[cpeluso]

I thought rainbow sharks were only supposed to grow to 4 inches?

 

[bmg07]

no they can grow 6

 

[resist-]

I think i would go for:

2 guppies
6 neons
2 corys
3 otos


Now i'll just have to find which corys are the smallest to make sure I won't be overstocking

 

[meegosh]

The norm is around 4 inches, but they can grow bigger. In a 10 gallon tank I wouldn't expect them to grow to 6"+ because they are not thriving in such a small tank. Even at 4" I wouldn't want it in a 10 gallon, not enough room.

That is like a 6 foot guy living in a 20'x10' box for his whole life. You'd be pretty cramped too!

 

[spoonman]

Would corys be ok with a playsand bottom in a 10G and a few plastic plants?

 

[meegosh]

They would love it! I have playsand and cories in my 10g right now.

 

[Nippy Fish]

I would skip the otocinclus. They feed, in part, on algae, and your new tank will not have any for them to eat. They are also tough to keep alive for any real length of time, and they prefer to be in groups of 6 or more. Cory also prefer to be in groups of 6 or more, by the way. Not sure where you read that they do fine in groups of three. You'll probably be ok with three in such a small tank though. Just make sure they have plenty of cover so they can hide when they feel it necessary. They will die if too stressed.

I have 20+ neon tetras in my 55 gallon tank and they make a stunning school. I put black backing on my tank and they really stand out now. Awesome. Oh, and you probably want to look for panda corycats, depending on where you are, they are probably the smallest+easiest to find.

BTW, mature male guppies can get nippy with each other, I wouldn't do just two, they need to spread out the aggression. This is what I would do:

6 neons
3 panda cory
3 guppy

It's a little over the one inch guideline, but I think it's ok. And don't have an even number of guppy. They'll just pair off and fight.

 

[musicman]

Neons do better if they are in a larger group. I'd aim for 10-12 neon tetras. They will look great and add a lot of depth to your tank.

If you begin to notice algae in the tank, otto cats will do the trick. They are a great little algae eater.

--

Guppies are a good suggestion, but you would either want a fraternity or a sorority. Even in a ten gallon, guppies will not fail to breed. The problem is, you wont have room.