Stock for 10 Gallon???

[GoldenLyretail]

OK so I have a ten gallon tank with an emerald Cory cat. I believe the tank is about cycled because the nitrite looks to be about down to 0. I acidentally got the catfish thinking the tank was cycled but it wasn't. It's a miracle he's still alive, but he swims crazily all around the tank a lot. Maybe it's because he's the only thing living in the tank. I just did a water change close to 1/2. Maybe 1/3. Either way, I did a water change and put safestart in there and refilled the tank with distilled water (put the water in first, then added safestart). Just wondering, what would be appropriate stock for a 10 gallon tank and how often do I need to do water changes? Also how can I tell when it finishes cycling?

 

[Yorg]

OK so I have a ten gallon tank with an emerald Cory cat. I believe the tank is about cycled because the nitrite looks to be about down to 0. I acidentally got the catfish thinking the tank was cycled but it wasn't. It's a miracle he's still alive, but he swims crazily all around the tank a lot. Maybe it's because he's the only thing living in the tank. I just did a water change close to 1/2. Maybe 1/3. Either way, I did a water change and put safestart in there and refilled the tank with distilled water (put the water in first, then added safestart). Just wondering, what would be appropriate stock for a 10 gallon tank and how often do I need to do water changes? Also how can I tell when it finishes cycling?

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Hi GoldenLyretail:

You'll know the cycle is established when the ammonia and nitrite consistently remain at zero, and the nitrate levels off. In a small tank with currently only one fish the nitrate should be quite low (around 5 ppm).

I would not recommend using distilled water in large quantities. It doesn't have the mineral content needed for fish health and for buffering the ph of the water. I use distilled water to top off the tank when there's been evaporation between water changes, but that's of course a very small amount and it doesn't affect the overall water chemistry (other than slightly diluting the nitrate).

What are your water parameters? Your ph and hardness will be factors in your choice of fish. What kind of filter do you have? The capacity and efficiency of the filter is a factor in deciding how heavily you can stock.

I would begin by getting more corys. They need to be in groups of at least 5 or 6. Once you've added more corys, it would be a good idea to monitor your cycle carefully (testing ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate) to ensure that your biofilter can handle the load.

In a small tank like a 10 gallon you could have a shoal or school of smaller fish like barbs, certain tetras, or rasboras. You could also keep some livebearers like guppies or platys provided you keep the number fairly reasonable. A couple of specimen fish like gouramis would also work in a 10 gallon.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that, in a small tank, changes to water parameters can happen much more quickly (and catastrophically) than in a larger tank.

 

[GoldenLyretail]

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Hi GoldenLyretail:

You'll know the cycle is established when the ammonia and nitrite consistently remain at zero, and the nitrate levels off. In a small tank with currently only one fish the nitrate should be quite low (around 5 ppm).

I would not recommend using distilled water in large quantities. It doesn't have the mineral content needed for fish health and for buffering the ph of the water. I use distilled water to top off the tank when there's been evaporation between water changes, but that's of course a very small amount and it doesn't affect the overall water chemistry (other than slightly diluting the nitrate).

What are your water parameters? Your ph and hardness will be factors in your choice of fish. What kind of filter do you have? The capacity and efficiency of the filter is a factor in deciding how heavily you can stock.

I would begin my getting more corys. They need to be in groups of at least 5 or 6. Once you've added more corys, it would be a good idea to monitor your cycle carefully (testing ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate) to ensure that your biofilter can handle the load.

In a small tank like a 10 gallon you could have a shoal or school of smaller fish like barbs, certain tetras, or rasboras. You could also keep some livebearers like guppies or platys provided you keep the number fairly reasonable. A couple of specimen fish like gouramis would also work in a 10 gallon.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that, in a small tank, changes to water parameters can happen much more quickly (and catastrophically) than in a larger tank.

What water do you recommend to use? And I have a penguin mini HOB filter. The parameters are as follows: Nitrate-10 ppm. Nitrite-between .5 and 1 ppm. Hardness-25 ppm. Chlorine-0 ppm. Alkalinity- 180 to 300 ppm. pH-7.2 to 7.8.
I was thinking of maybe rasboras after I add more cories, but would my parameters allow that? Thanks for the help!

 

[Yorg]

What water do you recommend to use? And I have a penguin mini HOB filter. The parameters are as follows: Nitrate-10 ppm. Nitrite-between .5 and 1 ppm. Hardness-25 ppm. Chlorine-0 ppm. Alkalinity- 180 to 300 ppm. pH-7.2 to 7.8.
I was thinking of maybe rasboras after I add more cories, but would my parameters allow that? Thanks for the help!

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Your nitrite is high enough to pose a threat to your cory. What is your ammonia level right now? The water conditioner called Prime (it's made by the Seachem company) can help protect your fish from ammonia and nitrite poisoning while the nitrogen cycle gets established; if you're not using it it would be a good idea to switch to it. I recommend testing ammonia and nitrite daily while you cycle the tank. Even small amounts of ammonia and nitrite are highly toxic to fish. I recommend not adding any more fish until the cycle is stable.

A lot of people (myself included) use their home's tap water for aquarium purposes. My water comes from a well so chlorine and chloramine aren't an issue, but if you have city or company water then it's good that you're using a dechlorinator.

I use distilled water to top off any tanks that have had evaporation. I also mix a certain amount in with the tap water for one of my tanks in which I like to keep the ph and hardness a bit lower (my well water is very hard with a ph of about 8.0). I have one of those home countertop distillers that provides me with enough distilled water for my aquarium needs.

Some people have reverse osmosis (RO) systems to purify and demineralize their water, but that's often because they're keeping specific kinds of fish for which they want to control the water parameters carefully by adding the right amount of minerals, etc. RO systems work but they're kind of expensive and they waste a lot of water in the process.

Your ph and hardness are a bit high for most rasboras (they like the water a bit softer and more acidic that what you have), but captive-bred fishes can usually tolerate conditions outside the preferred ones in the wild. You could check with your local fish store to see what the ph and hardness of its water is; provided it's not too far off from yours, any fish you buy there should be okay in your water.

 

[Yorg]

And I have a penguin mini HOB filter. [/QUOTE]
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Your Penguin mini should be fine as long as you don't stock the tank too heavily. If you do go with a heavier bioload, then you might want to consider getting a more powerful filter like one of the smaller AquaClears.

 

[GoldenLyretail]

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Your nitrite is high enough to pose a threat to your cory. What is your ammonia level right now? The water conditioner called Prime (it's made by the Seachem company) can help protect your fish from ammonia and nitrite poisoning while the nitrogen cycle gets established; if you're not using it it would be a good idea to switch to it. I recommend testing ammonia and nitrite daily while you cycle the tank. Even small amounts of ammonia and nitrite are highly toxic to fish. I recommend not adding any more fish until the cycle is stable.

A lot of people (myself included) use their home's tap water for aquarium purposes. My water comes from a well so chlorine and chloramine aren't an issue, but if you have city or company water then it's good that you're using a dechlorinator.

I use distilled water to top off any tanks that have had evaporation. I also mix a certain amount in with the tap water for one of my tanks in which I like to keep the ph and hardness a bit lower (my well water is very hard with a ph of about 8.0). I have one of those home countertop distillers that provides me with enough distilled water for my aquarium needs.

Some people have reverse osmosis (RO) systems to purify and demineralize their water, but that's often because they're keeping specific kinds of fish for which they want to control the water parameters carefully by adding the right amount of minerals, etc. RO systems work but they're kind of expensive and they waste a lot of water in the process.

Your ph and hardness are a bit high for most rasboras (they like the water a bit softer and more acidic that what you have), but captive-bred fishes can usually tolerate conditions outside the preferred ones in the wild. You could check with your local fish store to see what the ph and hardness of its water is; provided it's not too far off from yours, any fish you buy there should be okay in your water.

My test kit does not allow me to see ammonia levels, but I'll pick up that stuff and treat the water with it.

 

[Yorg]

My test kit does not allow me to see ammonia levels, but I'll pick up that stuff and treat the water with it.

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If you do decide to pick up some Prime I would recommend also getting an ammonia test kit. I know it's easy for me to tell someone else how to spend their money, but ammonia is an extremely important water parameter to test, especially during cycling.

 

[GoldenLyretail]

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If you do decide to pick up some Prime I would recommend also getting an ammonia test kit. I know it's easy for me to tell someone else how to spend their money, but ammonia is an extremely important water parameter to test, especially during cycling.

I will pick up both as soon as possible. Thanks so much for your help.